PLANTS AND ANIMALS-”Parc Avenue”

Posted on July 24th, 2009 by ekko

Ladies and gentlemen, at long last, the best album of 2008. I can’t believe I didn’t get a chance to hear this until the last month, and then only because a small blogger turned me on to it. What a revelation

Plants and Animals are from Montreal, and “Parc Avenue” is not their debut. But it is extraordinary. The lead cut is ironically named “Bye Bye Bye,” but it ain’t no N’Sync cover. It’s an apt intro cut, with the refrain, “What’s gonna happen to you? You have woke up too soon,” sung over soaring harmonies and horns, an epic beginning for a textured album that never sits still, never gets comfortable, and is never predictable. I’m not even going to compare to to anything. It’s incomparable!

This is one of the greatest albums I have ever heard. Have I raved enough yet? Even the arty and picky Pitchfuck liked it, giving the album an “8.0.” (Why do they need to use decimal points? Are their ratings really that mathematically precise?) You can score it at Amazon and lots of other places, and you should. Now.

Guru

3 Responses to "PLANTS AND ANIMALS-”Parc Avenue”"

Comment By: CD

July 24th, 2009 at 9:55 am

i haven’t heard this yet, so i can’t comment on your commentary, but i’m hard pressed to believe anything is going to top White Denim’s new one.

Comment By: Rogelio Gallen

September 8th, 2010 at 7:29 am

Hey… Things look a little screwy with the way your site is displaying. For some reason the text block overlaps the edge. I don’t know if it’s just me or have other people mentioned this? Just wanted to let you know in case you’ve been in the past couple of days. Thanks! Rogelio Gallen

Comment By: ekko

September 9th, 2010 at 4:10 am

Thanks. I know about it. But I have no idea what I can do about it.

HOW CAN I GET IN ON THIS?

Email me
for the specifics but, basically:
I listen to all submissions of entire albums, not songs or compilations.
With rare exceptions I will not review material protected by the RIAA. So Sony, BMG, etc., don't start sending me crap. I'm not interested.
I don't listen to streams.
I won't read online comic-books. I may read .pdfs. I will read all hardcopy submissions.
I will review only submissions that I can recommend. I'm not here to do negative reviews.
Contact me to tell me to remove something. I'll take it down within 24 hours.

PLANTS AND ANIMALS-”Parc Avenue”