REVIEWS AMERICANA UK November 10, 2014 9 out of 10 By Ian Fildes Canadian alt-rockers dazzle with this collection of upfront rock tunes Purple Hill is the creation of Toronto Indie veteran Owen Marchildon, who has released a grand slew of country-rock edged releases under various monikers over the years, but it is via Purple Hill that he chooses to make his most direct and urgent material. This new album captures punky, literate and urgent pop songs such as ‘Through the Nightmares’ and ‘Walter Wendy’ which sound something like The Replacements winning a fist fight against the E Street Band. Elsewhere ‘Being Young (Like its So Far Behind Them’) is a poetic culmination of insanity and sadness amidst gorgeous guitar chimes and wonky uncertain bluster. The vibrant, loud and shambolic yet tight sound of the band is magnetic and utterly engrossing. There are moments of Wilco-esque poignancy and eccentricity here among the album's many enticing moments. ‘Six String All to My Heart’ is fueled by organs and reticent Springsteen lamenting. While elsewhere the enjoyable title track is a bitter-sweet lament to the power of the pop charts and an unclear but sad lament to its ultimate demise as any kind of cultural barometer. ‘At The 24th Hour’ sounds like excitable Goth punk students imitating The Smiths; coming up with something urgent, dark and chiming, but utterly charming in its own right. This is a band that sounds excitingly free and thrilled to experiment with their component parts, which they do with abandon, but also within tight control. With such a literate, talented and knowing front man, one gets the feeling that this band could achieve absolutely anything if they set their mind to it. This is a really exciting and inspiring album of first class songs; full to bursting with ideas, feel, genuine rock and roll energy, and thoughtful possibilities. It’s simply a brilliant, and enjoyable rock record that stirs the soul and makes you want to jump and shout. THE LITTLE RED UMBRELLA February 24, 2015 Here's One Of The Best Velvet Underground-Inspired Albums of the Year by David Ball - Frank Zappa once said: “Never stop until your good becomes better, and your better becomes the best.” Well, 10-years and counting into a prolific underground indie career, Purple Hill’s better has become best with the release of Top 40 Radio Memory Dream (Oh Yeah!). Truth is, the latest offering hatched from the unusual mind of svengali frontman Owen Marchildon (former bassist from the late great math rock outfit From Fiction) isn’t much different than his Toronto quartet’s string of stellar LPs that unabashedly channel, and nail, Loaded-era Velvet Underground and noisy three-chord garage rock. But this 10-song collection bests all, even 2011’s acclaimed low-fi gem Bring On The Macho, mainly because it’s more cohesive and accessible; helping matters is that it’s packed with at least six radio-friendly tracks including the joyous slice of '80s dream pop “Being Young (Like It’s So Far Behind), the obviously VU-inspired “I’ve Been Listening To Nico”, and rootsy standout single “Six String All To My Heart”, the latter evoking the Byrds-esque psychedelic-country spirit of Purple Hill’s 2005 debut EP and 2009’s Beechnut Street. Still, newfound accessibility doesn’t mean Marchildon has turned in his crazy calling-card just yet. The prolific singer/guitarist’s vivid and sparsely subversive lyrics remain Purple Hill’s most compelling and funny feature, and this effort is no exception: Highly personalized true stories that manically flip between celebrating everyday slices of life (guilt by eating too much junk food on the mid-tempo power-pop opener “Sweat Out The Take Out”) to occasional fits of lunacy (being driven mad by bedbugs on the suped-up VU rocker “I Am Ripe”). The live-off-the-floor, one-or-two-takes-and-it-is-a-wrap approach (with a few overdubs), was captured by Jeff McMurrich (Constantines, Danko Jones), a wise decision by the revered engineer and producers Purple Hill, since the warts-and-all, 35-minute recording, comes off like a raw live album featuring a fearless band swinging for the fences. Don’t be surprised if you find Top 40 Radio Memory Dream (Oh Yeah!) on a few year-end “Best Of” lists. Heck, “Six String All To My Heart” should even garner spins on radio outside of the usual college variety. Are you listening, Indie88? You should be. SONGBIRD MUSIC February 8, 2015 Imagine Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers actually had their heartbroken – what the hell would that sound like? Or what if Tom had a younger brother that was pissed off at the world and had a little more punk spirit than his older bro? In all honesty, it would probably sound a lot like Purple Hill. Underrated Toronto rock & rollers, Purple Hill possess that musical passion that can only be gained through years of playing gritty, dirty, shitty venues to piss-drunk crowds. There new album Top 40 Radio Memory Dream (Oh Yeah) comes out February 27th. Grab a beer and enjoy. CREDITS Jordan Bruce: Drums, Percussion Quentin Ede: Bass, Back Up Vocals.. tracks 3,4,6,7,8,10 Brent Hough: Guitar, Keyboards, Back up Vocals Owen Marchildon: Guitar, Vocals Dan Snyder: Bass..tracks 1,2,5,9 Produced by Purple Hill Recorded and Mixed by Jeff McMurrich Mastered by Fedge Photography by Tyler Anderson and Michelle Siu All songs written by Owen Marchildon and Purple Hill.