Singer Chris Daltrey formed Purple Ivy Shadows in
Richmond (Virginia), but the band later moved to
Providence (Rhode Island).
Early recordings, such as the
EP Purple Ivy Shadows (My Pal God, 1993), the single
Circle Eye / Psychic Baby (SpinArt, 1994), the
EP Icicles Are Echoes (Watercolour, 1994) and the single
Feeble/ Sustance (Zero Hour, 1996)
introduced a group of shy musicians intent in concocting dreamy country-pop
madrigals in the vein of Hugo Largo.
The spiritual feeling is all that is left on
No Less The Trees Than The Stars (Slow River, 1998).
Pawtucket, Rebuilding The Ancestral Statue and
Blue Mtn bridge Gram Parsons and Will Oldham and revive
the tradition of depressed country songwriters.
The surreal Dancefloor's Shiny Under Junky is the only exception
to the generally subdued and fatalistic mood.
White Electric (Krave, 1999) is an attempt to web that sincere
inspiration with New York's noise-rock. The result is a cerebral version
of REM's folk-rock that appeals neither to traditionalists nor
to modernists.