Four songs. 21 minutes. Both represent confined space for a band that would be adequately described as contemplative. Trying to make an impression in that brief period would be a difficult undertaking for most artists; challenging but, as we learn from Plumerai, not impossible.
Their EP Res Cognitans is an obvious showcase for something more. The songs are all stirring numbers, from the trampling, 7-minute rock number "Avernal" featuring an eastern European tinge to the Cure-cum-Sundays "Linear," a track that would have been famous on MTV's 120 Minutes. The song - which would make an ideal single, features Elizabeth Ezell's pining, straining vocals. Some would say that Beth Orton or Chan Marshall are both clearly in her class but her vocal draw comes without peer among pop contemporaries. Her lightning shudders are sexy deeply affecting the winking guitars, swinging beat, and by the end loses herself in the crashing mix. Although they are long for pop songs, nothing on Res Cognitans sprawls so much as it curls softly into a pensive ball. Plumerai handles the confinement of their recording very well, bringing esoteric rock elements like an accordion into the mix, and utilizing a live recording with minimal overdubs. Song craft becomes the star, backbones provided by Martin Newman's deeply reverb fed guitars and a rhythm section with the undercurrent of libidinous undulation. The result is a warm, enthralling sound.
The name Plumerai comes from a French lullaby about depluming a bird. An arcane reference to draw for a band title, sure, but it is a more than fitting one. This Boston area quartet twines dreamy and uncommon strings, and ultimately their EP is a short, yet rewarding listen. That assessment is true from top to bottom of Res Cogitans, a taste -- a sample, a trifling of rock extraordinary, before it's done. |