Primavera

Primavera EP

Written by: PP on 25/06/2008 02:05:37

Considering California, USA based alternative rock band Primavera have only just released their second EP, their credentials are impressive. Not only does the band have hundreds of thousands of Myspace plays on several of their songs, but they have also played shows in support of such renowned acts as Alien Ant Farm, Emanuel, Jack\'s Mannequin and I Am Ghost. Yeah, I know, that\'s quite a strange set of band\'s to have toured with, ranging from the quirky alternative rock of Alient Ant Farm, the pure emo of Emanuel, the soft indie rock of Jack\'s Mannequin, and the screamo of I Am Ghost. While I\'m more than convinced that Primavera aren\'t the right kind of opening act for some of those, it\'s still a statement of the band\'s sound, how wide reaching and accessible it is across the genre spectrum.

So lets get to the sound in question, shall we? Primavera are fronted by vocalist Jessica De Grasse, who owns a delicate, somewhat fragile voice, and leads the band\'s indie flavored rock forward on most songs. Be careful here, though, because although I mentioned indie and rock in the same sentence, that doesn\'t equate to Primavera being yet another mind numbingly generic indie rock band. They have nuances and shades of indie rock in their sound, sure, but most of it fits rather into the alternative rock spectrum.

It must also be said that Jessica isn\'t alone carrying the band forward. \"Blind\", for instance, has some nice guitar and effects giving the song some power. \"A Fallen World\" is my favorite though, because here the band has been able to write a great chorus, making the song easily the best one on the EP. I can\'t help but think of Shirley Manson (Garbage) because of the indifference in Jessica\'s voice during the \"..speaks like a strip show, speaks like a strip show, strangles like a string\" bits in the chorus. And I mean that in a good way, as it gives much more character to her voice than in the rest of the tracks. Cause lets be honest here, we\'ve all heard fragile vocals before on a million albums (even outside gothic genres), and all too often they end up shattering what otherwise could\'ve been a great song/band. That\'s why I\'m not a big fan of female vocals, because they frequently lack the same power and urgency as male counterparts.

In the end, Primavera\'s self-released EP shows some promise in the band. In reality, there is one good song, two average ones, and two more that I personally wouldn\'t have included on the release. \"A Fallen World\" is a good song and if the band is capable of writing more of these, they will go far. If they continue along the lines of \"Strangers\", however, they\'ll get lost in the massive river of thousands of other similar bands trying to make it big. A louder sound gained through better production would definitely help as well.

5

Download: A Fallen World
For the fans of: Garbage, The Cardigans, etc
Listen: Myspace

Release date 27.04.2008
Self-Released
UNSIGNED BAND

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