Planes For Spaces - Letters From The Waves
ARTIST.....: Planes For Spaces
TITLE......: Letters From The Waves
LABEL......: Visionario Records
URL........: www.planesforspaces.com
RIP DATE...: Jul-09-2005
STORE DATE.: Jul-05-2005
GENRE......: Indie
QUALITY....: VBR / 44.1Hz / Joint-Stereo
SIZE.......: 50,8 MB
Track Listing:
01 - Lights Out 05:40
02 - Dream Number One 03:52
03 - Surrender 06:20
04 - Released 03:55
05 - A Call To The Moon 04:19
06 - Away 06:13
07 - Edge Of The World 05:22
─────
35:41 min
Release Notes:
It's fitting that a band so caught up in atmosphere would insist
upon a moonlit interview in a dark pocket of the Walker Art Center
Sculpture Garden. Sitting beneath the strange shadows of twisting
branches, it's obvious just how far this band is willing to go to
set the mood. Straying far from the verse-chorus-verse standard,
the songs of Planes for Spaces instead meander through dark
moments, taking time to contemplate the sheer eeriness of a
particular sound.
Despite their blatant effort in selecting a setting, the band
insists that most of their results, and the meeting of the three
members are all just a matter of things taking their natural
course. All of the bandmates recall their first meeting with
phrases like "we just clicked," "had an immediate connection," and
"I could feel something magical," as though the three members were
each other's soul mates, rather than simply bandmates.
The band's name itself isn't so much an attempt to be poetic as
the simple result of drummer Aaron LeMay's poor spelling.
"I was trying to write this e-mail where I was trying to be
impressive and discuss our "plans for spaces" but somehow I wrote
it as "planes for spaces" and Joe just liked the way that
sounded."
Singer/guitarist Joe January refined his musical craft in such
notable local acts as Bellafrentic, all acts he wound up walking
away from, not finding the natural bond he was seeking. "Something
about this band is the real deal. I've been playing in this scene
now for about five years. I just left other bands because there
wasn't that chemistry, something just didn't feel right. This is
the first time it ever felt right," he says.
Planes for Spaces ideal chemistry finds the group easily putting
together a song in just an hour's time - a welcome change of pace
from their previous efforts.
"[In my past bands] I would try and try so hard to get something
right," claims January, "but in this band everything has come
together naturally."
This organic, instinct-driven process is evident in the way the
band's lyrics smoothly drift in and out of the music with an ease
showing that the two elements were created simultaneously.
"We've never had a situation where one of us just came in with
lyrics or music we had worked on alone. All of it is created
together at the same time," says January.
While the band's sound definitely veers towards the spooky and
dark, January's voice has the awe-inspiring ability to hit the
impossibly high notes and float above the instruments' gloom.
Overtly sentimental lyrics taste too sweet and earnest for the
band to ever be stamped with a goth label.
The title of the band's debut album, Letters from the Waves,
refers to the way their music and lyrics float to them naturally,
without the aid of their conscious mind. Indeed a flowing quality
seems to link one song to the next as naturally as the waves of
the sea. This is also apparent in the band's habit of playing
songs at their live gigs without a break between them, showing
just how easily one song can slip into the next.
While local fans and the band themselves all cite early Cure as an
influence on the band's sound, the unstructured lyrics and
intricate guitar and bass sound also feels indebted to Sebadoh and
Sonic Youth.
January cites the lyrics to "Away" as a good summation of the way
things have been flowing forward naturally for the band, who've
been together for just one year.
"I want to say the things of consequence/While we drift on/With
the wind that knows we may never make it home."
Bassist Tony Najm, originally from Lebanon, has been in
Minneapolis for five years on a student visa. While Najm recalls
music fans in his native country celebrating and supporting anyone
attempting a rock show, he finds the Minnesota music scene a
little less inviting.
"In Lebanon people are much more supportive. As soon as anyone
says there is a rock show at least 200 people will show up right
away. Here there are shows every night that no one will bother to
go to. This scene can be really more about going to shows you hear
on the radio, or that someone tells you to go to, and then you're
only going to the shows to be seen or to hook up with girls."
January also sees a distance between their group and the local
scene, saying he doesn't see them fitting in or associating with
any of the other local acts.
Najm also sees the members of the local music scene as being a
little less than welcoming.
"Coming here was kind of a shock for me. Everyone talks about
Minnesota nice. Minnesotans aren't nice. There is no Minnesota
nice. But when I met Joe I realized that there are still really
nice people to be found."
An inherent fickleness in booking is also a barrier January has
seen during his time in the local scene. "You'll be on a roll and
putting on a really great show. Then suddenly you'll try so hard
to get another show and it won't happen without any sort of
explanation. But then we found the 400 Bar and realized that it's
just a different kind of venue. They really appreciate bands
working hard and don't care if they're on the cover of some
paper."
Even with a sort of musical fate guiding them, January still
believes in putting everything he has into his music. Lucky to get
even four hours of sleep a night, January spends every second
working, knowing that the band will have to put the work in to get
anywhere. Seeing a link between his musical dedication and his
failures both professionally and personally, January admits that
his art has hurt the other aspects of his life.
"It's just ruined everything for me, but that's OK. This is all I
want to do."
Of course any wannabe rock musician must first perfect the art of
fantasizing long before they make it to the stage. January admits
to having spent hours giving imaginary interviews long before
making any progress as a musician, ala the protagonist of the
band-trying-to-hit-it-big-film, "The Commitments." "I've spent
hours imagining interviews and thinking of all these brilliant
things to say. But of course I forgot it all now. The great thing
though, is that it's real now and not just in my head."
(pulsetc.com)