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| People
in Planes, As Far as the Eye Can See |
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| REVIEWED
BY JASON GLADU, POSTED ON MAY 22,
2006 |
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From the very
first listen of People in Planes' debut As Far as the Eye
Can See, it's clear that the record has plenty of potential
to reach a wide audience on rock radio. Gareth Jones (vocals),
Peter Roberts (guitar), Kris Blight (bass), John Maloney (drums),
and Ian Russell (keyboards) have the ability to create heavy
guitar rock with recognizable hooks and melodies with a sense
of dramatic flair, which a lot of U.K. bands have become famous
for. However, there are a couple of problems here. Problem #1:
The band writes some of the most inane lyrics ever heard, like
the opening track "Barracuda" — "Teacher/
Sit me down/ I get accused/ Scuba/ Scuba/ With the Barracuda.” It
doesn't get any better as you delve deeper into the album, either.
Just check out their first single “If You Talk Too Much (My Head
Will Explode),” which lives up to its title upon repeated listens.
Problem #2: For some strange reason, PIP feel that the more delay,
reverb and other studio effects you use on a song, the better.
Well, not always the case, as the songs begin to lose any sense
of character with the ridiculous amounts of studio gloss used.
When these effects are subtler they tend to work a lot better,
but when overused, it's like jamming sonics down the listeners'
throats. It would be interesting to hear how these songs work
when performed live, away from the temptations of the studio,
as tracks like "Moth” and “Token Trapped Woman” sound as
good as anything the Red Hot Chili Peppers are doing now. (Wind-Up)  |
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