{"id":2724,"date":"2010-10-16T18:42:26","date_gmt":"2010-10-16T18:42:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.thelefortreport.com\/blog\/?p=2724"},"modified":"2010-10-18T00:44:56","modified_gmt":"2010-10-18T00:44:56","slug":"plants-and-animals-in-la-la-land","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thelefortreport.com\/blog\/2010-10\/plants-and-animals-in-la-la-land\/","title":{"rendered":"Plants and Animals in La La Land"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Will someone please check the water in Montreal?\u00a0 What the heck is going on up there?\u00a0 The number of fantastique bands and songwriters resident in Montreal is, how you say, formidable!\u00a0 Is there a Montreal band alive that can resist penning statuesque anthems and stirring ballads?\u00a0 Certainly not Plants and Animals.<\/p>\n

We had heard a few cuts off of Plants and Animals’ debut album, “Parc Avenue,” with its more-acoustic themes.\u00a0 Their debut had caused critics to forehead-slap themselves and wonder how they could have possibly missed the next pysch-folk greats.\u00a0 Two years later (during that phenomenal May 2010 release deluge) , follow-up album “La La Land” was delivered in comparatively less prosaic, rock n’ roll garb.\u00a0 There are far fewer steel-stringed meanderings this time around.\u00a0 Instead we hear echoes of fellow Montreal residents, Arcade Fire, on a track or two (Tom Cruz<\/em> and Game Shows<\/em>,) circa-70s’ Rolling Stones moments (American Idol–<\/em>replete with sax from that era)<\/em>, and other apt rock influences and permutations (including Grizzly Bear and Built to Spill).\u00a0\u00a0 Some have voiced disappointment in this trend, but we respect the evolutionary ways of the band and recognize the continued songwriting acumen and passion in their music.\u00a0\u00a0 There are lots of crunching guitar riffs and hooks aplenty, and though the indie gestalt is clear there are elements of what the band has referred to as “post-classic rock” or “barbecue rock.” \u00a0 “We made a conscious decision to make a rock record,” says Matthew Woodley of Plants And Animals.\u00a0\u00a0 OK, done.\u00a0 And done well.<\/p>\n

Check out the great Tom Cruz<\/em> <\/em>and Kon Tiki <\/em>below and then the band performing Game Shows <\/em>and Undone Melody <\/em>live on KEXP way below.<\/em><\/p>\n

Plants and Animals–Tom Cruz<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

They kick it up a notch on this record opener.\u00a0 The band has said:\u00a0 “[Tom Cruz] <\/em>was a song that came together in pieces; the title actually came before the lyrics.\u00a0 We were super excited to be working again. We weren\u2019t even worried if we recorded anything, because we were just having fun. We felt this overwhelming, manic happiness and confidence. Our drummer titled that song as if we were Tom Cruise, hopping up and down on that couch on Oprah<\/em>.”<\/p>\n

[audio:https:\/\/www.thelefortreport.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/01-Tom-Cruz.mp3|titles=01 Tom Cruz]<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

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Plants and Animals–Kon Tiki<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

The band has said about Kon Tiki:\u00a0 “<\/em>Kon Tiki is a motel on a side of a cliff [in Pismo Beach for you Central Coasters] we stayed in between San Francisco and Los Angeles on a day off. The whole song is about hanging out there.”\u00a0 Imagine the song they could write if they stayed instead at the Madonna Inn or at Ventana.\u00a0 Their next concept-record?<\/p>\n

[audio:https:\/\/www.thelefortreport.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/05-Kon-Tiki.mp3|titles=05 Kon Tiki]<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

And check out the band in this KEXP video doing their song Game Shows<\/strong>, <\/em>in which they roar like some Grizzly Bear, but with some great alternative embellishments.\u00a0 Too bad we just missed them in LA.<\/p>\n