The Purkinje Shift...

Featuring members who routinely sported suits and opted never to take breaks in between songs when performing live, The Purkinje Shift were an odd but vastly underappreciated instrumental math-rock trio between the years 1996 and 2000. Although together for only a short amount of years the band was able to put out two fine full-length records, 1997’s Nickel Waves and Carbon Stars and 1999’s Five for the Road and One for the Ditch, along with one single.

The Purkinje Shift was of the Don Cab mold, with guitars that gradually built and further weaved in and out of each other with intricate but beautiful arrangements. However, just as quickly as one would fall in love with the interplay going on between the two guitarists they would lay into a quick harsher sounding crunch. It was just enough to rattle the listener from any sort of comfort zone they may be slipping into. They were definitely masters of the craft. There is a nice description of them on the Copper Press site that I think does a fairly nice job of capturing what they were like in a way. So here is that for anyone that cares to read further:

“3 A.M. Traffic on the city streets is intermittent. The alleys sing with drunks and vagabonds meandering in search of a spot to take respite. Atlanta is silent, save for the wet hum on the pavement as cars streak across its surface, wet from a late-evening rain that took a bite out of the heat that sweltered beyond its afternoon norm. The damp air rises visibly in front of the security lamps and pros and cons and passersby checker the corners and lean beneath awnings of lit storefronts. Enter a sleek blue Mustang, hung low and growling as it roars into view. It swerves to avoid potholes and debris on its way to the city's edge, where it veers onto a freeway entrance ramp. A vision of perfect balance, horsepower, calibration and finesse, it darts into, between and past traffic with pinpoint control and cool concentration, the sharp tilts in direction and downshifts executed in a stalwart fashion befitting those who are first on race day. Guitar, guitar and drums. Adventurous forays into seething nightscapes under the guide of intrepid players who create and resolve tension in ways previously unheard. Daring plummets into dense sonic valleys are answered by escalating passages that raise, one ladder-to-tightrope-walk at a time, not only the listener from the perilous depths, but also raise the stakes, as to successfully render the passengers safe from harm and the music from death-by-bottomless pit, requires great skill, engrossing determination and patience, qualities this trio possesses in spades. Behind the wheel of these six engrossing compositions, The Purkinje Shift work the pedals and hold the wheel in a leather grip, the headlights piercing the darkness like a needle. When the journey is over, the listener will find himself far from Atlanta, on the other side of the Tennessee valley and mountain range, perhaps, all the way to northern Michigan, sitting and staring at his reflection, all lit and bleach white, in a computer monitor that glows like dulling city lights, the faint odor of exhaust escaping out the cracked window.” ~ Copper Press ~

With that, check out some tunes below from both of their albums.

Nickel Waves and Carbon Stars:
The Purkinje Shift – Clint [MP3]

Five for the Road and One for the Ditch:
The Purkinje Shift – TVCR [MP3]

It would appear that the 54º40' or Fight! online store still has copies of everything the band put out, including their lone 7 inch. If that doesn’t work, well there is always Amazon. Whichever route is chosen, definitely pick up an album or two. Well worth it for fans of this sort of thing.