- Critic Score
- Most active
- Publication
- Most clicked
-
May 20, 201345It's not the terrible record to be savaged that an army of hipsters hoped for, just a very plain one that sounds like it was made by 14-year-olds, for 14-year-olds.
-
Mar 25, 201378This full-length proves that they’re no one-hit wonder, demonstrating depth, dexterity and a slap-dash genius that’s impossible to contrive.
-
Mar 21, 201370180 is structured like a gig, with the attention-grabbing hit followed by fun but less memorable tracks that build gradually in excitement.
-
Mar 21, 201370The emotive howls of their pub rock provide catchy blasts of energy that are more familiar than groundbreaking but who’s quality should not be discounted for failing to meet the hyperbole that preceded them.
-
Mar 21, 201370It’s a loud record, but everything’s all there. It shakes, it rattles, it rolls, and that’s sort of a nagging issue.
-
Mar 19, 201370Sometimes the looseness that makes 180 so charming borders on unfocused rambling, but for the most part, the Palma Violets keep it in check on this entertaining, promising debut.
-
Mar 7, 201380180 is filled with such a sense of unyielding joie de vivre and spirit that you can't help but be seduced by its unfettered feel. [Apr 2013, p.88]
-
Mar 6, 201350While the better songs sound rough around the edges, their inferior material here sounds scrappy and juvenile.
-
Mar 5, 201380Palma Violets' deliciously raggedy rock is enveloping.
-
Mar 4, 201340There you have it; young lads just starting out make poor-to-average debut record. Not an unusual occurrence, and no doubt a thousand other albums released that day were no better or worse than 180.
-
Mar 1, 201360Their debut reveals a talent for taut, punkish, pivot-on-a-penny songs that cemented their live reputation before they'd even recorded a note. [Apr 2013, p.74]
-
Feb 27, 201370It's not a perfect record, but then you wouldn't want it to be--the charm is the energy and room to grow here.
-
Feb 27, 201360So Palma Violets get a pass this time, their lack of focus and their naivety balanced by their charm. 180 is a record they're only allowed to make once--next time we're going to need some substance.
-
Feb 27, 201390This will likely be 2013’s most necessary debut and will undoubtedly stand as one of the years best ten months down the line.
-
Feb 26, 201380180 doesn’t contain too many weak moments; only the tacked-on-at-the-end ‘Brand New Song’ feels properly superfluous, an in-joke they’ve run a little too far with. Otherwise, you’re struck by the strength of the songs, and the roguish, self-assured charm with which they’re delivered.
-
Feb 25, 201370Derivative 180 might be, but it’s also rammed full with jangly, addictive melodies that burst into life and disappear almost as quickly.
-
Feb 25, 201380As long as you don't ask too much of it, it's good knockabout rowdy fun.
-
Feb 25, 201340The debut album by indie's latest great white hopes, however, is notable mainly for its crushing ordinariness.
-
Feb 21, 201380180 captures all the exuberance of the sweatbox gigs they've held in its basement, while showcasing them as a scorching rock'n'roll band. [Mar 2013, p.106]
-
Feb 21, 201360There are certainly moments when the writing sparks: the New Orderish riff of Chicken Dippers crashes into an addictive chorus; Step Up for the Cool Cats maroons a fragmented ballad over see-sawing organ and explosions of frenetic drumming. But they are outweighed by moments where things seems to gutter in a mass of half-formed ideas.
-
Feb 21, 201360While Palma Violets have certainly got talent, their debut falls just short of the expectations that’s been ladled on it.
-
Feb 21, 201380With the ceaselessly inventive, engagingly cocksure 180, Palma Violets have given themselves a base to build a career, should they be in it for the long haul.