East Orlando Post: “Lavola” Impresses With New Album (Rating 5/5)

When I was approached to do an album review for Indie-Rock quartet Lavola, I was also greeted with a vast and well-rounded resume. From a feature in the widely popular AP magazine and an award for “Best Rock Vocalist” in New Times magazine to having been on bills with some of my favorite groups such as Against Me!, Stolas, Dead Confederate and Tim Reynolds.

The new album “This Book Is My Cowardice” catches listeners right from the start with the high-energy track “Show Your Face, Motherfucker”. We get a first hand look at singer Julian Cires’ highly praised vocals which range from beautiful falsetto’s to higher screams that resemble Dennis Lyxzen and Thomas Erak’s well respected vocals.

The group proves their versatility by the third track “An Orchestral Balancing Act.” This is easily the most consistently calming piece in the entire album and features a chorus of vocal harmonies that your local church would hire for their choir in an instant.

“Pearl & Rust”, which quickly became a fan favorite during live shows, makes its recorded debut on the new album. Bassist Gene Pandolfi and drummer Jeff Rose propel the track by playing off a 5/4 groove, which remains steady throughout the piece.

I had been enjoying this album the entire way through, but the highlight for me came in the second to last song. “7 Steps To Hell” opens with another choral part and quickly slides into an upbeat progression. The progression transitions multiple times in a seemingly effortless and natural fashion. What really brings the piece together, and ultimately to a close, is the accompaniment from the bands violinist, Emily Dwyer.

The album closes with “Please Excuse The Blood” and revisits a segment from the first track, but plays an amped up version of it. I thought that this was a perfect ending and moved the album from an excellent work to a well thought out masterpiece.

“This Book Is My Cowardice” truly has something for everyone, from symphonic elements to dirty punk to progressive. I had planned on giving this album a four out of five so it wouldn’t appear as though I was “just being nice” but fuck it, these cats deserve it. Five out of five.

The album is scheduled to drop on March 4th and the band has pre-sale packages and downloads available for as low as $7 through their Bandcamp. As always, show some support with a like on their page or a listen to some of their music via the links below.
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