Paloalto [sic]: Radiohead [sic] Clone Band #45656. Well, not exactly,
though they do appear to be named after a Radiohead B-side and they
have the same penchant for the dull early-'90's cut-out rock that
Radiohead produced circa Pablo Honey. I actually think they
sound more like an all-too-earnest Supergrass [sic], but that's just
me. The tunes are tepid, but that's not to say they aren't enjoyable
to listen to — in fact, the songs aren't bad at all, but they're
not exactly great either.
To put it bluntly, Paloalto are yet another alt-rock also-ran —
the Verve Pipe with better songs. However, Paloalto's official bio,
which I will kindly quote for you now, begs to differ: The
Paloalto buzz quickly grew amongst music fans as well as musicians.
Stone Temple Pilots' lead doper Scott Weiland said, "Paloalto are a
beautiful lush adventurous pop hybrid with something much needed in
music today: Passion." About Paloalto's debut, Dr. Pepper
spokesperson Mark McGrath [of Sugar Ray] noted, "Paloalto has made
the record Radiohead should have made. The first brilliant American
record of the millennium. A semblance of brilliance in a sea of
shit." Freddy Durst of Limp Bizkit [sic!] remarked, "Paloalto is a
real band with a real sound and real songs! Make no mistake that this
band has credibility and a definite career." [It should be noted
that I corrected some of the grammar and whatnot in that last
italicized bit.]
Finally, a real band not afraid to write and perform real
songs! I for one am sick and tired of these fake bands with their
phony songs (you know, like Sugar Ray, Limp Bizkit and Stone Temple
Pilots)! And, wow, if that guy from those Dr. Pepper commercials says
they're good, then these guys must be THE SHIT! Well, let's get down
to business and listen to these goddamned gems already!
"Fade out/in" is a nice little song — a tasteful rocker for
those who want to rock, but not rawk — a tune to
play whilst rocking in moderation, perhaps. Class of 2004, take note:
This might be a good class song for all you high-school graduates!
Others songs of note include "Bones" (not the Radiohead song) and
"Seed," which features some tasteful strings. The production's as
slick as a used-car salesman — did I mention that Rick Rubin
produced this disc? Back to hell with you, Satan! The lyrics are
wholly unremarkable, so I won't waste any time discussing them.
So the songs won't rock you like a hurricane, but they will rock you
like a thunderstorm and, goshdarnit, that should count for something.
This CD is hesitantly given the old thumbs up by yours truly.
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