Album Review
The Violet Burning had become one of my favorite bands by the time Drop-Dead came along. After This Is the Moment, I was eager to hear where Michael Pritzl would take the music next. This album gives me plenty of what I love about the band: moody guitars, heartfelt vocals, and songs that take their time before letting everything loose. It doesn't surprise me as much as some of their earlier records, but the best moments are still worth turning up.
"Humm" makes a good opening. It's slow and romantic, with a darker feeling underneath that keeps it from becoming too comfortable. Pritzl has always been good at making longing sound convincing, and this song draws me in without needing a big entrance. "All I Want" picks up the pace and brings back some of the more direct rock sound of the older Violets. The change works well, giving the album some movement without losing its mood.
"More" is my favorite. The drum groove gets things moving, and the band stays with it long enough that I start wondering whether the song will remain an instrumental. When it finally opens up, that patience pays off. The guitars and vocals arrive with real force, and Pritzl sounds like he still has plenty left to get off his chest. It's one of those songs that reminds me why I keep following this band.
The closing stretch gives the record two more reasons to stay in my collection. "The Ends Begin" is one of the slower songs, but it carries just as much feeling as the louder material. "One Thousand Years" goes bigger, easing its way toward a full-throttle finish. It comes close to going over the top, but I like the way the band commits to it. These longer songs work because they give the emotion somewhere to go instead of simply repeating the same idea.
Not everything connects with me as strongly. "Eleanor" has a chorus that feels a little too obvious, and it pulls me out of the atmosphere the other songs build. There are also stretches where the familiar guitar textures make me wish the band had tried something different. I don't need The Violet Burning to reinvent themselves on every album, but a few more unexpected turns would have helped this one stand apart.
Still, Drop-Dead is a good record from a band whose passion remains its biggest strength. I hear a few songs here that belong alongside their best, even if the album as a whole doesn't reach the same level as The Violet Burning or Demonstrates Plastic and Elastic. "More" and the closing pair keep bringing me back. That makes it an album I'm glad they made and one I'm glad to own.
For Fans Of: The Cure, Delirious, Smashing Pumpkins, Spiritualized and The Listening
