photo by Caroline Desilets
Every Monday through Friday, we deliver a different song as part our Song of the Day podcast subscription. This podcast features exclusive KEXP in-studio performances, unreleased songs, and recordings from independent artists that our DJs think you should hear. Today’s featured selection, chosen by Midday Show host Cheryl Waters, is Bye Bye Bye
by Plants and Animals from the 2008 album Parc Avenue on Secret City Records.
Plants and Animals are a trio from Montreal who just released their debut, Parc Avenue, an album that features guest violin from Arcade Fire’s Sarah Neufeld, was recorded in the analog format, and received an 8.0 review from Pitchfork. Audiophiles and music enthusiasts should be running to the nearest record store based solely on the keywords I just mentioned. Those of you still tied to your seats and hungry for details should know that members of P+A joined tours of other Montreal bands in order to prepare for the making of Parc Avenue, mastering their instrumental craft and figuring out how to write sprawling yet somehow bookended songs. More specifically, the band figured out how to fit various genres and textures, often distinctly sectioned off, within each carefully constructed track. Any given song may wander from heavy orchestral flourishes to a more jammy prog rock only to end up as a beautifully intimated ballad. If you call yourself a fan of any of the above-mentioned styles, you’re likely to wind up in the P+A camp somewhere down the line. Why wait? To get the full picture, check them out on their current tour, which includes a stop at Nectar 6/23. As a preview, the following is Bye Bye Bye,
as performed live in Montreal early last year:
