It’s been a while since I shook my head to alternative rock that actually rocked. Most of the shit they crank out these days is half baked (look under Mraz, Jason) pop designed to cater to the lowest common denominator or low-fi indie nonsense (too many to list) and when you do find an artist that has a good song or two – I’m looking at you, Soul Asylum – their musicianship is sorely lacking. You listen to the hit, check out the album, and go back to just listening to the hit. Tristan Clopet, a Miami-based guitarist, vocalist, and band leader, led a charge against such generic, non-talented nonsense last summer with his first album, and recently released a new EP, Purple. Thankfully, Clopet does not misstep with this one. Purple is worth several listens. It’s not perfect, by any means, but it is a respectable sophomore effort, and most importantly, demonstrates that Clopet has successfully (so far, at least) resisted the urge to devolve into Kings of Leon territory.

Purple is defined by a mid-90′s era alt-funk drive in the rhythm section, complemented by Tristan’s strongest musical attribute – his guitar playing. At its best, it’s almost virtuosic. “Black Panther Party,” in particular, demonstrates a swirling, psychedelic, distorted sound that actually rocks. Other tracks, such as “Superficiality is a Sin,” continue the head-shaking. Tristan wisely backs himself up with a strong rhythm section, and while it’s sometimes under-mixed in the production compared to his vocals and guitar (this is most evident in “Proximity Bomb,” in which the stand-alone drums aren’t mixed strongly enough), it provides the album as a whole with a welcome alt-funk drive, with an emphasis on the funk. These funk-inflected tracks are the strongest: Clopet’s music doesn’t stand out as much, and is less interesting, when it’s slow. “So Alive” is well-produced, to be sure, but doesn’t have the unique sound that his other, more up-tempo tracks showcase.

Clopet’s lyrics, like his music, are strongest when they are edgiest. I don’t mean “Gosh, I really love you, and let me express that with an extended set of metaphors” lyrics, which unfortunately find themselves into a couple of his slower songs, such as “So Alive.” I mean the ones that tackle issues like addiction frankly and head-on. “Black Panther Party” is a particularly good example. Like the album as a whole, when Tristan has an edge and a bounce, his music is strongest. Let’s hope he keeps going down that road, and learns from the lessons of other, more successful (so far), yet less interesting alternative musicians.