PALMYRA
DELRAN - “She Digs the Ride” EP
(Apexeastrecordings.com)
An endless stream ( thank God), of competent
singer/songwriters have emerged in the electric-guitar
backwash of legendary artists like Joan Jett,
Josie Kreuzer, Cramps, The Cameros, and Chrissie
Hynde, but very few have the versatile artistry
of Palmyra Delran. Jumping out of the Friggs
(the band has reunited. Check: myspace.com/thefriggs
for tour dates), for a quick EP which features
Palmyra’s marvelous voice. At times
sweet and sexy, other times smart street punk,
she and the band including Scott Treude on
vocals/guitar, Frank Maglio on bass, and Nancy
Polstein on drums, create a beautiful noise
that is emotionally resonant and definitely
rock ’n’ roll! Constantly mutating
the genre between surf rock, punk, and sledge
hammer jangle, she injects her songs with
the hopped-up sound of early rock & roll,
espically on the vibrant, surf rock instro-mental,
“Lulu’s Theme.”
The result is one of he best albums of the
year, a mix of galloping rockabilly and punk
rock played with cracking efficiency and anchored
by the fluid rhythm section. The sound they
create is raucous at times and open, but there’s
also maturity. Sad, wise reflections on relationships
with a romanticism that’s hard-edged
and hard-won. She takes the measure of happiness
in the same way she dissects discontentment:
ferociously,.
While listening to “She Digs the Ride”
first time through, I didn’t realize
that there were only six songs. When the CD
had finished I checked to see if the batteries
had died on the player, and saw that the album
had ended. Man, talk about wanting more! Hopefully
Palmyra will include some of her songs on
The Friggs tour, or maybe do her own tour.-
Phil Rainone
THE JELLYBRICKS - Goodnight to Everyone (Primitiverecords.com)
The day-glo pop rock of The Jellybricks is
somewhat infectious. They combine the melodicism
of pop and the brashness of rock to create
sparklingly, listenable songs that pound and
pummel while making you feel good, too.
Throughout Goodnight to Everyone they shift
seamlessly (and at times shamelessly), from
one feeling and intensity to another, but
after a while it gets tiring. Most of the
songs are loud, crisp, full-speed ahead rockers.
But the seamless feel of the whole album as
one song blurs into that next is again, tiring.
I don’t know, maybe if they eased down
a bit, and added some mid-tempo muscle, they’d
have a better album.
Unlike the poppier side of current pop bands
they play with sincere dynamics- they’re
not playing to appease any certain fan base,
but there’s a little something lacking.
Maybe seeing their live show would give them
more credibility. The Jellybricks are a band
worth rooting for. A little colorful kitschiness,
and listening to a Bouncing Souls’ record
or two wouldn’t hurt.- PhilRainone
CD Reviews 
