The Primitives

Record Label: Elefant Records
Genre: Alternative
Band Link: http://the-primitives.co.uk
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The British alternative band The Primitives from the late 80s and 90s are back with a brand new full-length of new material after many years not together. This album turned me from a casual fan of that one song on the Dumb and Dumber soundtrack to a hardcore listener of the band!

The Primitives released a covers album back in 2012 but this is their first full-length of original songs in a long ass time. Spin-O-Rama features 11 tracks that are catchy, fun and brings me back to when people cared more about their music than their clothing. I’ve never really listened to the Primitives, except “Crash” from the Dumb and Dumber soundtrack. In fact, I’ve been listening to that song a lot lately and was wondering if the band was still around and what albums they released. Then I got a press release sent to me for their new album and been listening to the new album every day since I got it.

The title track “Spin-O-Rama” starts off the album and already takes me back to early 90s alternative. The song sung by Tracy Tracy is poppy, light and will get stuck in your head. I’m picky when it comes to female singing in bands but Tracy Tracy has an excellent voice and her style just fits with this music. “Hidden in the Shadows” is another standout that Tracy sings. The song is a mixture of alternative, Britpop and I get a bit of post-punk in there as well. Either way, it’s a terrific track that is reminiscent of their hit “Crash.”

What’s great about The Primitives is Tracy isn’t the only one singing in the band. Paul Court shares vocal duties as well and you can hear him singing on tracks like “Wednesday World,” “Purifying Tone,” and “Working Isn’t Working.” In a way, it sounds like you’re listening to two awesome alternative rock bands! My favorite track on the album is “Lose The Reason,” which Tracy and Paul both sing on. It has keyboards, and an amazing beat to it. If this song doesn’t make you want to dance, then there is simply no hope for you!

My only negative with this album is there is two (kind of) fluff tracks. One is “Velvet Valley,” which its just a repetitive “sha na na na nah” over and over. It feels like they forgot the lyrics for that one. Maybe it can be used for a teen romance movie? The other is “Let’s Go ‘Round Again” which is just a rehash of “Spin-O-Rama.” I just wished they would have included another song that wasn’t basically the first track. Other than that and the album length (too short!), this album is perfect!

Bottom Line: One of the best albums I’ve heard this year!
Notable Tracks: “Spin-O-Rama,” “Hidden in the Shadows,” “Wednesday World,” “Lose The Reason,” “Working Isn’t Working”
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