PRISCILLA — High Fashion (review)

Album · 2010 · Glam Metal

5/5 · 2010-04-18
Bomb Brigade

So much has been written on all of the internet blogs and bulletins lately that this is the band that is going to swoop up from the underground and save rock n' roll as we know and love it.What's a lesser known fact is that this band shares much the same history as their sleaze rock compatriots The Backyard Babies,who formed in 1987,only to disband for some time,as guitarist Dregen pursued his musical endeavors with The Hellacopters,and later rejoined to reform the group in 1997. Priscilla had also,actually,been formed way back in 1987,at which point they struggled together for nearly four years to garner a major label deal.It was during this period that most of the songs on this album were recorded.The band then disbanded,while singer El Mar Kramer pursued other musical endeavors,only to reform the group in 2009.

Although the band's current sound is much more reflective of the current crop of harder European sleaze rock,the High Fashion disc shares more similarities with the straight forward glam movement of the Los Angeles Hollywood Blvd. scene circa the mid to late 1980s.Many have compared the band's sound to Pretty Boy Floyd or early Poison,but I am going to dig deeper than that.In fact,the tone of this album is very similar to the works of L.A.'s 1980's glam monsters Tryx or,even more so,Big Bang Babies(very poppy,groove-oriented,and commercially appealing),who were said to have been heavily influenced by this band.Also,singer El Mar Kramer's voice is,at times,the spitting image of BBB singer Kit Ashley's voice(or would that be vice versa?).At any rate,El mar delivers these songs with the perfect sleaze and pop tone for his musical environment. The disc starts out with the war cry Hey,America! and then launches into what was the band's biggest radio hit of the 80's,the aptly-named WAKE UP THE NEIGHBORHOOD;the band's tip of the hat to the glam anthems of the day.Although a very powerful and catchy anthem,I find the album's next track,LICK N' A KISS,to be an altogether more potent delivery of the similar goods.One listen to this song will keep its ultra-catchy tagline repeating in your head for days.Then,we find ourselves at the disc's highlight,of its non-demo tracks;LOVE IN ACTION is a straight-forward,take-no-prisoners hard rocker that would fit right at home on L.A.Guns' debut album or,for that matter,on any present day Hardcore Superstar album worth its salt.A tale of lust and sexuality(perhaps with a prostitute?),delivered with sheer,go for the throat,unbridled enthusiasm.Its breakneck pace delivers a full-on,deadly explosive payload in just two and one half minutes.SOME LIKE IT HOT is another nitro-laden piece of combustible hardware,with a very unique quality to its guitar sound and El Mar's gutter-sleaze vocals fitting right in the appropriate pocket.GIMME LOVIN' TONIGHT,JUST CAN'T STOP,and BROKEN ANGEL(these three being most reminiscent of Big Bang Babies and Tryx)are all instantly memorable,glam rock tours de force.All three of these would have been surefire,runaway chart toppers for this band,in their respective day,would these guys have scored major label recognition.On these,the comparison to a commercially viable band,such as Poison,are inevitable,as they are very mainstream flavored,almost as if they had been specifically manufactured thusly with a consumer audience in mind. The demos on this disc certainly do leave something to be desired,in terms of sound recording quality(sounding that they are,indeed,basement variety demos),but do not let that detour you from giving a listen to two of the most potent pieces of hard rock to come along in some time:HIGH TONIGHT and HIGH FASHION are both equal parts the pièce de résistance of this entire disc.Brilliantly composed and executed in their non-subtle attack;first hitting you over the head when you aren't looking,and then breaking your neck with their whiplash musical assault.These are said to be the lead off tracks from the band's forthcoming album,having already found release in the form of music videos,giving the listener a glimpse into what this band has been up to lately.If the rest of the material on the new disc is anything like these,this band just might bring back rock n' roll as we know and love it!

High Fashion is absolutely necessary listening for any fan of the late 80's underground glam rock movement,and should find its place right at the head of your record library,alongside Three Chords And The Truth by the Big Bang Babies.