Lancaster's Plainview
are a band brought together, not by a shared appreciation of a
certain genre but by a mutual ethos that merges aspects and elements
from a plethora of musical stylings and a variety of previous
experiences. This fusion of genres has allowed the band to create a
sound that's not only fresh and varied but also wistfully nostalgic.
There's a certain romantic energy about the ideas the band have,
after all, why should a band be pigeon-holed in to playing just one
kind of music when there's so much more at their disposal? And whilst
most of the tracks from most recent EP Years
From Now
were available online prior to it's release, it's not until the songs
are paired next to each other in EP form than the diversity at play
really begins to reveal itself.
It's
clear from even an initial listen that Years
From Now
aims to take listeners on a journey from genre to genre. First track,
'Golden Sound', is an indie-pop anthem which sees suitably jangly
guitars paired with crashing symbols to make for an infectious and
ultimately accessible introduction to the world of Plainview whilst
other tracks on the record, such as 'Drift Away' eschews the youthful
optimism of other tracks in favour of a darker, more matured and
stripped down aesthetic. A clearly discernible bass guitar rolls the
track forward, and lends some weight to the otherwise floaty vocals
and guitar work of singer Darren
Leadsom.
It's a fine example of the musicianship within the band and one which
iterates the lack of generic convention across the record
brilliantly.
The
records climax comes in the form of 'Warmth of the Sun', a five
minute grungey shoegaze affair that features dreamy vocals from
Leadsom and a particularly effective wall of noise forming the
backdrop on which the lyricism can paint. Melodic vocal harmonies
compliment what guitar can occasionally be picked out of the caustic
tumult it creates. It's blissed out shoegaze at it's most commercial
and yet a further example of just how little regard the band have for
musical confines.
When
bands try to give every track from a record a different vibe or
aesthetic, it often comes across as fragmented and forced, tracks
never truly roll in to each other one feels they should. That isn't
the case with Plainview. What the band have done is create a record
which showcases the band's influences without aping them. It blends
them together in a decade spanning amalgam that builds on elements of
60s pop, jazz, rock and countless other genres in to one accessible
and radio-friendly collection of tracks. It feels as if these songs
belong next to each other, despite their differences and it's this
that is the key to the band's appeal. Rarely does anything feel out
of place and rarely does an EP this varied come off as tight as this
one does, Plainview are clearly a band destined for bigger things.
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