Purity Ring

セルフタイトルによる4作目のアルバムは、大胆な新時代の幕開けを告げる作品で、架空のRPGのサウンドトラックとして構想されたコンセプト・アルバム。『ファイナルファンタジーX』のようなゲームからインスピレーションを受けており、壊れた世界の廃墟の中でより優しい世界を築こうと旅に出る。ヴィンテージのデジタル・シンセ、クラシック・ギター、パンフルート、ブレイクビーツ、幽玄なヴォコーダーを織り交ぜながら、恍惚的で異世界のようなサウンドスケープを築き上げている。Jamesは、彼女ならではの音色に加え、ボーカル表現の多彩な引き出しと、歓喜とめまいが入り混じるようなストリーム・オブ・コンシャスネス的な詞世界を解き放つ。

Sometimes life is too big to be contained by reality. To understand our greatest struggles, dreams, and feelings, we weave them into fantastical stories that bring magic to everyday life -- and, in turn, inspire us to make the world we live in a better place. Video games are some of the most vivid and accessible forms of this kind of storytelling and serve as inspiration for Purity Rings self-titled fourth album. Conceived as the soundtrack to an imaginary Final Fantasy X-style RPG in which Corin Roddick and Megan James try to heal the world -- and themselves -- Purity Ring conjures a realm where grief, hope, and longing become epic quests. Like Nobuo Uematsu, Masashi Hamauzu, and Junya Nakano, the composers of Final Fantasy Xs score, James and Roddick achieve some impressive world-building with the albums sonics. Strings, acoustic guitar (a rarity in Purity Rings music), and layers of electronics paint majestic landscapes of wind, waves, and mountains. Each song feels like a level in the game, from the amniotic prologue "Relict," where James realizes "Nobodys coming to save us," to "MJ Odyssey," a cascading piano instrumental with an earnest melody that will feel instantly familiar to RPG fans. That goes double for the standout "Many Lives," which contrasts regal choral vocals with the rushing wonder of an anime soundtrack. Purity Rings grounding in the sounds of the late 90s and early 2000s extends beyond the work of Uematsu to the icicle twinkle of Bjorks Vespertine and the eras skittering breakbeats and dance-pop; James and Roddick have rarely sounded as kinetic as they do on "Place of My Own." The light touch they use on the album is especially effective on its songs about death and other separations. On "Red the Sunrise," grieving is a natural process thats moving in more ways than one, while "Iamanocean" and "Glacier :: In Memory of RS ::" honor what’s gone while holding space for transformation. Roddick and James music has always been transporting, but exactly where they take their listeners hasnt always been so clearly defined. With its artful use of nostalgia and fantasy, not to escape reality but to inspire a better one, Purity Ring is an undeniable level-up. ~ Heather Phares

カナダのシンセ・ポップ・デュオが新作を発表。「ゼルダの伝説」や「ファイナルファンタジーX」といったゲームにインスパイアされて作られたという楽曲群は、デュオの音楽的引き出しの多さが際立つ力作だ。お得意のドリーミーな音像を軸にしつつ、"Many Lives"ではドラムンベースのリズムを取り入れるなど、ビートがこれまで以上に多彩さを増している。
bounce (C)近藤真弥