180

Media are in control

The newly launched Palma Violets band could be a great base for a feature film or a documentary as early as now. This English ensemble existed about a year and a half before… their song was named the song of the year! And the title was awarded by none other than the globally recognized and respected NME. We are talking about the single Best Of Friends, the one that was proclaimed by mass media as a hymn or symbol of traditional guitar-based indie rock revival. Well, sensations and big statements feel journalists, and in the meantime the yet inexperienced outfit will have to live up to these words. Probably, it was the media who disoriented the green musicians and made them rush to the studio to record a long player. The band could have been teasing the audience with singles, concerts and vague interview replies for quite a while, but instead they released a debut album. The CD was curiously called 180. There is a word that the young musicians had their first rehearsals in a building number 180.

180 bets on guitar-based rock

It looks but natural, that the best start for an album, especially a debut one, is the band’s most recognizable and famous song so far, the one that would set the tone for the rest of the record and attract listeners. No wonder, 180 kicks off with Best Of Friends, an amazing piece with noisy clanging guitars, powerful distinct vocals and catchy melody. Step Up For The Cool Cats, and All The Garden Birds not as much develop this approach as they repeat it, which is good enough. The opening part of the album proves to be quite lively, vibrant, rocking. However, nagging listeners will soon have questions. A couple of the following tracks have nothing new to offer, and while a tune or two could save the say, the musicians, who have yet to write their best songs, failed to come out with anything memorable. And here comes the well-tested and universally loved change of tempo and mood. Last Of The Summer Wine is a heart-warming and cozy ballad which is able to recover interest to the record. In the second half of the album, Palma Violets once again try to play what they did so well on Best Of Friends, hot-tempered and straightforward rock, and succeed. However, we are not going to hear another track of the same quality.

There is a potential, there will be a success

As 180 comes to its end, Palma Violets go slightly experimental choosing a more solemn, serious sounding, and play quite an original and non-standard piece called 14. The result is great, and it is hard to believe that these rookies can sound so confident and mature. All in all, the 180 album is certainly a bit raw. You can feel that the English band hurried a bit too much to make it this soon. There are some tracks that could and should sound better if the musicians had worked more to make them better on paper. The voice could be louder here, and the instruments could be more sophisticated there, but there are details. The general impression, however, from this album is that it is a very good product. It would be silly to expect this release to be an epoch-making event in the history of indie rock; but even the musicians did not set goals that high. The first step is made, and a huge experience is gained. Now everything is in the hands of these guys. It is up to them to make journalists say a lot many good things about them.