Sabrosa Purr - Music From the Violet Room

Any band that opens its album with a sample spoken in French obviously has some arty ambitions. Sabrosa Purr definitely has that on Music from the Violet Room. But what the band also has is a muddle of influences and styles without enough confidence to fully pull them off. Will Love's whiny, slightly androgynous voice can be put to good use, but when he starts screaming for no apparent reason, it comes across as almost comical. The line "My best friend since I'm 13/living through the magazines" from "...by the Water" doesn't sound any better when screamed, which does the song's serious subject matter of suicide a distracting disservice. Despite the catchy, crunchy guitar riffs on "The Lovely People," the song is marred by what sounds like he's trying out his best Marilyn Manson impression. Songs like "Pink" are more effective with an edgy sexuality that borders on the sinister. This song is the closest Sabrosa Purr to achieving the sort of sound they seem to be striving for. The dreamy "All the Leaves..." (the band has an affection for ellipses in song titles) and the acoustic "Liars, Petty Theives and Pets" just sound like digressions and a poor attempt to showcase the band's "range." If Sabrosa Purr manages to get past some immaturity in their music and overreaching attempts at proving its pain, the band might be worth hearing. As of now, though, there's only a glimpse of what the band could be and too much of what it shouldn't. [www.sabrosapurr.com]