I’d say that there are nods to the softer side of Yo La Tengo and Green Gartside
I’d say that there are nods to the softer side of Yo La Tengo and Green Gartside
The Caribbean – Plastic Explosives
An interesting release for many reasons, not least the extremely attractive artwork. Photographs of large coloured cubes placed in nondescript settings have never looked so beautiful. The lyrics are intriguingly laid out in the booklet too – presented as a series of mini stories, or maybe chapters in a bigger story, they are Augustan in style, certainly deadpan in delivery. I’ll give you the lyrics for I Thee Wed.
"Strapped himself in the driver’s seat. On the Saturday 8am Eastern. By the way: Bought a diet coke at the Royal Farms. Looked into the part-time eyes and thought he felt some envy. Sixteen weekends before the bottom dropped, he pulled into traffic on 29. Road crews worked behind some flashing cones. Have all my past decisions led me to this revelation? Had I applied myself I’d probably been an architect."
See what I mean?
It’s an album that can certainly be labelled eclectic for despite the essentially laid-back nature of the playing, there are enough funny noises and samples within the tracks themselves to keep the listener on their toes, as seen in the track Tarmac Squad.
The LP gives off a slightly bucolic feel, noticeable on French Radio where hazy samples weave a dizzying pattern through the soft pastoral music. I suppose if you need a reference to give you an idea, I’d say that there are nods to the softer side of Yo La Tengo and Green Gartside. There is also the odd jazzy inflection in this abstract, ever so slightly winsome acoustic pop.
All in all an intriguing listen, especially if you’re in a reflective mood.
Words: Richard Foster.