The Alice Rose

All Haunt’s Sound (Emerald Wood Records)

Not since Robert Harrison’s Cotton Mather has an Austin band so successfully churned out power pop nuggets like the Alice Rose. While not as tightly wound as its 2006 imagistic predecessor, Phonographic Memory, the local quintet’s All Haunt’s Sound possesses a subtle, psychedelic streak, fitting considering some of the band members moonlight in the 13th Floor Elevators tribute act Acid Tomb. That’s evident in the woozy organ opening “Waste Away,” the swirling transitions in standout “Agony Aunt,” and the Revolver-era Brit-pop of “I Know Your Ghost.” Leadoff “She Did Command” illustrates all that Alice Rose does well: guitarist/vocalist JoDee Purkeypile’s bittersweet sincerity, an unexpected piano break from Brendan Rogers, and solid harmonies from bassist Sean Crooks, all driven by Chris Sensat’s peripheral percussion with just enough repetition to make the whole thing stick to the wall in under three minutes.

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This article appears in August 7 • 2009.

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