Plants and Animals - “Parc Avenue” Review
Plants and Animals. Parc Avenue. 2008. 4 stars.
Yet another musical gift from the indie oasis that is Montreal, Plants and Animals bring bombast and warm vibes to their epic debut. While the arrangements on Parc Avenue’s tracks are lush, classically inspired and eclectic, they avoid the tragedy and harrowing drama found in their contemporaries The Dears and The Arcade Fire, producing a masterpiece that is laid back, adventurous and drunkenly optimistic.
From the stunning, hard hitting piano on the opener “Bye Bye Bye” you can tell that Plants and Animals are no strangers to ambition, leading the listener into an extensive pop jam complete with a chanting backing chorus and lyrical themes dealing with change and restless anticipation. The impressive introduction sets the stage for the album’s summery wanderings, including the energized longing on “Good Friend”, the hippy shimmying on “Faerie Dance”, the psychedelic soloing on “Feedback in the Field”, the communal shouting on “Mercy”, to the stirring string arrangements lining “Keep it Real”.
Parc Avenue is an incredibly fluid and consistent album that successfully incorporates elements from classic rock, jazz and even world music to produce songs of great emotive clarity and enticing originality. In short, Parc Avenue is an instant indie-pop classic that is sure to generate much deserved hype in the surging Montreal scene and beyond.
March 1st, 2008 at 12:29 pm
Very well said. The idea of the album being complex but not overly dramatic is an excellent statement that I wish I’d thought of!
Thanks for adding me to your blogroll, I’m returning the favour as we speak.