Plants and Animals - La La Land

Plants and Animals
La La Land
(Secret City Records)
Rating: 2.9 of 5


Albums recorded using all analog tape equipment serve up as tasty nuggets in the indie rock phylum. Sometimes, it adds to the efficacy when the artist(s) ‘date’ the sound of the record with the sonances of decades past. Montreal-based Plants and Animals’ sophomore effort, La La Land, further explores these leanings. Throw in a bluesy sax solo in front of tolling horns, and the jangling beat of third track “American Idol” pumps with the Memphis sound of a particular well-respected Alex Chilton-fronted band. Sure, Big Star still has its signature on many releases from sprouting indie bands; but the influence is contagious and the songwriters pull upon each other. Only two years removed from the last record, Plants and Animals may have been listening to their share of Grizzly Bear since then.

Wanting to follow up big to their brilliantly-subdued, under-the-radar debut, Parc Avenue, Plants and Animals decidedly go more-electric and find fascination with the city of Los Angeles. These constructs are built for big hooks and West Coast-derivative classic rock reworkings. But, the smoked-up laze, obtuse lyrics, and lack of chunky humbug choruses leaves La La Land flatulent.

Comparatively to Parc Avenue, the album is lank in instrumentation. It lends to more of that ‘out on the canyon’ vibe, but the appeal is gluttonously lost somewhere in the bustle of Sunset Boulevard. Ample filler throughout the record substantiates that fat needs a-trimming.

“The Mama Papa” is a fun, bouncy affair and “Jeans Jeans Jeans” measures out the record quite well in the final slot. The few coveted musings here tend to be the shorter ones with the sun-bleached “Undone Melody” being a patient and delivering exception.

With a name like Plants and Animals, the trio personifies the kind of harmony and in-unison work of that this band is capable. But, lustrous production and up-tempo rock selections for the tracklisting don’t treat them as kindly as they might have hoped. La La Land evinces them way ahead of themselves already—a lesson learned one too many times in the past by bands with acclaimed debuts.

Tom Cruz - Plants and Animals

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