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LAVOLA is an atmospheric indie rock outfit from West Palm Beach, Florida, founded by songwriter/guitarist/vocalist Julian Cires. The other members of the band are Jeff Rose on drums and Gene Pandolfi on Bass.
Named Best Rock Band and Best Rock Vocalist of 2011 by Palm Beach/Broward New Times, as well as Best Band of 2012 by Florida Weekly.
Lavola have also opened for: Silversun Pickups & Against Me! at Sunset Cove Amphitheater, Soul Asylum at the Culture Room and recently Taproot also at the Culture Room.
Their most recently released album is ‘Leaving Paris,’ which is available at Bandcamp.
The first thing you notice about the album is how much clenched fisted grace and goodwill the band has managed to squeeze into songs that overflow with intensity, ballast, grit, ambition and sheer scale.
Beginning with a roaring statement of rage in the shape of ‘The Queen Is Dead’ – the distorted, raging opener followed by the diesel-powered and quiet lament of ‘I Never Said’– the stage is set for a decidedly noisy outing; a gothic cry-from-the-dark which nonetheless, strains for some modicum of beauty.
Out of this emotional sound cauldron, come moments which shine brightly, and are all the more poignant for having been hard-earned by three musicians who put their skills to the grindstone fearlessly.
Julian Cires’ voice is androgynous, powerful, yet at times hush, while he gallantly ships the band’s grizzled brand of rocker pain, duly- sometimes replaced with a tender teen melancholy and the almost feminine beauty innate to that.
As can be evidenced on the epic eight-minute track, ‘I’m Leaving Paris’. A song that’s soaring interludes of awe and underpinned intimacy, defines the creative power and beauty of Lavola’s sheer playing ability and Cires’ capacity to compose music with meaning.
Standout tracks also include ‘We Were Heroes For The Day’ with Gene Pandolfi’s solid basslines holding together the temperament and rhythm, as well as ‘Masochist’ which features some especially spectacular drumming by Jeff Rose.
This indeed is an album and not just a collection of songs. From the first track “The Queen is Dead” all the way to the sixth track “I’m Leaving Paris” the album flows seamlessly with emotional continuity and thought. Julian Cires’ lyrics are thought provoking and deeply symbolic. From the rich crunching guitar sounds, riffs and of course Julian’s unforgettable vocals the sound of this album is decisively powerful.
What’s also admirable about ‘Leaving Paris’ is that it manages to combine the brash experimental sounds of the Smashing Pumpkins and the ethereal haunting works of Radiohead, to create an indie album from a young 3-piece band, that won’t disappoint and would sit nicely in your music library.
VISIT THE LAVOLA HOMEPAGE HERE!
VISIT THE LAVOLA MUSIC PAGE HERE!
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