The Palms

Anti-Establishment Rock n Roll

01/06/2005

"For anyone that likes a bit of local indie, this is a good CD to have in your collection at the moment. Having been a 5 piece for nearly 2 years now, these talented Barnsley boys (The Palms) have established themselves a consistent sound on this CD.

Overall, it isn't quite as 'dark' as is suggested from their website but what the hell? So they've thrown in a few major chords and some pleasant melodies to keep it interesting. Hooray for variation! Aptly titled opening track 01:31 isn't anything special, but with a continuing high hat this track serves as merely an introduction straight into the strongest song on here, "All The Day". The bass drum sets the upbeat pace and the delicate lead guitar smooches in an echo of the chorus to come, before the song kicks in properly.

The vocalist rolls this suave verse off his tongue with an effortless style - everything in this song is simple but it works a treat. The melody is almost magnetic - it doesn't go where you expect it to but it keeps you hooked. If there was any song that should've been entered for (March 2005 Soundaloud) MP3 of the Month, it was this one. It's a quality song and is one of my favourite tracks of the year so far. So, we've already established that The Palms can write a catchy a number when required, and track 3 ""Silent Suicide"" continues with this idea.

It's a bit more cheery than tracks one and two and sounds like something early Idlewild could have written, only with less distorted guitar. Lyrics such as ""Sold my soul for 50 pence, stole away my innocence"" sound amateurish and made me cringe at first but somehow this imperfection seems to add value to the song. It's allowed to be rough around the edges, its indie, and that's partly the charm of it. There are some well placed harmonies here, using extra voices to their advantage but not going over the top with them.

The drums have a more prominent part in this one and work very well with the melody. The next track ""State Of Mind"" keeps the direction that The Palms have established while venturing into the sound of wind instruments reminding you of music that could've been played in the middle ages. It makes you imagine people dancing around on casks of ale in busy pubs playing flutes... It's also got a more experimental time signature, which also adds to this track's individuality. However, the chorus lacks feeling compared to the other songs and this is the weakest track on here. ""Beneath Your Skies"" continues the EP's progression into a lighter mood.

This song is mellow and at times risks being a tad bland in comparison to the others. A simple approach to these songs has proven advantageous overall, but this song would perhaps benefit from a bit more involvement of the keyboard, or even lifting the keyboard higher into the final mix. It's good, it sounds like the kind of organ sound you would associate with The Doors and it's perfectly placed within their music. Not meant in a derogatory way, but this is the kind of indie music you would hear being played on Radio 2 - safe, tuneful and inoffensive.

Most people on here (Soundaloud) will be familiar with closing track ""Anti-Establishment Rock n' Roll"" from March's MP3 of the Month competition. This song has a certain style about it that is commendable, but it doesn't seem to have enough kick in it to obtain and hold your attention. The verse melody, synth string parts and drumming patterns are all good parts by themselves, but they need something else to link them together and help the song to feel more complete. The lyrics aren't brilliant, but there are compliments for imaginative rhyming and some sexy use of those synthetic strings. This EP as whole is very well produced with a decent set of songs!

The Palms have gigs booked in Manchester, Leeds and Barnsley in the coming months and so are planning on getting this material out into the public eye. I've not seen them on stage but given the opportunity I will be there. With the songs on here and a good performance, it could be a great show. " by Will Barker Soundaloud.com