Artist Spotlight: Plants and Animals

The almost criminally overlooked genius that is Montreal's Plants and Animals is about to get its due. April 20th marks the release of the band's sophomore album, La La Land, and trust me, it is no slouch. 


Something special was created when the band formed in 2004, and although the sound of the band today is removed from the mostly instrumental self-titled EP, there was a glimmer of what was to come. Glimpses of it shined through on the 2007 EP entitled With/Avec, but it served only as a teaser to what was to come next. The sun really started to brake through on the 2008 debut long-player Parc Avenue. Shortlisted for a Polaris music prize, and exposing the band to a wider audience than it had previously seen with multiple tours around North America. 2 years and hundreds of shows later, the sun is beaming down full force on their newest release La La Land. 

Opening in full form with Tom Cruz and its jittery guitars and off-kilter drums pull away to find something beautiful and almost symphonic. 

"it takes us up and away from Parc Avenue’s Montreal-in-the-summer vibe, and out into the big league rock n’ roll ether. It’s like all the experimentation and attention to detail in the studio over the years has bred a kind of confidence in them that you can hear all the way through La La Land" - Montreal Gazette

As you delve deeper into the album, you find a visceral wave of lush guitars and harmonized vocals, over a rhythm section that pulls the listener into the heart of each song. Listeners new to the band will lose sense of what era the album was created in, as it flicks from early 70's rock to shoegaze to full on jam; the band often refers to this style as post-rock. Drummer Mattew 'The Woodman' Woodley and Multi-instrumentalist Nicolas Basque drive each sonic adventure to new heights as Singer/Guitarist Warren Spicer steers the ship to new uncharted waters. 

This is music that could have been written at any time, but could never have sounded better.

The song American Idol which packs plenty of punch and showcases their ability to see the core of each song and build it up. Idol featuring a blazing sax solo by Arcade Fire horn player Colin Stetson really puts the track over the top, but it is right at home on the album. 

La La Land is full of sonic textures and rhythms, like a roller-coaster of musical ideas, all interwoven into a fabric in which the Plants and Animals have become the master tailors. Sometimes they are a little more sedate, but don't confuse sedate with laid back. There is beautiful complexity in the seemingly superficial simplicity. Songs that other bands would not be able to attempt, have been honed into well constructed pieces by the band's constant touring. 

"Fake It is the first song the band recorded in France, and the drummer’s favourite. It’s not hard to see why. It goes a lot of places, but never seems forced. And when it crashes it crashes hard and with conviction. It also features one of Warren’s most interesting vocal deliveries on the record, a highlight when you consider his voice has suddenly become of the band’s strongest suits." - Montreal Gazette

The album closer Jeans Jeans Jeans has a haze which brings immediacy and wash and feels like an epic 1970s anthem. It is an album which ends altogether too soon. But maybe that was the point, after all, a band that spends as much effort on each meticulous detail in the studio, would know exactly how to leave you wanting just a little more. 

Plants and Animals are

Warren Spicer: guitar, vocals

The Woodman: drums, vocals

Nicolas Basque: guitar, bass, keyboards, vocals

BUY THE ALBUM NOW!
SCR014CD - Released April 20, 2010
SCR014LP - Released April 20, 2010
from Secret City Records

On Tour!
TORONTO, ON @ Horseshoe Tavern - April 20, 2010

QUEBEC CITY, QC @ Theatre Petit Champlain - April 21, 2010

MONTREAL, QC @ La Tulipe - April 22, 2010

OTTAWA, ON @ Babylon - April 23, 2010

PETERBOROUGH, ON @ The Red Dog - April 24, 2010

WINNIPEG, MB @ West End Cultural Centre - April 28, 2010

SASKATOON, SK @ Amigo’s - April 29, 2010

EDMONTON, AB @ Starlite Room - April 30, 2010

CALGARY, AB @ The Legion - May 01, 2010

KELOWNA, BC @ Habitat - May 02, 2010

VICTORIA, BC @ Sugar Nightclub - May 04, 2010

VANCOUVER, BC @ The Commodore Ballroom - May 05, 2010

http://www.plantsandanimals.ca/

http://www.myspace.com/plantsandanimals

http://www.secretcityrecords.com/artists/plants-and-animals

http://www.facebook.com/plantsandanimals

http://twitter.com/plantAndanimal