G-Plan |
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The hardest part about reviewing bands that primarily create instrumental rock is trying to avoid a mix-and-match review, comparing their sounds and styles with the peers of past and present. But even if you double dared me to get through this review without mentioning the likes of Mogwai or Godspeed You! Black Emperor, then admittedly I probably wouldn’t be capable of it.
For one thing, G-Plan have always reminded me a lot of Mogwai. But I never did find much emotion in the sounds of Mogwai. They always felt like a barren wasteland of music. Interesting sounds, yes. A meaningful, moving experience…not for me, unfortunately.
G-Plan offered more appeal from the start. As a group of Scottish musicians that came together from a variety of strong local bands such as Chimaera, Degrassi, and The Wow Kafe, their pedigree was always strong, and when I came across the demo of ‘There’s People Lying Dead in the Stairwell’ earlier this year, I was immediately impressed by the accompanying energy, and the attacking bursts of noise that carried on for the final two minutes of the track. Well, having put together their debut record All Roads Lead To This with the help of a small army and the recording touches of Brendan O’Hare (Ex-Mogwai/Teenage Fanclub, and now of Macrocosmica), the song now stands even stronger. With the extra refinement, any creases have been ironed out and its punch is just that bit more precise.
Even so, the strongest lesson I have learned about instrumental music is not only to focus on the immediate sounds but to consider the overall journey and picture being painted inside your mind. That’s where you have to find the real story and derive the emotion in place of having a singer who does the work for you. Admittedly, it took a band as powerful as Explosions in the Sky to set this realization in stone for me, all thanks to their chiming guitars and carefully crafted songs that are capable of lighting up a dark ocean like bright beacons.
G-Plan don’t even sound like Explosions in the Sky, but the rules apply, and once you can close your eyes and take a journey with All Roads Lead to This, then strong connections quickly fall into place. Your senses are tossed around by the changes that carry you from the softly hypnotic riffs repeating through your head, to swathes of swirling notes randomly fighting to create an aural whirlpool. Then there is the constant threat of darker swells in the form of distorted blasts. Never overused, they serve to emphasize the diverse nature of these tracks and prevent you from resting too easily, as well as injecting excitement with volume when the band really push it.
G-Plan aren’t completely instrumental, though, and ‘Feeling For Snow’ is the primary exception. Featuring gently awkward vocals, it actually takes a mild adjustment for your ears to adapt to the human voice. And with its length at less than four minutes, it almost feels like a pop song in comparison to most others here, but then you remember the dark currents still running through it. The more you hear it, the easier it becomes to accept its place in the album, but it does take a little time.
With a 60-minute running time, All Roads Lead to This is a brave collection, but length is also its biggest weakness. You see, it’s difficult to fault the music and imagination of any one piece of music that makes up this release, but it is a long journey to undertake in single sittings over and over. Still, from opener ‘5 Steps to Tyranny’ to the penultimate ‘Risk Taker’, you are taken on a turbulent ride that is both fulfilling and captivating if you make the effort. Then the story finally closes with ‘Oh Siberia!’ which is probably as close as G-Plan could come to a happy ending. It brings with it lightness, and a sense of relief with its brighter tones, so when the disc finally does stop spinning, you’re left with a feeling that journey really was worth the time and effort.
Steven McCarron
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