If you’re a rock/indie group, and you want to get it across that your goal is a sound that’s organic, fleshed out, temperamental, unpredictable, even primordial -- a spontaneous dichotomy of mellow grandeur and raw ferocity -- I can think of no better descriptive than Plants and Animals. The static and the fleeting; the majestic and the brutally wild.
via magnetmagazine.com
They’re warbly. They’re gritty. They’re French Canadian -- and they’re an impressive example of what we don’t expect from the all too often (painfully) redundant indie rock genre. Truly, this is a group you’ll know you’re listening to when you hear them, and they’ve been laying the groundwork for all the charlatans since 2007.
The music is easy to follow -- it’s elegantly simplistic. It’s really feel-good and energetic, but poignant when it needs to be. Their 2008 album, Parc Avenue, conveys a collective, natural, zen-like experience -- it’s very inward and outward-turning at the same time. Meanwhile, the follow-up, La La Land, is mostly sultry and tropical (yes), with some kind of Honolulu-at-sunset vibe to it. Strange, yes, but quite fantastic. The band’s wiki page lists the members’ self-characterization as “post-classic rock,” but I think that’s too straightforward for what’s happening with Plants and Animals. It’s too neat and tidy, and they’re not.
via albumoftheyear.org
I highly recommend their latest, The End of That. Check out the track of the same name -- it’s a great example of where they’re coming from and where they’re headed. What do you think? Are they deserving of all this praise?
I don’t think I’ve ever been as elated and heartbroken with the debut and subsequent reclusion of a musical group as that which I’ve experienced with Them Crooked Vultures.
via imgarcade.com
If you’re like me, you are very wary of anything that looks, acts, or remotely makes mention of a “supergroup.” But when you have the likes of Josh Homme, Dave Grohl, and John Paul Jones working together, what else can you call it? And, perhaps as a positive consequence of this mega supergroup (QOTSA, Foo Fighters, Led Zeppelin, respectively), such a formation brings together a rather interesting audience that otherwise might not have reason to interact. If you’re a fan of any of the above, you must check out TCV. Really though, I wouldn’t approach this as a short-term supergroup, because they didn’t. This is a meaningful project -- for all members -- and one sample off their album will surely convince you how true that is.
So, with Josh Homme having a large hand in this project, you’re gonna get the lovely, absurd, off-beat textures that you would from Queens -- and behind it all, you have a rhythm section that is simply unmatchable in terms of synergetic power, proficiency, and stylistic versatility. In other words, you have a songwriter capable of creating and working around crazy, outlandish patterns and themes in uncomfortable (but appropriate and wonderful) ways, and bass and drums capable of playing them. Add the auxiliary that they incorporate (keytar, lap-steel, to name a couple), and these songs represent very well what they aim to be: totally dynamic, at times unsettling, and all of them masterfully crafted.
via flavorwire.com
And let’s not forget the most overlooked part of this group: Alain Johannes -- the fourth vulture. A critical if not necessary part of their studio and stage presence, Alain truly is a musician of the highest caliber. A big part of his exclusion from the trio in almost all other circumstances is probably due to the group’s marketing strategy, which underscores three, and not four, vultures.
Anything new that TCV potentially has on the table or ready to go at the moment has been suspended -- and understandably so; at least two of the members have other time-consuming projects that take precedent over any Vultures release. But I am patiently waiting for a second album, and I can’t possibly be alone.
The album’s single, New Fang, is a great plug for the rest of the album, and exemplifies just about everything I’ve discussed. Give it a listen and tell me what you think!
Take a minute to think about what progressive rock means as a rock subgenre. Sidestep all of its over-usages, generalizations, and cliche taglines, and get right down to exactly what you like about it. Now, add to your refined and *highly* selective characterization of prog rock the qualities sharp, tight, amorphous, complex, sideways, ground-rattling, unified, popy, experimental, fuzzy, energetic, ambient, heavy, thick. This comes pretty close to Earth Engine’s sound, but it still fails as a completely satisfactory description.
Here’s the thing: “progressive rock” is such a boring, outdated term with lots of potentially inaccurate (and diminishing) connotations that, if not for its cachet in the music world, I would avoid using the term entirely to characterize Earth Engine. And what’s more, they’ve earned more than that. They’re genre-spanning eclectic Detroit musicians, all of them -- and that fact is wholly reflected in their music. There’s no doubt that what they are is progressive, and it is rock, but it is much, much more. There are elements of pop, rockabilly, and something beautifully sinister -- maybe something itself Detroit. Prog pop maybe? Neoprogressive? Who cares, just listen.
The rhythm section is heavy, hard-hitting, and just downright dirty and obnoxious -- but it’s also finely tuned, elegant, and methodical, overlayed with brassy trombone flares, organ, and piano. The arrangements are astonishing -- and there’s really no mistaking this; the music is as precisely written and rehearsed as it is performed. Guitar is technically proficient (a must for “prog rock”), but direct and punctuated when it needs to be, supplementing -- and not overshadowing -- the rest of the ensemble. The vocals are an absolute perfect complement to the heavy, gritty, smooth syncopation of EE’s sound, and they just work so well with the lyrics. When it’s all happening, it has the feel of a progressive epic, but with the fine touch of brevity, deliberation, and expertise. Look, I think really highly of this group, but not without reason.
via bensencore.com
I never miss an opportunity to see these guys play -- they perform all over Detroit and the metro area, and they’re adding more shows all the time. Most recently, they played the second annual Hamtramck Music Festival and utterly rocked the Polish Sea League (many thanks). Each performance also has a super special secret treat inside -- this past show’s set included a very Detroit cover of Kenny Rogers & the First Edition’s “Just Dropped In (To See What Condition My Condition Was In)” (see Gutterball), with a twist only Earth Engine could manage to
crank. EP coming out soon! I have so much love for EE.
