Here we go: Planes hits their top game.
Colin Moon | Wyoming | 12/08/2005
(5 out of 5 stars)
"This is it: Planes getting what Planes needs. Here are heavy songs about drunken nights and the girls who got away, here are metal swingers and screaming vocals. Here, Planes plays with now developed relationships in their musical careers: thanks to a long-time friendship with Omaha kingpins, Cursive, the guys headed out to Lincoln, Nebraska to record at (now) legendary Presto! Studios with likewise (now) famous A.J. Mogis. A.J. And his brother, Mike, have been producing some of the most amazing records of the recent years there at Presto! From all of the Saddle Creek releases right down to Jason Molina's Pyramid Electric, Co., this place is a hot-spot for musical refinement. Which is something that Planes has never had before?and you can tell it's a Mogis record from the get-go, from the linking tracks to the balance of the instruments. Another key feature of this record is that our good buddy and hero, Tim Kasher (of 'Cursive', 'The Good Life', 'Slowdown Virginia', and 'Commander Venus') is featured screaming his ass off with the guys on track three, 'Glassing'. Also, this is the first album of Planes' to get it's own professionally made music video, for 'Spring Divorce'. Interesting story about that: it was shot in Denver, and you can see quite a few of the Denver scene kids as well as three Laramie, Wyoming natives: Me and my friends Cam and Amber. I had an asthma attack that ended up putting holes in my lungs there.
That's just how hard Planes rock. Buy this."
Out from under the shadow of Hot Water Music
Destroy Boy | www.ohboydestroy.com | 06/15/2005
(4 out of 5 stars)
"In keeping with character, Planes Mistaken For Stars opens with a song unlike almost anything else on the record. It's a light acoustic number that does nothing to warn you of the raging storm approaching. And what a storm! There's some serious punch behind the starting tracks with some even earning the right to drop "post" from the oft-given label of post-hardcore this band receives. This bigger emphasis on harder sounding songs was probably a concious effort by the band to get out from under the shadow of the myriad Hot Water Music clones and develop an identity that, beyond the obvious scratchy throated vocals, only vaguely hints at HWM in scattered riffs throughout Up In Them Guts.
After their initial burst of speedy, sludgy songs they do slow it down for a couple tracks, incorporating moody atmospherics among the usual train wreck sound to great affect. This approach is most clearly shown on "Say Not A Word" which combines a fast/slow intro with an ambitious, expansive middle/ending. Another example is "Spring Divorce" which has a surprisingly effective guitar/piano interlude only to segue to a driving, climatic conclusion. Of course this is directly followed up by the two most aggressive tracks on the album, "A Six Inch Valley", which like tortured affairs on previous albums, centers on alcohol and the burning "Bastards".
Like all Planes Mistaken For Stars past releases, the vocals remain frustratingly low in the mix. I realize this is on purpose but I still think the obvious energy the vocalist is putting into his singing is somewhat wasted by never being on equal footing with the music. Countering that is much better production on this album. They finally deliver an acceptable, if not great, mix that's not plagued by the tinny "recorded in a trash can" sound used on past albums. Maybe this means they're making some $$ to upgrade their recording gear which is always good. Still, I can't ever imagine this band not sounding sludgy so this is probably as good as they're going to get on the production front.
Overall I'm very pleased with the direction on this record. I usually much prefer a move to a harder sound rather than the reverse so this album gets the thumbs up in my book. The mix of aggressive hardcore with more angst ridden mid-paced passages is a powerful combo that finally means this band can be taken as an entity all their own.
Check out more reviews at ohboydestroy."
Like a deep breath of fresh air after leaving a portapotty
M. C Wright | Indianapolis, IN USofA | 06/07/2005
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Man when you stand these guys up to the huge accumulating mass of tight t-shirt wearing posuers, everything just starts making sense. Yeah we can enjoy a band and not have to worry about what scene they are pandering to, we can listen to music without the scenester BS attached to. PMFS are creative, progressive and hardly sound like anything you have been listening to lately. The music is choatic yet smooth, the lyrics are well written and the vocals... damn! The vocals are the crowning achievment of this record, it's like something you can't really describe without hearing it. The vocals sound strained and heavy and serves just as much as an instrument as it does a guide to the choas that we are about to be pushed into. These record is (without invocking the usual cliches) hell, it is heavy relentless and twists like a knife in the gut... and you'll love every minute of it. The guitar work is interesting, there are ZERO cliches and the lyrics are intriguing and creative, this is a progressive cd that many of you losers I am sure just can't handle without an open mind. They don't rely on hooks or catchy choruses to hook us in, they don't rely on image or scenster appeal to get attention, the music speaks volumes. There are no real "hooks" on this album, it's heavy music that is unaffected by trends and scene attachments. Get this if you want something interesting to listen to, something that will restore your faith in music and make you forget all that garbage you had to suffer through that most pass off as "music"."
Track Listings (12) - Disc #1