The High VioletsTo Where You AreReverb RecordsThree-and-a-half out of five stars
It’s hard not to imagine a cloud of smoke emanating from The High Violets’ new release, To Where You Are, because it probably smokes more pot than most college students.
The High Violets manages to bring together a conscientious album full of simple beats and fluid melodies, perfect for?just going to bed.
Don’t get me wrong: This isn’t a hippy album. In To Where You Are, the overall musical trends are just what you expect from a label called Reverb. The guitars do that whole waa-waa thing with a slight dose of distortion, and the keyboard, bass and drums provide a steady pace to keep things going.
Kaitlyn Ni Donovan’s haunting voice is emphasized to ground the album in its ambient, stoned condition, which I suppose is x-tra great when you’re high. I say “x-tra” because one of the things that I don’t think is working on To Where You Are is the title to the eighth track, “X-stasy.” It sounds corny-or porny. That and when you open the case with a front and back cover neatly arranged with photos of three members of the band, a fourth creepy-looking dude is there with them.
It turns out he’s in the band too. Go figure.
To Where You Are is not spastic, crazy or rockin’, but it’ll take you to all new levels of weed-dom.
That’s not half bad.
