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"The Alice Rose has the kind of energy, verve and cleverness not seen since the days of early Elvis Costello, and they have hit all the marks with All Haunt's Sound. Quirky, catchy melodies reel you in, wrapped around deft musicianship that pulls excellent little gems out of every tune."
- VitaminW
""The Alice Rose are the kind of seldom-heralded, hard-working heroes that make Austin’s live music scene so dependable on a nightly basis."
- Austin360.com
"The Alice Rose has a lush sound that falls between indie pop and power pop, but whatever the categorization, the common denominator is their highly melodic songcraft. The disc opens brightly with "She Did Command", which has a Jon Brion/Michael Penn feel to it, while the jittery beat of "Waste Away" sounds a bit like how Spoon would sound if they were guitar-based instead of piano-based. "Maybe a Ride" would be the obvious choice for the "single" from the disc if singles were a viable format these days, with its bright melody and uptempo sound. The Beatlesque "Slumberella" is another winner, and the joyous "It's All Allowed" will set your toes to a-tappin'. If you like your pop with a little bit of a sophisticated edge, The Alice Rose is perfect for you."
- Absolute Powerpop
"No one churns out classic power-pop in Austin quite like the Alice Rose. After two addictive singles, the local quintet, led by the emotive JoDee Purkeypile, hit its stride with recent sophomore effort All Haunt’s Sound, which takes all the right cues from Squeeze and early Elvis Costello."
- Austin Chronicle
"The masters understand that the key to a great pop song lies in the ability to mine that place in the hippocampus where beloved melodies and the bittersweet moments they memorialize commingle. In this regard, The Alice Rose's Phonographic Memory is one of the most apt titles for a pop album in ages. Think about hearing a classic tune by Squeeze for the first time, and it's easy to understand how special this Austin-based band is: Every song on its debut sounds both strangely familiar and utterly new."
- National Public Radio
"Easily one of Austin's best pop records in recent memory, The Alice Rose's Phonographic Memory, with goose-bump songs by singer/writer JoDee Purkeypile, explores all the possibilities of lush harmonies, strong songwriting, and classic Beatlesque pop moves, though the latter tag may end up to be a bit misleading. This band's sonic palette is far more eclectic for mere Fab Four comparisons."
- Pop Culture Press
"The Alice Rose takes the melodies of modern rock's shoe gazing movement and resets them in a more infectious up-tempo structure. At times the group's sound recalls the sincerity of the classic 1970s rock, rather than the emo-angst of modern pop."
- Relix Magazine
"For music fanatics, there are few greater joys than having a band seemingly burst out of nowhere armed with an album's worth of captivating new music, brimming with enthusiasm and vitality, giving the scene a huge jolt of excitement. The Alice Rose, a quintet out of Austin, TX, is just such a band capturing lightning in a bottle, channeling influences like the Beatles, the Beach Boys, and Big Star into a tasty new set of melodic rockers that are catchy without sounding derivative."
- Amplifier Magazine
"This is the kind of dream pop I’m into - melancholy vibes, intelligent lyrics with great imagery, and a swirling rock approach. The Alice Rose blends their sounds in a Beatles way, but they can also have some fun and kick out a jumping rock number...This is an album of beautiful compositions with an intriguing lead vocal that’s rough-edged on the low notes and heavenly on the high ones."
- Indie-Music.com
"Among the highlights: "Light Up" is an atmospheric rocker with a graceful melody; "Save Me" has a Lennonesque feel, almost as if "Hey Bulldog" was slowed down a notch or two; "Lamplight" is oustanding power pop; "Ocean" has an anthemic Coldplay-like sound; "All Over Your Body" is absolutely Beatlesque; and "West" falls into the Jon Brion/Michael Penn camp."
- Absolute Powerpop
"Purveyors of fine Pop should be quite overwhelmed with The Alice Rose, an exciting quintet out of Austin, Texas. They have managed to assemble a collection of fresh and bright music with not a trace of filler to be found anywhere. When we say fresh we mean it, The Alice Rose has certainly taken cues from bands like The Beatles, Jellyfish and Squeeze, but they have used these influences to create something original."
- Whitsbrain.com
"The power-pop ballads produced by the Alice Rose represent the dripping beads of wax from forgotten flames and moonlit candles, the romanticized effects of time and distance on one's Phonographic Memory. Led by the sincere and seductive cull of singer and guitarist JoDee Purkeypile's sweet falsetto, "Light Up" rekindles the carpe diem conceit of John Donne's "The Sun Rising" as he begs his mistress to "elude daybreak and wait to take fist to fate."
- The Austin Chronicle
"Fantastic CD! Great songs with a marvelous voice that reminds me very much of Scott Sax in his Wanderlust period; at other times the sound leans towards what might have been the evolution of Cotton Mather had they not separated...extremely good CD, one of the best of the year."
- Pop Madrid
"Behind the upbeat harmonies and high-pitching, bittersweet vocals of JoDee Purkeypile bubbles a Beatles lilt and traces of Big Star, impressive arrangements couched in accessible and catchy tunes."
- Austin Sound
"Great new discovery out of Austin, Texas! The plate is set from Song 1, "Light Up", a song that forced the hitting of the repeat button three straight times before moving on out of necessity to get the rest of the album. Thankfully, it continued to deliver the same helping of pop goods. Check out "Save Me", check them all out. There..s not a duff track here...Extremely Highly Recommended"
- Not Lame
"Austin psychedelic band The Alice Rose are fortified with fiery grit, evidenced by the thick bass intro and pummeling drums of This Night or gentle onslaught of All Over Your Body, two songs from the band's early 2007 debut Phonographic Memory. Elsewhere, singer JoDee Purkeypile’s literate poetry, crafted into song nuggets with a vague British sensibility propels the group light years above the Texas hills."
- David Pyndus, Austin360.com
"...the band bury the "yeah, yeah, yeahs" ..," the album's best shot at airplay, and roll out complex pop tunes such as "Wisteria" and "Ocean" that challenge listeners to follow the sound wherever it takes them...this is what Squeeze would sound like if a young Syd Barrett were a collaborator."
- The Austin American Statesman
"From out of the blue comes a band with the intelligent melodic sensibilities of Squeeze, and a subtle Texas accent. Songs of yearning that transcend the saccharine…The most promising new band active in Austin right now."
- David Brown's Top 10 Picks for 2006 (KUT 90.5 FM)
"In concert, lead vocalist JoDee Purkeypile croons like a young Elvis Costello (albeit without the snarl or chip on his shoulder), while whimsical piano melodies add blissful psych-pop touches to the band's tunes. And while early Costello albums are an influence, better touchstones for the Alice Rose's lush power-pop are the Shins, the Beach Boys and especially the beloved cult act Jellyfish."
- Riverfront Times, St. Louis
"Vocalist JoDee Purkeypile has a bit of the John Lennon vibe in his vocal style..."Light Up" does an excellent job capturing real emotion - JoDee's voice blends well with the suitably jangly elecric guitars...The first moments of "Save Me" are reminiscent of late-period Beatles, but the song will also be enjoyed by fans of jangle-pop artists The Posies or Canadian rockers Sloan."
- Hit Session
"Phonographic Memory is a Whitman's Sampler of breezy power-pop with a lush undercurrent of experimentation, both musically and lyrically."
- The Buzz
"Delicious melodic guitar pop out of Austin, Texas. Led by a talented singer/songwriter by the name of JoDee Purkeypile, the Central Texan quintet eschews any overt stylistic alliance (outside of an obvious fondness for 80s British pop) and simply fills up a cookie sheet’s worth of wonderful songs on Phonographic Memory. “Save Me,” “Light Up” and “Saints” fulfill the daily requirement for near-perfect pop, while “All Over Your Body” and “This Night” stretch out with hip-wiggling rhythms and textural feedback. Good songwriting, good performances, strong production—nothing but good stuff here."
- High Bias
"Fans of jangle-pop gurus such as The Posies and Sloan should be suitably enamored with The Alice Rose, a quintet from Austin, TX, that dishes out sharp classic pop a la Squeeze."
- Lawrence.com
"If you like '60s-era pop rock with lush melodies, cool chord changes and vocal harmonies, you'll love The Alice Rose. The Austin quintet fronted by singer, songwriter and guitarist JoDee Purkeypile claims influences ranging from the Beatles to 13th Floor Elevators, and that's a good range, judging by songs "All Over Your Body" and 'Slumberella.'"
- The San Antonio Express-News |
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