Although indie rock band Pela hails from Brooklyn, the group sounds a lot more like Brits Bloc Party, Coldplay, or the Futureheads than any of the precious and/or dancey indie pop that has been populating that particular borough's sound as of late. Singer Billy McCarthy yelps as well as Kele Okereke when he wants to, nearly unintelligible on "Waiting on the Stairs," the opening track of Pela's full-length debut, Anytown Graffiti, but he can also find the sweeter, almost crooned notes on songs like "Your Desert's Not a Desert at All" when he needs to, showing the band's versatility and individuality. Because don't think that the album's simply a knockoff or re-creation of recent trends. Pela has enough of their own sound going -- lush guitars, even in the sparser, more angular songs, a little Bruce Springsteen influence, a little Interpol, and plenty of sweeping melodies and pounding drums -- to distinguish them as something unique, and something worth hearing. The pieces on the album certainly do resemble one another -- Pela has a formula, a vision, and they stick to it -- but instead of making Anytown Graffiti seem predictable or derivative, this consistency gives an element of depth and wholeness to it, like it's a complete piece, a fully explained thought, instead of just a collection of separate ideas. The songs, while not overtly catchy in their own right, work together to make something that lasts, something that sticks, something you want to hear again and again. It's not groundbreaking work but it's good, and the kind of thing that stays around with you when you're done with it, even if you can't exactly remember why. Anytown Graffiti's not a perfect record -- mostly because frequently McCarthy tries to fit too many syllables in his lines, and often the verses and chorus, intra- and inter-song, can sound very similar -- but it's a great first effort, a satisfying listen, and a successful accomplishment overall.
Pela is an American rock & roll band. At a time when the word “America” has never been more fraught with meaning, songs that speak to our basic feelings and emotions about life could never be more resonant. Lost amongst all the geo-political tumult are the stories of every day America; the aches and pains and the beautiful possibilities. Yet amidst this turmoil and uncertainty, new stories are
More >
Thursdays at my office are pretty boring. Everyone sort of stands around wishing it was Friday, waiting for that sweet release like a weary Death Row inmate. I'd usually be sniffing dry erase markers and playing solitaire on my palm pilot in the men's room by now but today is different, different because of Pela.Their debut album "Anytown Graffiti" is just the anthemic, grandeous rock I need to...
More >
Just popping in for a second to share another killer track off of the great new Pela album, 'Anytown Grafitti'Enjoy
More >
Thursdays at my office are pretty boring. Everyone sort of stands around wishing it was Friday, waiting for that sweet release like a weary Death Row inmate. I'd usually be sniffing dry erase markers and playing solitaire on my palm pilot in the men's room by now but today is different, different because of Pela.Their debut album "Anytown Graffiti" is just the anthemic, grandeous rock I need to...
More >
Number 7. Pela "Anytown Graffiti" (the Great Society label) Pela is an American rock & roll band. At a time when the word ‘America’ has never been more fraught with meaning, songs that speak to our basic feelings and emotions about life could never be more resonant. Lost amongst all the geo-political tumult are the stories of every day America; the aches and pains and the beautiful possibiliti
More >
Pela is an American rock & roll band. At a time when the word “America” has never been more fraught with meaning, songs that speak to our basic feelings and emotions about life could never be more resonant. Lost amongst all the geo-political tumult are the stories of every day America; the aches and pains and the beautiful possibilities. Yet amidst this turmoil and uncertainty, new stories are
More >
I think the title says it all. I am just so angry to see that Pela and Bad Veins have only a few thousand friends on myspace but beyond half naked girls and little scene kids have like 15,000 friends on their accounts. Whyyy, universe? I don't understand the way brainless people work, but maybe again it's because they're brainless. Sooo, how about you brainiacs show these bands some love? Espec...
More >
Ok, so they want 10 words I see. Well I'm really just digging this band at the moment. Let the music speak for itself.
More >
Used on Veronica Mars (3.13 Mars, Bars) when Logan, Parker, Mac and Bronson come to the last of the challenges in their scavenger hunt.
More >
Click to purchase…
© 2006-2009 Mog Inc. All Rights Reserved
 "Anytown Graffiti")
