The Lost Pages

The vocal similarity is so uncanny that it must be mentioned immediately: Alexis Mary, lead singer of the Violets, sounds shockingly like Siouxsie Sioux. It's most notable on up-tempo tracks like the frenetic, 98-second blast "Descend," and the angular, Metric-like dance rock of first single "Troubles of Keneat," but even the more languid tunes on The Lost Pages bear a startling vocal resemblance. It would perhaps not be so noticeable if the rest of the band weren't so committed to prolonging the new wave revival, but songs like the galloping "In Your Statue" (the most overtly Banshees-like tune here, complete with an upfront, Steve Severin-like melodic bassline), and the Gang of Four-inspired Brit funk intro of "Hush Away" are so unapologetic in their Rutles-like homage to the late-'70s U.K. indie scene that it finally becomes impossible to critique the album on any level beyond how well the Violets ape their influences. And the answer to that is, they actually do it pretty well. Nostalgia aside, the first couple of Siouxsie and the Banshees albums were quite uneven, and The Lost Pages is a fairly successful adaptation of the high points of their early sound, tempered with occasional nods to fellow travelers like the Cure (the atypically perky "Half Light" sounds a lot like the Glove, Severin and Robert Smith's homage to '60s freakbeat) and the quasi-funky, bass-driven side of U.K. chart pop of the early '80s, as on the danceable "Parting Glances." So as long as they're happy with having an audience composed entirely of aging post-punk nostalgics and their Franz Ferdinand-loving kids...well done, Violets. ~ Stewart Mason|