Customer Reviews

Purity of Essence

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Australia's Hoodoo Gurus are consistently inventive and lyrically smart. Their latest release, Purity of Essence, captures their distinctly kitschy and catchy style of garage rock and power pop with style, panache and a wicked sense of humor. Australian Rolling Stone's Toby Creswell recently gave the new album four stars, noting "one of the best unadorned rock records in recent years . . . Gurus at their finest with a hook-laden album that deserves mainstream recognition."

[...] said of Purity of Essence, "there is real fire here, both in the songwriting and especially the performance. It's a welcome return for an act that doesn't seem to have aged a day since its 1983 debut."

Along with the new album, and with tongue firmly in cheek, the band unleashed Must Travel on Wheels, a "mockumentary" series with references to Spinal Tap and Metallica's Some Kind of Monster, though the band themselves describe it as being more like "a dysfunctional Partridge Family or Curb Your Enthusiasm!"

Must Travel on Wheels takes a look behind the scenes of the Hoodoo Gurus and explores the way the band came together to record the album. Each episode contains a performance of a song from the new album accompanying the "making of" footage. It is a world's first: a real rock band has framed their album and videos around a fictional narrative. "I'd always wanted us to do a radio serial back in the band's early days," lead Guru Dave Faulkner says. "I imagined we'd do an episode with a new song each week, something written especially for the show. Finally, after all this time I've realized my fantasy though here I get to be Fellini with this `rockumentary,' or whatever it is." Reality television has never been so unreal.

These much-mythologized Aussies remain as relevant and impassioned about their distinctive brand of rock 'n' roll as at any time in their 25-year career. Five stars - Brian O

The band's Must Travel on Wheels trailer here:

[...].

Nearly three decades after this Australian band debuted on college radio with Stoneage Romeos and Mars Needs Guitars, changes in the line-up, break-ups and reformations, hiatuses, and one member's recovery from cancer haven't dimmed the group's energy. Fronted by singer-songwriter Dave Faulkner, the band's more soulful than in their earlier years, and though they're not as playful in doling out rapid-fire pop-culture references, they're still plenty of fun and, best of all, they rock. The band packs many styles into this hour-long, sixteen song album. There are Stones-y rockers ("What's in it for Me?"), Clash-styled martial beats ("A Few Home Truths"), lumbering twang that suggests a meeting of Lee Hazlewood and Neil Diamond ("Over Nothing?"), retro soul ("Only in America") and country-rock ("Somebody, Take Me Home").

Faulkner's early songs keyed on the immediate fascinations of a twenty-something, but in his fifties he writes more from a life lived. The first single, "Crackin' Up," considers the pressure of stardom and the feeling of being handled as a commodity. Faulkner wanders without nostalgia through his back pages on the burning Oingo Boingo-styled rocker, "Burnt Orange," and sees his adult friends' fascinations (religion, plastic surgery, meditation) as hang-ups on "I Hope You're Happy." The penultimate "1968" rocks with a terrific garage-psych sound, and "The Stars Look Down" closes the album with startled thoughts of mortality. It's a fitting finish to an album that finds the Hoodoo Gurus' navigating the realizations of middle-age without letting them break their rock `n' roll spirit. [©2010 hyperbolium dot com]

Dave Faulkner may have lost his hair but his voice sounds as strong as ever. I was very pleasantly surprised as I was not a huge fan of Mach Schau. Purity of Essence is their most solid outing in a long time. Track 6 Ashamed of Me is perhaps my favorite. If you like The Hoodoo Gurus you will probably like this. They may be older but they have not lost a step in their sound.

The US release for this does not come out until May from what I have read but I couldnt wait that long. 1 word: Brilliant. The Gurus still deliver the goods. To sum it up: buy this cd. You wont be dissapointed

After not hearing anything about this band since 1996's Crank, I was excited to hear that they had reformed and were back. The Purity of Essence is, in essence, Classic Hoodoo Gurus material. The first single, Crackin' Up, really shows that even though the band has matured over the years, it still retains its essential power and abilty to write catchy tunes.

Unfortunately, a good number of people have written them off as being "has been."

I've been a big fan of Australia's Hoodoo Gurus ever since they released "Stoneage Romeos" in 1984. While the Gurus were inducted into the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) Hall of Fame in 2007, they never got the recognition they deserved in the US. Throughout the 80s, they've released some phenomenal records, "Blow Your Cool" being my favorite. They stayed strong in the 90s, especially with "Crank". "Mach Schau" was a treat for fans in 2004, but we've been waiting 6 long years for the ninth record, "Purity of Essence".

"Purity of Essence" finds the Gurus in fine form - still rocking with melodic vocal hooks and sweet guitar licks after all these years - and the distinctive vocals of lead singer Dave Faulkner sound just as good as they did in 1984. The boys waste no time grabbing your attention with a trademark rocker, "Crackin' Up". The party continues with the powerpop gem, "A Few Home Truths", then ventures into ballad territory with "Are You Sleeping?" The best ballad the Gurus have done is "I Was The One" from "Blow Your Cool", but "Are You Sleeping?" is a close second - beautiful song. But in case you did fall asleep, you'll be jolted out of your slumber with the energetic and brassy "Burnt Orange". The soul-inspired and wonderfully catchy "I Hope You're Happy" and the haunting "Ashamed of Me" round out the better half of the record. We've waited six years, so the band gives us 16 tracks - an over an hour of new music...but honestly I could have done without the final third of the CD. The bottom end of the record is good, but the songs aren't as instantly memorable, with exception of "1968".

"Purity of Essence" shows that a band going on 30 years of age still has all the energy of their younger counterparts...and plenty to say in new songs to grace the musical landscape. Yet another jewel in the Gurus' crown.

Key tracks: 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 7, 9, 15

Bill's Music Forum review

Just recieved my copy of this cd and was really not surprised with the energy that this band can still provide. The opening track is classic Guru's with good hooks and energy. Then a few tracks later you have "Are You Sleeping?" which is pretty mellow, but becoming my favorite track on the disc. Brad Sheppard on backing vocals is just lovely on that track. "Only In America" has some very contagious hooks and rocks as well. Hard to swallow some of the lyrics on this one, but we deserve it here in the states and Dave is giving it to us pretty good on this song. In short if you are a fan of The Hoodoo Gurus no dissappointment will occur. Very solid outing for these guys and as a side note in case you were wondering about their live chops...I saw them in DC about 3 years ago and they were still extremely tight.. and LOUD!! I think these guys have at least 2 to 3 more albums in em'.... At a point where most bands that have been together this long are boring and predictable... the Guru's are still Vital!!