…whilst parts of this album wouldn’t feel out of place in the discography of those such as Vincent Vincent and the Villains, Allalone isn’t as assiduous a copyist as the tautonymic rock revivalists.
Tom Allalone & the 78s – Major Sins pt.1
www.tomallalone.com/ www.myspace.com/tomallalone
Tom Allalone’s chosen moniker references his home town of Gravesend’s most famous former resident. Charles Dickens used ‘Tom All-Alone’s’ as the name of a slum in bleak house. Quite where this fits in with his musical vision isn’t entirely clear. However it is with the name of his backing group that things begin to make sense. For a group called ‘The 78s’ it should come as no great surprise that they play music that references the rock and roll of the 1950s and ‘60s. However, whilst parts of this album wouldn’t feel out of place in the discography of those such as Vincent Vincent and the Villains, Allalone isn’t as assiduous a copyist as the tautonymic rock revivalists.
Smatterings of rockabilly and hints of ska jostle for place with mariachi horns. Whilst it does occasionally get a little confused and the second half of the album falls a bit flat, there are some cracking tracks on here. I’m Just the DJ (the song which probably departs most from the retrospective tendencies employed elsewhere) somehow manages to reference arguably the most miserable song ever written, Gloomy Sunday, whilst remaining imminently catchy.
One final point: I can’t decide whether the punning title Sign On You Lazy Diamond is crap or brilliant.
Words: Rover