Review: The Violettes – Self-Titled

THE VIOLETTES
THE VIOLETTES

www.theviolettes.com

From the opening rolling cascades of sound of “Blue Hearted Fool,” it is quite clear that The Violettes are a shoegaze delight with fantastic production that allows for the chaos of sound to swell without giving the songs a cheap wash of undefined sound. That is, until the groove kicks in on “Heavenly White Roses,” and then here comes the sitar and suddenly you realize this is not your typical rock throwback to the early 90s. Sarah Khan’s vocals range from hints of All About Eve, My Bloody Valentine and Curve to a breathy Tori Amos without ever sounding forced or heavy-handed. The music is at times a sonic blast of guitar and pounding drums; sometimes it sways along in pop bliss and at other times, it’s an exotic landscape of scintillating friction. Put together, The Violettes offer one of the most impressive debuts I’ve heard in a long time.

 

This review originally appeared in Glitter Gutter Trash, December 2004, Issue 192.