Despite having knicked their name from a trippy Beatles song, these four French girls have little else in common with the fab four. Plastiscines formed after meeting at a Libertines concert in 2004 and definitely lean towards that rough and tumble side of garage pop, though their sound isn’t so easily pigeonholed. I’m not completely convinced this isn’t some sort of “handled” band because – from the backstory to the image – everything seems questionably and conveniently perfect. But the songs are short and relatively catchy. I’m mostly intrigued by the fact that someone as bizarre as Patrick Wolf has asked these ladies to open up for his tour this summer.
http://www.plastiscines-music.com/
Tour Dates:
Seattle, WA El Corazon (June 5)
Vancouver, BC Richard’s on Richards (6)
San Francisco, CA Slim’s (8)
West Hollywood, CA The Roxy (9)
Denver, CO Oriental Theater (12)
Minneapolis, MN Fine Line Music Café (14)
Chicago, IL The Bottom Lounge (15)
Toronto, ON Mod Club (17)
Buffalo, NY Tralf Music Hall (19)
Philadelphia, PA North Star Bar (20)
Boston, MA Middle East Downstairs (21)
New York, NY Highline Ballroom (23)
Washington, DC Rock & Roll Hotel (24)
Carrboro, NC Cat’s Cradle (26)
Atlanta, GA The Loft at Center Stage Atlanta (27)
Dallas, TX Granada Theatre (30)
Austin, TX Antone’s Nightclub (July 1)
With just about any band, regardless of stature, reforming whether the public demands it or not, it’s kind of hard to be surprised when these bizarre announcements surface like Polvo re-signing to Merge after all these years. Polvo not only helped shape the early ’90’s independent scene with its oddly-tuned anthems of smart, shape-shifting rock but also helped put Chapel Hill on the map. Re-signing to its original home 19 years after forming is an odd development for a band that disbanded 11 years ago, but in the current musical climate it’s hard to feign shock. On the one hand, I’m excited that a band I once loved is playing and recording again, but on the other hand I’m sort of apprehensive about that decade-plus gap. It’s like a resume that can’t account for a few years in between jobs. Will Polvo in 2009 compare to the Polvo I once listened to adoringly? Does any band ever come back better? Or even as good? The exceptions to the rule are few and far between. Mission of Burma has put up a good fight the second time around, but I can’t name too many success stories of bands that reunited with integrity 100% intact. We will find out the answer on September 8, 2009 when Merge releases In Prism, Polvo’s follow-up to 1997’s Shapes. 3/4’s of the original line-up of Ash Bowie, Dave Brylawski, and Steve Popson recorded the new record with drummer Brian Quast at Echo Mountain in Asheville, North Carolina with Brian Paulson on the boards.
In Prism tracklisting:
1. Right the Relation
2. D.C. Trails
3. Beggar’s Bowl
4. City Birds
5. Lucia
6. Dream residue/Work
7. The Pedlar
8. A Thousand Waves
