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Wednesday, May 1, 2013

ALBUM REVIEW: PALMA VIOLETS - 180

PALMA VIOLETS - 180 (Rough Trade US)

Much buzzed debut album from a London four piece is a raucous blast of organ heavy garagey fun.


The Palma Violets tread where many bands have gone before, playing punchy rock with a little sleaze and a lot of laddish energy. Based on their raucous live shows easy-to-grab hooks they became a UK "it" band before their debut album was even out (including an NME cover and the obligatory backlash that comes with it).

They play a no-frills brand of garagey indie rock with a simple (and a bit sloppy) drum/bass/guitar attack. But what really separates them from the pack is the fuzzy psychedelic organ that fills out the sound and takes them from being just another Libertines to bringing in bits of Modern Lovers, Stranglers, and Caesars. The production is filled with reverb and is deliberately muddy, which adds to the reckless feel, but still has a professionalism to it that keeps it from sounding lo-fi. The band's style is easy to like right out of the box; a bunch of jaunty songs that make you want to jump around and mouth along the words that you don't quite know. I'm not sure what kind of staying Palma Violets will have, but for now the album is a splendid burst of fun every time I put it on.




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