New York-based abstract punks
Palberta (Ani Ivry-Block, Lily Konigsberg, and
Nina Ryser) went into the recording of their fifth album with the intention to create songs which were catchier and less abrasive than their previous material. Their earlier releases were filled with minute-long energetic bursts of angular riffs and playground-like shrieks, with tracks often burning out quickly, sometimes dissolving into fits of laughter. They also seemed to poke at pop music with a stick, slowing down
Hall & Oates' "Rich Girl" and
the Bee Gees' "Stayin' Alive" and altering their lyrics.
Palberta5000 still has plenty of tracks that only last a minute or two, but the songs seem more planned out, with much more natural-sounding transitions between parts. They still come up with unconventional riffs and twitchy rhythms, but it's all executed with a bit more finesse this time around, and the trio's vocal harmonies have never sounded stronger. The best tracks incorporate vocal lines which are sweet but not overpoweringly so, such as the insistent "In Again" and the more yearning "Red Antz." They embrace repetitive hooks a bit more, but in their own way. "Big Bad Want" lands on the chant "Yeah, I can't pretend what I want" and ends up repeating it for several minutes, to the point where it seems like a running joke. "All Over My" is more smoothed out and dance-friendly, laying scratchy guitar solos over a shuffling post-disco groove and cycling back to the song's infectious chorus. While the musicians seem tighter and more disciplined than before, they make room for a few spontaneous, silly moments, like the perky, almost ska-like "Hey!" and the punky rush of "Eggs n' Bac'." The outro to final song "Before I Got Here" is a hypnotic procession with horns played by Matt Norman, and it sounds more majestic than the skronky free jazz-inspired bits that appeared on some of the band's earlier albums.
Palberta5000 is more mature than anything they've done before but just as playful, and more accessible while impossible to mistake for the work of any other band. ~ Paul Simpson