Venusian Plow
I love it when a CD arrives in the post, there’s something about the sealed envelope which is clearly a CD which is exciting to behold! As such, when the chaps in Venusian Plow dropped me a copy of their self titled album, I was looking forward to seeing what they had on offer. Describing themselves as ‘purveyors of experimental pop, inverted prog and complex minimalism – I figured that the only way to truly work out what this lot are up to is to listen to the album and make up my own mind!
Big Society gets the album in motion and immediately puts us into a strange place, a place where the bass heavy rhythms of the track seem to take over and transport us to a new and relaxed place. Upbeat and intricate from the word go, all of the elements of the band seem to combine in the track to form one overall sound, a sound which is upbeat and the sort of thing you can move to, but also something which allows you to sit back and just listen to what’s going on. Roving bass combines with laid back guitar rhythms and soaring vocals to form something upbeat, groove orientated and uplifting – it’s a great start to the album which sets things in motion very nicely indeed. Following on with Little Germany the theme of laid back funkiness continues, this time adding in a synth effect to create a strange hybrid of funk, jazz, pop and indie rock – it’s something incredibly hard to explain in words, but musically works well. Almost reggae in some aspects, the track is laid back once again, yet still upbeat enough to keep things moving at the pace we want. Catchy throughout, this track reminds me of Spacehog, that sort of out-there pop rock which was so popular back in the 90’s and is about due a resurgence anytime now, continuing things in style and encouraging us to continue listening on.
Stranglehold comes up next, changing the tone of things through a syncopated drum line accompanied by a roving bass rhythm, the mix forming the sort of thing which is sure to hook you in and have you reaching for the volume up button. Catchy throughout, this is one for the live scene, and one which is sure to convert people onto the album, making you wonder what else they’ve got up their sleeve without giving too much away, purely encouraging you to keep going, safe in the knowledge that you’ll be rewarded for your time. More comes in the form of Sweating In The Shop (Part 1), fading into being gradually and luring you in to listen harder. Soft as it grows, the acoustic approach of this track continue to embed the bands ability to combine soft melodies with an approach designed for the masses. Upbeat and firmly rooted in the indie style of rock music, this is one which shows off the bands roots and where they’ve come from. Still managing to combine the soft vocal line with the roving bass rhythms, the track manages to incorporate samples on top of the bands own mix, showing us how accomplished a band we’re dealing with and once again pulling us into their upbeat, bass heavy and funky mix of elements.
Hanging In The Playground, Ed Canaveral, Calverley King, Takeaway and Life Key all continue things in much the same approach, each track offering up a unique take on the bands style and throwing out music which doesn’t follow any convention or approach other than their own. It’s admirable that a band are so dedicated to their style and have the level of belief that these guys do, it presents an album which is unique and clear – the message flowing out across each track despite the slightly changing approaches within each track. Another high point is achieved though when Sweating In The Shop (Part 2) comes along to take the lead, continuing from Part 1 and once again presenting us with a bass heavy melee of upbeat elements. This Part 1 and Part 2 combination is something special on the album, the sorts of tracks which stand out as moments to check out, and the sorts of tracks which will propel these guys into the limelight for sure. Roving funky bass, intricate lead lines and drums which keep things moving – this track has it all, and is sure to stand out as a moment to make sure you check out.
Cash Cloud leads on perfectly from the previous track, this time altering the style and launching us into a heavier display of what the guys are capable of. Merging their sound with a heavier approach to kick things off before pulling back to an almost jazz style approach, this track is another to make you think, but another which will reward you for your dedication. Funky throughout, this track made me want to get out to see these guys live, the sort of track which you know is going to be a lot of fun, yet the sort of thing which is also going to have an impact on the crowd watching it. It’s only then left for Goat to close things, finishing on a raucous opening before another out there track, finishing in much the style you’d expect after an album like this. The closing moments seem to sum the album up for me, finishing things as they began and leaving no doubt that what you’ve just heard has been an experience unlike anything you’ve ever come across, or will ever come across again – it’s a final moment of madness which the band have made work!
It’s got to be said that this album from Venusian Plow is a bit odd, but it still manages to work! From start to finish there’s a constant display of what the band are capable of, a demonstration of their approach to music, and a demonstration of why you should be listening to these guys. Sure, this album is out there but it manages to hold it all together to complete the picture, meaning that you get a strange sound, but you feel that the band have achieved it in a manner which helps you understand – if that makes sense. Definitely one to check out to see what you reckon!
To find out more about Venusian Plow, check out their Facebook page HERE.
Words: Dave Nicholls
Big Society gets the album in motion and immediately puts us into a strange place, a place where the bass heavy rhythms of the track seem to take over and transport us to a new and relaxed place. Upbeat and intricate from the word go, all of the elements of the band seem to combine in the track to form one overall sound, a sound which is upbeat and the sort of thing you can move to, but also something which allows you to sit back and just listen to what’s going on. Roving bass combines with laid back guitar rhythms and soaring vocals to form something upbeat, groove orientated and uplifting – it’s a great start to the album which sets things in motion very nicely indeed. Following on with Little Germany the theme of laid back funkiness continues, this time adding in a synth effect to create a strange hybrid of funk, jazz, pop and indie rock – it’s something incredibly hard to explain in words, but musically works well. Almost reggae in some aspects, the track is laid back once again, yet still upbeat enough to keep things moving at the pace we want. Catchy throughout, this track reminds me of Spacehog, that sort of out-there pop rock which was so popular back in the 90’s and is about due a resurgence anytime now, continuing things in style and encouraging us to continue listening on.
Stranglehold comes up next, changing the tone of things through a syncopated drum line accompanied by a roving bass rhythm, the mix forming the sort of thing which is sure to hook you in and have you reaching for the volume up button. Catchy throughout, this is one for the live scene, and one which is sure to convert people onto the album, making you wonder what else they’ve got up their sleeve without giving too much away, purely encouraging you to keep going, safe in the knowledge that you’ll be rewarded for your time. More comes in the form of Sweating In The Shop (Part 1), fading into being gradually and luring you in to listen harder. Soft as it grows, the acoustic approach of this track continue to embed the bands ability to combine soft melodies with an approach designed for the masses. Upbeat and firmly rooted in the indie style of rock music, this is one which shows off the bands roots and where they’ve come from. Still managing to combine the soft vocal line with the roving bass rhythms, the track manages to incorporate samples on top of the bands own mix, showing us how accomplished a band we’re dealing with and once again pulling us into their upbeat, bass heavy and funky mix of elements.
Hanging In The Playground, Ed Canaveral, Calverley King, Takeaway and Life Key all continue things in much the same approach, each track offering up a unique take on the bands style and throwing out music which doesn’t follow any convention or approach other than their own. It’s admirable that a band are so dedicated to their style and have the level of belief that these guys do, it presents an album which is unique and clear – the message flowing out across each track despite the slightly changing approaches within each track. Another high point is achieved though when Sweating In The Shop (Part 2) comes along to take the lead, continuing from Part 1 and once again presenting us with a bass heavy melee of upbeat elements. This Part 1 and Part 2 combination is something special on the album, the sorts of tracks which stand out as moments to check out, and the sorts of tracks which will propel these guys into the limelight for sure. Roving funky bass, intricate lead lines and drums which keep things moving – this track has it all, and is sure to stand out as a moment to make sure you check out.
Cash Cloud leads on perfectly from the previous track, this time altering the style and launching us into a heavier display of what the guys are capable of. Merging their sound with a heavier approach to kick things off before pulling back to an almost jazz style approach, this track is another to make you think, but another which will reward you for your dedication. Funky throughout, this track made me want to get out to see these guys live, the sort of track which you know is going to be a lot of fun, yet the sort of thing which is also going to have an impact on the crowd watching it. It’s only then left for Goat to close things, finishing on a raucous opening before another out there track, finishing in much the style you’d expect after an album like this. The closing moments seem to sum the album up for me, finishing things as they began and leaving no doubt that what you’ve just heard has been an experience unlike anything you’ve ever come across, or will ever come across again – it’s a final moment of madness which the band have made work!
It’s got to be said that this album from Venusian Plow is a bit odd, but it still manages to work! From start to finish there’s a constant display of what the band are capable of, a demonstration of their approach to music, and a demonstration of why you should be listening to these guys. Sure, this album is out there but it manages to hold it all together to complete the picture, meaning that you get a strange sound, but you feel that the band have achieved it in a manner which helps you understand – if that makes sense. Definitely one to check out to see what you reckon!
To find out more about Venusian Plow, check out their Facebook page HERE.
Words: Dave Nicholls