Plastic Palace Alice - The Great Depression (Album)
» Plastic Palace Alice 'Great Depression' Tour - March 27, 2008
» The Empire Is Rising - Plastic Palace Alice - May 7, 2007
This album will make you sigh, make you feel emotions, and make you remember the band Plastic Palace Alice. However, it will more than likely be with a potent negativity. This marks the first LP from the young Melbourne based band, who managed to become Unearthed by Triple J last year and to receive Beat Magazine’s honour of “Best single of 2007” for track #1 off this album, ‘Empire Falls’.
This is simply another reminder that popular taste in music is in as dire a state as our Television programming. ‘Empire Falls’ succeeds in setting the tone of the tracks to follow by attempting to merge classic pop influences with their own style and “fresh/modern” sound, and failing to impress with the result. The album is bombastically eighties and filled with mediocre musical performances, though at times adequate combinations, as in the middle tracks where the songs become a little sombre and the lyrics try to be some kind of poignant. Should we reward them for their attempt (failed through saturation) to accentuate melody with repetitive glockenspiel beats? Should we feel in awe of their romanticism of the depression era, seemingly out of place with their sound barring one or two quaint tracks including a banjo and harmonica such as ‘Well’? Probably best we just go about our own lives or if we feel a need for music of this genre, just go and listen to David Bowie, or any of the other listed influences on their MySpace. (Perhaps reprimanding them for listing “Bobby” Dylan amongst them, as though he were so playful with them, that they could call Mr. Dylan a name he’s never used. Why not say “Bobby D” or “The D Man”, and embarrass yourselves further?)
No, you can’t blame this band for trying to be a bit more interesting than a standard three piece, by bringing as many instruments as a high school student can get access to, into their repertoire. Indeed none of the songs appear dull by lack of instrumental variation, that arises from them being played without flair. What you can blame them for is giving the illusion of being something more than mediocre.
