Violens

Amoral (Friendly Fire/Static Recital)

By Emily Becker
Published: November 17th, 2010 | 7:42am

Organic sounds are absent throughout Violens debut, Amoral. From the first single “Acid Reign,” where Jorge Elbrecht sings of “generational loss,” to the final track, which is actually entitled “Generational Loss,” the album is heavily processed. Though it’s the band’s debut, Elbrecht is not a newcomer to making music. He spent the first half of the decade fronting the artsy psychedelic outfit Lansing-Dreiden and crafting remixes for artists including the Very Best and MGMT.

Amoral doesn’t suffer because Elbrecht spread himself too thin. Rather, it’s because Violens resurrects every dated ‘80s musical trope. Thanks to the heavy reverb on Elbrecht’s vocals and the wet, wet drums, it sounds like the Brooklyn trio recorded Amoral while wearing vintage “Frankie Say Relax” T-shirts. Instead of building on the era’s few truly great moments, or even some of the ironically enjoyable ones, Violens stakes out territory that would have guaranteed them a spot in another ‘80s relic: the cut-out bin.

Though the group was probably aiming to borrow from New Order or the Pet Shop Boys, Amoral ends up sharing more musical DNA with New Wave D-listers like Go West, When in Rome, or Ice House than any of the eras more enduring artists. Only on “Violent Sensation Descends,” which shows a wide range of stylistic influences and allows gentler harmonies and off-kilter rhythms to replace grating melodies, do Violens break the pattern. The track stands apart from every other song on Amoral, so perhaps it marks a much-needed new direction for the band.

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Friendly Fire Records

Static Recital Records