Plants and Animals -- genus/species; kingdom/phylum, etc. etc.

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?