Palma Violets - Danger in the Club
- by Jim Cunnar Release Date:2015-05-04 Label: Rough Trade Records
Danger in the Club, the highly anticipated follow up to 2013's brilliant 180, puts Palma Violets in a challenging position. How do they avoid the dreaded sophomore slump?
To start with, enlist the help of a seasoned producer. PV nabbed John Leckie - yes, that John Leckie of Stone Roses fame - to produce. Then, try not to lose the attitude and vibe of the debut. Last, build and expand on said loved sound.
On Danger in the Club, Palma Violets crash right through any possibility of a slump by churning out 13 gems using that simple formula. Opener 'Sweet Violets' is a short acapella snippet, followed by rockers 'Hollywood (I Got It)' and 'Girl You Couldn't Do Much Better'. 'Girl' is a two-minute blister which channels Joe and Mick by jamming churning guitars down our throats.
'Peter and the Gun' is a complex gear-changer combining synths, crashing guitars, and soaring anthems over a swing drum-beat to create a sound that waxes and wanes like the tide. It's brilliant.
'Coming Over to My Place' is almost pensive, with Chilli Jesson crooning "I would rather die being in love". One of the more reflective songs, it shows the growth in their songwriting. 'The Jacket Song' is in the same vein, a stripped-down beauty. "I am sorry for the way that I've treated your love" is some grown up shit coming from a bunch of 20-somethings.
'English Tongue' wraps the album with a sing-along, 'drunk at the end of the night as the lights come up' song. It's The Clash, Springsteen, Titus Andronicus, even a little Billy Bragg, all mixed in a blender, poured into a highball and slammed back, not caring if it spills out the sides of the glass down your chin. Only when the song wraps can you finally begin to catch your breath.
Palma Violets, along with bands like The Vaccines and The Cribs, proudly and triumphantly carry the torch for British rock with swagger. Danger in the Club may just be the best album of the 2015 lot so far. Young snarling punks take note - these lads from Lambeth are your leaders. Follow closely.
