Ris Paul Ric

US first press 2005 100 clear w/ purple splatter. Record and sleeve EX
So Ris Paul Ric's Purple Blaze has little or nothing to do with Purple Haze or "Purple Haze" or Purple Rain-- it's also got surprisingly little in common with Dischord's D.C. boys, considering that Ris Paul Ric happens to be former Q and Not U guitarist chRIS PAUL RIChards, capitalizing (get it, capitals?) on the band's recent breakup to go his own way: The album's 12 tracks seem like the byproduct of crooning jammy-clad on snow days spent waiting for your beard to grow-- such far, stripped-down acoustic cries are they from Q and Not U's post-hardcore shtick. But even when especially plaintive, Richards' oft-operatic pipes are still recognizable: his breathy ups and downs-- accompanied by electronic artist, Alien8's Tim Hecker this time-- are nothing short of lovely, even sentimental and dimmed.