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PLANE
Hello More (Future Farmer)
Reviewed by Erick Mertz
I can't go anywhere anymore (especially in an automobile) in certain circles of my constituency without hearing the Postal Service; it is something akin to disease, the vengeful pox of that fey emo boy who doesn't know when to quit, laid over Casio keyboards. I enjoy Death Cab for Cutie, but Benjamin Gibbard's side project sounds to me like someone vowing for revenge in some dramatically constructed, dying gasp of cool. It's not that I don't enjoy the 16-bit toy sound with lamentable protestation, but I chafe against anything so delightfully light and satisfying.
There should be more... shouldn't there?
In truth, there is and it comes in a rapid boil on the Chicago scene, name of Plane, a triumphantly loose progressive rock group teeming with possibilities. Theirs is a studio sound similar to the Postal Service, but less confined, built on a tougher, more cheerless sounding premise. Hello More's hooks come from some nether lobe, the place that delights in a healthy dose of nuance over cheap satisfaction. Of course, even Plane's effort on Hello More has its share of dents. There are a few songs so misguided - like the mess of noise "Party Train" and the hopelessly post modern "Mr. Edgars" - you'll wonder if anyone can get this sound right. What makes Plane a more dignified, more complete and ultimately more satisfying listen than the majority of its contemporaries, though, is its ability to reward its listener's attention. A song like "Please Save My Body From the Modern World" bridges 70's Krautrock and 80's John Hughes score effortlessly; someone stole a B-side or two from Bob Pollard on "It's What I Like, Dear" and "Adams," giving it the sense of a work in progress. The real gem on Hello More is the title song, a pulsing throng of something like arena rock and roll, racing from all corners of a dark room.
Already regulars on CMJ's top 200 from previous effort Shake My Ground (debuting at #41 in January 2004) this album is a definite departure in the right direction. Plane might not be the stuff of 9 o'clock drama or find its way onto anything Clear Channel might spew, but if it did - if it found its way onto more car rides I tag along on - I'd be happier going places.
© 2005 - Erick Mertz