For Palantine’s fifth full-length, frontman Vinnie Cosentino decided a creative overhaul was in order. In the past, he’d written, performed and recorded all the material on his own and brought the finished album to bandmates Brian David Johnson (bass) and Jeff Fox (drums) to learn for live shows. Bruise Your Illusion is the threesome's premiere attempt at collaboration, and finds a warmer, fuzzier, more robust-sounding Palantine that hasn’t abandoned their grungy ’90s alt-rock roots and knack for mixing menacing low-tuned guitar riffs, hard-hitting drums and snotty melodic vocals into a propulsive brew. The punchy nine-track LP kicks off with the thick fuzzy distortion of “Common Curse,” a nice little echoing surf-warped guitar solo nestled in its midst. The heavy fuzz serves as the album’s foundation, with a thread of melody weaved throughout and most apparent in tunes like post-punk burner, “We Don’t Live,” the retro garage of “I’m Not Made of Airports” and “Sold You Right,” a low-key but pretty number with an explosive breakdown. “Will” closes the album on a catchy but satisfyingly dissonant note. (Critics' rating: 3.5 stars out of 5)
Details: Palantine CD Release Show with Auto!Automatic!!, Hello.Invade, Fri., Jan. 13, New World Brewery, Ybor City, $7.
This article appears in Jan 12-18, 2012.