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A D V E R T I S E M E N T
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A D V E R T I S E M E N T
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Paloalto
Heroes and Villains\r\n(American Records)
By Brian Abrams
Coldplay. Radiohead. The Verve. The Wallflowers. It’s bands like these — and the U.K.’s Paloalto — that remind us just how many innocuous outfits there are out there. Producer Rick Rubin (Beastie Boys, Red Hot Chili Peppers) could be key to the band’s success, but his work’s cut out for him. There’s just not much PA can bring to the pop-rock table that’s not already there.
The soft jingling guitar, the plain-Jane drum patterns, and lead singer James Grundler’s whimpers are essentially all there is to PA’s latest, Heroes and Villains. The aforementioned groups have all produced this sound at one time or another, but they all went on and tweaked it — just enough — to separate themselves from the noise. Beyond its resemblance to those bands, PA has no identity of its own. Heroes and Villains is so safe, so bland, that every track could have been slipped in as a B-side on one of the other groups’ discs. There’s definitely talent in PA; it’s just that it’s not huge talent.
But maybe Rubin can give PA a shot in the arm. Tweak its sound — just enough. Wind up Grundler’s cries, transform the band’s energy into more ponderous and head-trippy synthetics, add some wedding violin fluff, or just get in good with Bob Dylan. Those ingredients seem to work just fine for those other guys.
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