About Palma…
Photo: Sami Mannerheimo
Palma's debut album, Be Bold and Mighty Forces Will Come to Your Aid (due March 4, 2009, Behind Records), is like the spring sun delivering light and hope after a long, dark winter. Palma, formed in Helsinki in 2000, plays music true to its name, sunny and vibrant, raising feelings of warm nostalgia – it is like visiting with an old friend.
The album's name, Be Bold and Mighty Forces Will Come to Your Aid, refers to the great rock'n'roll movie Almost Famous, where Goethe's legendary instruction was also used; another story attributes it to the Canadian reverend Basil King. Either way, it sums up Palma's essence: this band is not afraid but trusts that music and life will take it far.
The album's first single, Ride Around, rolls with the spirit of Atomic Swing and reveals some of the beautiful cards with which Palma's Johannes Lounasheimo (guitar), Viljo Malmberg (bass), Juha Snellman (drums), Ville Alankomaa (guitar) and Samppa Lappalainen (vocals) play the game. This deck is stacked with a genuine joy of playing and an undeniable pop sensibility that only years of careful study can bring.
Palma's sound is deeply rooted in the 1970's but has grown in a definitely modern way; the melodies, arrangements and the intensity of interpretation are akin to those of The Soundtrack of Our Lives and The Killers, while uncompromising visionaries like Frank Zappa are watching from the wings.
Palma's debut is a musical shelter built by true friends. Mighty forces protect it, like they protect every band that combines talent with a sincere love for music.