Palma Violets are the latest in a long line of
bands that are being heralded as the saviours of British indie-rock, as we
struggle to fill the skinny-jeaned, sweaty gig-shaped gaps left by the
Libertines and the newly-quiffed Arctic Monkeys. The Vaccines are the cuurent
leading candidates for the role, and as debut album ‘180’ shows, Palma Violets
are not quite ready to displace them just yet.
‘180’ is a good effort for a debut, sticking
closely to the low-fi garage aesthetic of the Libertines and the Strokes, and
it certainly has its own charm and youthful signature. The free-flowing ‘Step
Up For The Cool Cats’ and it’s repeated final line ‘you got me dancing in the sun’ is terrific, ‘Rattlesnake Highway’
sounds like ‘I Fought The Law’ from an indie garage band and ‘We Found Love’ is
melodic and irrepressibly upbeat, with its inate youthfulness summed up by the
line ‘gonna find myself a lady friend and
stick by her until the end’.
At its best, ‘180’ is brilliantly innocent, refreshing and very British. Cheeky and cheerful, the production makes it feel live, with wild and
spontaneous rockouts round every corner, while Sam Fryer’s scuzzy vocals and
Pete Mayhew’s keyboards add a distinctive sound to their garage-rock style, as
do the odd psychedelic moment (see ‘Last of the Summer Wine’). But as the
record goes on, the bluesy ‘Tom The Drum’ and the more subtle ‘Chicken Dippers’
aside, the quality begins to wane.
‘All The Garden Birds’ is okay but instantly
forgettable, while the lads have a knack of being annoyingly repetitive, as
final track ‘14’ shows – the guitar riff is good, but repeating one line
throughout starts to irritate. ‘Last of the Summer Wine’ takes too long to kick
in, ‘Johnny Bagga Donuts’ feels underformed and ‘Three Stars’ lacks any
purpose. Hidden track ‘Brand New Song’ feels like a weak afterthought and should
stay hidden.
But for all the good moments and bad, it cannot
hope to reach the heights of the best moment. Opening track ‘Best Of Friends’
is the stand-out moment; raucous and wild yet anthemic and structured, full of
spontaneous energy and with a euphoric ending, it’s a winding indie anthem
that’s up there with the best of them. It’s their calling card song and a
brilliantly uplifting three minute exuberant outburst that lifts ‘180’ before
it even starts.
So, Palma Violets aren’t the finished article
but ‘180’ shows promise. A mixed bag of psychedelic garage-rock numbers full of
potential, but without perhaps the quality and structure to match the youthful and
high-spirited feel of these tracks. The four-piece promise to be a must-see
live band, but they have not captured that on record just yet.
So, a good album from the boys, and with a clear stand-out moment, 'Best Of Friends', which I bring to you here for your specific enjoyment. Hence, enjoy.
NWR
