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Album Details

• Artist: Gary Numan
• Album: Pure
• Label: Eagle
• Year of Release: 2000
• ME Rating:
• Reviewed by: gwhill on 2013-03-05

Gary Numan pretty much embodied the ‘80s moody electronic branch of what at the time was called “new wave.” From his incredibly original band Tube Way Army to his solo career and its quirky hits, Numan represented the quintessential cool European techno-popper of that decade. He has now released an incredible album that takes that classic sound into darker and heavier directions for a new generation. It is interesting in listening to note the bands that Numan apparently has influenced, ranging from Marilyn Manson to Nine Inch Nails and Korn.  Numan’s musicians on the CD are Monti, Rob Holliday, Steve Harris and Richard Beasley.

Weird and spooky dark atmospheric modes begin the opening title track. After the intro a hard edged techno rhythm starts. The cut drops down before the vocals start. It feels rather NINish, and features some great changes and a very strong chorus. The lyrics here are quite dark and brutal. Starting in a slower techno rhythm, “Walking with Shadows” builds gradually for a time. It is another very dark cut lyrically and seems to tie in to the previous one. This number has a more powerful chorus segment and feels a bit more like old school Gary Numan. It features a weird effects dominated break and a nice haunting outro.

With a rather disjointed texture “Rip” feels a bit like Marilyn Manson’s more atmospheric and textural modes, but the chorus is in a very strong old school Numan. The cut gets quite crazy at times and quite powerful at other times. “One Perfect Lie” is another that starts off spooky and dark, but it quickly moves to a more mainstream style for a short period. The verse is very nicely haunting. The chorus is powerful in an old style Numan mode. The cut builds in intensity each time a verse or chorus section repeats. It is one of the more accessible cuts on the disc.

With a rather dark techno basis, “My Jesus” is very solid. The lyrics are twisted and frightening and the cut gets quite powerful at times. Dark and moody piano based keyboard texture start “Fallen” in fine style. It quickly shifts to a more modern sounding techno structure that is more rhythmically based. It features backwards vocals for weird effect. A Solid techno groove starts “Listen to My Voice.” The music has a more light textured element, but still is quite poignant. This one should feel more familiar to the old time Numan fans than any of the earlier cuts.

An odd ambient techno sort of rhythm begins “The Prayer for the Unborn” in dark tones. As textures build on this, the cut takes on new sounds. The vocals erupt on top of this mix and the cut builds in a dark textural tone that seems to embody the older Gary Numan sound with a darker, more modern texture. After a time, it explodes into sounds that feel like a modern take on Numan’s old band Tube Way Army. After this burst of energy, it drops to a rhythmic hushed mode, and then explodes back up to this chorus. It is a very strong piece and drops to a weirdly processed acoustic sounding take on the melody to end.

Odd dark technoish elements begin “Torn” and carry it through the intro. As the verse enters, a stripped down percussive texture takes over. Later on it expands on its themes in a more standard sort of Numan arrangement. It then drops to a more stripped down rhythmic break, and then goes back to the early verse textures from there. The more traditional Numanisms return again later. Beautiful piano elements start the next cut, “Little Invitro.” As the vocals enter, the song begins building on the melody from the intro, moving in touching melancholy styles. As the piece continues to grow, a percussive structure enters. After a time, a hard edged guitar riff takes the piece for a time, redefining it. After a short build on this, it drops back to more ambient tones to end. Pretty darkly hushed tones begin the final song of the set, “I Can’t Breath.” After a time, the piece takes on a more proximately rhythmic structure. This one is rather Mansonish in its whispered creepy vocal texture. The cut builds in a rather industrial format and it features a powerful chorus in a classic Numan style. It builds on stripped down textural techno tones later, then jumps back to a harder edged take on that classic G.N. sound. This section ends the piece and the disc.

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