The Plan
Only These Movements Remain
Matlock
First things first: There’s a line in here that goes, “Let’s hear it four our school orchestra/The solo is no crowd pleaser/But he does the best he can do.” And with that, they win me over.
This is essentially the sort of emo you’ve come to expect from bands like the brilliant Rainer Maria and the rather poppy Elliott, although with added weight being put on weird time-signatures and epileptic song structures. At times the complexity of the songs is overwhelming, each new idea being layered on top of the preceding ones, at times causing songs to blend with each other. In fact, there are so many things going on at the same time, not only instrumentally but also vocally – with lines constantly being sung and repeated and melted into another by the two lead vocalists – that it’s a relief when the busy urban jazz of “Man vs. Midi” pops up halfway through the album.
However, The Plan are too melodically orientated to ever completely drown themselves in their own musical brilliance. Their easy way around a melody is perhaps best expressed on “Signal And Sequence” which should inevitably draw comparisons to mid-‘80s Tears For Fears, while “The Elements of Style” paraphrases pop gurus The Pixies. Elsewhere, “Brushes Held Like Hammers” is one of many songs that’s heavily reminiscent of the great Cursive, and “The New Occupation” has a refreshing punk approach missing with many of their like-minded contemporaries.
Although not a fully realized album, The Plan is certainly one to look out for, an adventurous and exciting band that may prove able to create something truly extraordinary in the future.
Matlock Records: http://www.matlockrecords.com
