Plants and Animals – The End of That

May 23, 2012 No comments
Written by Melody Lau

★★★☆☆

Don’t let the initial lethargic opening track (“Before”) of Plants and Animals’ third full-length, The End of That, fool you; their psych-rock jam band aesthetics are still intact but just more refined than ever. Rather, the trio of guitarist Nicolas Basque, drummer Matthew Woodley and singer/guitarist Warren Spicer eases the listener into the gooey centre of the record with a crescendo of tracks, light in musicality but still heavy in lyrical theme, something that successfully carries throughout the record. By the time “Lightshow” and centrepiece, “Crisis!” burst in, it’s less jarring and more of just a natural progression into familiar Plants and Animals territory; buzzing riffs, thumping rhythms and Spicer’s powerful and commanding voice.

A sense of maturity washes all over The End of That but as with anything and anyone who goes through that awkward phase of growing up, bumps and inconsistency are bound to arise. “2010” and the Paul McCartney-esque ballad, “No Idea” yield forgettable melodies that never really take off and, at the end of a full listen, only a handful of highlights stick but those that do are ingrained in your head for days. Single “Lightshow” shines, by far, with its simple yet entrancing riff as Spicer’s voice soars atop the chaos.

This album signals that exact moment a band is in the midst of turning a corner on their musical journey and, even though there are few turns that were too sharp, this is a band that’s worth taking a trip with. There’s definitely no end in sight in the foreseeable future for Plants and Animals.

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