Purrs

Seattle band the Purrs have been together long enough to sound like they know what they are doing. On their second album, they have really gotten their take on druggy ’70s rock down, and with a Lou Reed-like delivery from their singer Jima, it isn’t hard to see why they are building a decent following. The Chemistry That Keeps Us Together is a very businesslike album, in that there’s nothing above and beyond the very functional songs. There’s nothing very spectacular on display yet it’s a record that’s hard to find much of anything to complain about. It’s almost like the band are trying their best to hide behind the music, with very little of their personality or geography coming through on the dozen songs. There is definitely a bit of swagger and sneer on display at times, and that helps to make The Chemistry That Keeps Us Together from becoming too bland. But for the most part, it feels somewhat soulless. However, people who like this kind of thing will like it a lot.