Plants and Animals - Parc Avenue

Bands with a giant roster featuring nameless members playing violin or French horn or the singing saw have dominated the psychedelic folk scene as of late. Arcade Fire brought it a level of widespread popularity and electronic elements which spawned Animal Collective's newest album makes the possibility of the black figures of Mac commercials dancing to funky freak-folk beats conceivable. Even had bought into this after rather douche-y conversation with a friend at lunch over how the typical rock band setup (guitar, bass, drums, vocals) was dead as almost everything that could be done with this setup has already been done.

I hadn't yet listened to this Parc Avenue. Plants and Animals take the rock band setup and shove it in your face with a wide array of styles throughout the album. With more experience in creating rich guitar instrumentals, Plants and Animals have very matured sound that outpaces their lyrical content. Their early work focused completely on their guitar work and originally seemed to fringe on becoming a instrumental psychedelic group. But this album in particular shows the group's insistence in creating a more dynamic sound. Although there are instances throughout the album that reveal the inexperience working with a vocal aspect of their sound, their experience manipulating the sound of their guitar work gives them a unique sound on every track and results in a rich assortment throughout.

The vocals of guitar-vocalists Warren Spicer and Nick Basque have a broad range as they both bring out catchy gang vocals and fit in smoothly along their unique guitar riffs. As a Midwestern appreciator of Neil Young's vocals, even above those of his counterpart Bob Dylan, I find it easy to appreciate the folk-style vocals of this group. But Plants and Animals still produce a unique, mellow style to their vocals and admirably avoid recreating vocals of better-known folk groups.

Plants and Animals with Parc Avenue have made a totally new sound using their own unique experience and utilizing elements of the genre to which they adhere. Their blend of psychedelic, droning guitars with a lyrical and vocal style reminiscent of another Canadian accepted by the American South give hope to a folk movement that has nearly exhausted its resources of quirky instruments to turn to when seeking originality.

Plants and Animals are touring Europe currently and will be in the US for Pitchfork Music Festival in Chicago

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del(eh)ware: whats the deal-o-where?

Del(eh)where?= aka the blah state. Its pretty much the non-committed-fence-sitting-suburban-purgatory at the geographical center of the mid-atlantic. I don’t know anyone from Delaware im sure they have great pride for philly or something since all of the philly radio stations and tv stations service something known as the Delaware valley? Im also pretty sure anyone from Delaware (if you actually get to meet one in person) would tell you that the state is about 2 hours from any-ware worth visiting. The state has everything that any other states of the regions would: beaches, col-de-sacs, strip-malls, bland revolutionary war history, the only difference is that Delaware lacks that ‘zazz that actually makes places interesting. Know anyone with a Delaware accent? Delaware is the gray porridge of America, and the lack of taxes is the state's jam which makes it palatable. I’m pretty sure I saw De La Warr at terminal5 a few months ago, they should have just stuck with that name (is he a duke somewhere still?/ he’ll probly sue anyway). It’s just strange cause the state couldn’t even get that little part of the peninsula that’s part of VA/MD, can’t VA/MD just giv’em that freebie? Like what did Delaware ever do to you guys‘cept for bein’ a big’ol parking lot for employees and consumers? Plenty of people think DE is the smallest state. Im pretty sorry that they couldn’t even win that/ who needs RI lets giv’em back to UK. They might have beaches noted for their inability to attract people, is that a skill? Miss u Rehoboth. Delaware has my single favorite piece of geography. The twelve-mile-circle was created as the border between Delaware and PA, its simply a random geopolitical border based on absolutely no physical land border, and incidentally enough it created my second favorite geopolitical anomaly the wedge. Land which was not claimed by MD, PA, or DE. No one wanted it so they just dumped it off on Delaware, think Delaware made a strip-mall there or some highway to visit some really cool places. Don’t go anywhere Delaware I need to smoke tax free cigarettes in tax free patio furniture in my backyard. Plus their liquor stores are open till one which is good since it takes a few hours to drive there after the stores in NJ and PA close. DE thanks for, well, existing?

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