ALBUM: Palma Violets-180

They were tipped with fame in 2013 last year and it is easy to see why London band Palma Violets have received such praise. A few weeks ago, their debut album 180 hit the stores and was viewed as a fun, but remarkable LP - and I agree with these views. They start the album with fan favourite and anthem of the album, Best of Friends. Frontmen Sam Fryers and Chili Jesson bawl their way through this anti-romance number as they scream through the chorus "I wanna be your best friend, I don't want you to be my girl" as they make such an awkward moment in someone's life seem so cheery. They continue this great form into their second song Step Up For the Cool Cats which is played perfectly on the organ by Peter Mayhew. This is very much like The Cure with it's gothic edge and hissing, which still oozes originality. All Of the Garden Birds is light and relaxing, before Rattlesnake Highway sends you on a road (pardon the pun) of good old fashioned rock and roll. However, delightfully-sounding track Chicken Dippers gives the band a proper rock side and sells the album with a killer riff, being one of the highlights of the album. Breakthrough single Last Of the Summer Wine then follows with its catchy hooks and Fryers' swooning voice bellowing "Over and over agaainn". Tom the Drum then follows up with even more hooks in this song, as it gleams something like The Clash. Brilliantly named track Johnny Bagga Donuts then makes you think of The Libertines with its undefined sound which is then followed by We Found Love which is just a rabble. Three Stars is the only weak part of the album as it fails to capture hearts the way a slow song usually would. But in Palma Violets fashion, they don't like to leave with disappointed fans, so final song 14 ends on a high note as it tells the tale of a wasted night out: "Oh fourteen oh fourteen/take me home". And yes, they sound just as drunk when recording this. Although you may say that their first album is a little immature; lacking seriousness and doesn't point in a certain musical direction, does that make it poor? The fact that they are exciting and rowdy and puts you in mind of some of our best bands that have been produced in this country, it's certainly lived up to its hype as a great album.

Best Tracks: Best of Friends, Chicken Dippers, Tom the Drum

Rating: 9/10

What's your favourite album of 2013? Who do Palma Violets remind you of? Have your say by commenting below.

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