REVIEW: Palisades – “Outcasts” (2013)

Palisades 
Outcasts 
Rise Records 
 
A lot of people out there don’t quite know the Rise Records band Palisades – honestly, I don’t know why.  Well, I guess I could guess – for the most part, Rise Records has sort of swept this band under the carpet, pushing more of their big ticket bands like Sleeping With Sirens and Like Moths to Flames, but don’t let this discourage you and keep you from listening to Palisades.  After putting out a stellar EP, “I’m Not Dying Today,” the band quickly got to work on their full-length, and not to mention some solid touring.  Soon, “Outcasts” was born! 
 
Palisades are obviously trying to make a name for themselves with this album and are definitely not wanting to stay in the dark any longer.  Their EP, for the most part, was sort of generic and really did just follow basic concepts of post-hardcore, but that didn’t really have any effect on it.  It was a solid release full of energy and heart, and soon was the foundation for “Outcasts.”  The record takes on new-life for the band, shying away from the regular post-hardcore sound and giving the idea of pop and electronica a shot.  Now, hear me out here – I know a lot of people are tired of that sort of thing, seeing as how many bands out there are pulling the same stunt, but Palisades really do make the sound their own – and they make it work very successfully.  The bass drops and electronic glitches, the poppy hooks and choruses take nothing away – and you, of course, might ask “why?” or just simply disagree, but listen here:  even with this sound that they’ve decided to take on, the sound that made Palisades work in the EP still lives and breathes just the same, simply mixing in with these things rather than pushing it away or being dominated by it.  This really is a good mix of pop, electronica and post-hardcore – though, admittedly, the songs that really stick out and are much more memorable do follow the same sound as “I’m Not Dying Today” – songs such as “Your Disease” and “Outcasts,” but that’s not a problem at all, because even these songs still have that beforementioned sound, and make it great.  Though, still, there is something I’d like to point out – the guest spots really are pointless.  I barely can even notice when these guests make their presence known and when they begin to present their vocals to the listener – it just really goes right past me.  Don’t get me wrong here, I’m a fan of all of the guests, but the songs could have held their own without the guests – in fact, in some places, I would have preferred to have heard the band rather than the guests.  These chinks in the armor, though, don’t quite take away from the overall record, which is quite the addition to one’s collection. 
 
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