Plants and Animals’ 2008 album, Parc Avenue, was loaded with strings, horns and chorus breakdowns that brought on worthy comparisons to its Canadian countrymen, Arcade Fire. Its latest album, The End of That, however, is ready-made for a laid-back summer barbecue, with a sound that’s undeniably American.
The band’s drummer-vocalist Matthew “Woodman” Woodley says this classic rock influence is in the band’s blood. “We wanted to capture the sound of the three of us playing together live whenever possible,” he said.
Tonights show will be a true live setting when Plants and Animals makes a stop at the Red Palace in Washington, in the middle of its three-month tour.
Unlike Parc Avenue, which relied heavily on production polish, Woodley says this album is intentionally raw. “What you hear is what you get,” he said. “We didn’t use production to embellish as much as to try and bring out the quality of what we did live, and just make a sound that’s as natural and direct as possible.”
The new sound should translate well into a live show, Woodley said.
“With the new record, we can almost play the songs as is because all the elements are there on stage,” he said. “It’s the closest we’ve ever come to a direct representation of the record before.”
Songs from the new album, Woodley said, have a conversational tone that make for a great album listening experience as well.
“They’re about heavy concepts,” he said. “Getting older and life-changing stuff like that – but they’re also very light-hearted, you know? I heard a friend say it’s like sitting down with your friends at a bar and having a beer, having a conversation that’s just kind of direct and blunt. Not dark, but real.”
Perhaps the song that best represents this feel is the title track, “The End of That.” The song rides along an easygoing, open-air guitar melody with reflective, thoughtful lyrics – perfect to sing along with at the bar. In it, the singer tries cocaine, but passes out, “crashed out on a mat – and that, was the end of that.”
But the song title and album title is about more than just one man stopping his cocaine use. On the album cover, the words “The End Of That” are placed in the center of an otherwise off-white blank square, seeming to make a definitive statement. In Woodley’s mind, The End of That represents “trying not to make the same mistakes over and over again” and “taking stock at the end of the day.”
Woodley took a moment to reflect while driving through the Rocky Mountains on the way to the band’s next show, in Calgary. He couldn’t help but notice “the sky, the clouds, the yellow fields that seem to go on forever. It’s beautiful,” he said. “We’re lucky to do this.”
Plants and Animals plays the Red Palace tonight. Doors open at 9 and tickets are $10
offitzer@umdbk.com
