Album: Plainsunset
Artist: Plainsunset
Label: WMUM/Universal
Rating: 3.5/5
After a 4-year absence, a split and subsequent reunion – the lads of Plainsunset are back with this self-titled release. Featuring new songs that have been written since their reunion at Baybeats in 2006, the band is determined to make a comeback and regain their status as stalwarts of the local music scene in Singapore.
Engineered and produced by Leonard Soosay of Snakeweed, Plainsunset is the band’s 4th full-length album and 2nd produced under his watch. Production wise, there was nothing much to gripe about and I must say that it was kept simply and tastefully produced. Their simple mantra is quite a refreshing break from the recent string of local releases which have been quite heavy on effects, textures, samples and synthesizers.
The most endearing quality of the album is perhaps its veracity. Singaporean and proud of it, the album explores universal themes such as life, love, identity and hope while tugging at the heart of their audiences with a potent mix of blue-eyed innocence, nostalgia and blissful optimism while retaining the “uniquely” Singaporean identity which their local audience will easily relate to.
While front-man / lyricist Jonathan Chen may not be Bob Dylan, he nevertheless managed to produce emotive lyrics which are so honest and heart-felt that listening to the album on repeat feels like falling in love for the very first time, over and over again – a mark of a great songwriter indeed.
The band evokes strong imagery and emotions with lyrics such as “You can hear the city call/ you will find her tall street towers/ Standing watching you in the darkness” (Riversong) and “When you’re sitting in the setting sun/ will you look back on the things you have begun” (De Oppresso Liber). This would resonate with the quintessential Singaporean search for an identity, for purpose – especially amongst their peers, the late-twenty/early-thirty somethings.
Musically, the band has departed from its last album, The Gift (2004). While still A key point to note about the how the band managed to keep the album unreservedly truthful and direct lies in the way the songs are arranged. Through these simple, four-chord songs complete with heavy, catchy guitar riffs, the band has stuck to their roots as a sensitive power-pop / punk while unafraid to wear their influences on their sleeves. The effect is tremendous – the band comes across is wholly unpretentious, and lends emotional (and musical) credibility to the songs.
However, for a studio album, some of the songs do drag on unnecessarily and / or otherwise lose focus. For example, the instrumental break in Postcards and Paradise (at 2:26) causes the song to become rather disjointed. As a result, the impact intended is lost. Likewise, Eyeliner is a decent effort in showing some diversity but appears to suffer from a lack of focus. However, I firmly believe that Postcards and Paradise is meant to be a live song – as do a fair number of other tracks on the album.
It may be such that I generally found the slower, mellow tracks more enjoyable and memorable – in particular, Children and Riversong. The former because it is so honest, and personal and despite the cynicism, it indulges in new-found hope and optimism. However, that is not to say that the faster and more aggressive songs are of lesser quality - the Song of Achilles is a mind blowing and intense number which showcases the versatility of the band as it experiments and steps out of its usual musical boundaries.
Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed the album for its honesty, heartfelt lyrics and for the fact that it was just so unpretentious and unassuming. I have had this on heavy rotation in iPOD since I received this album, and will admit to falling deeper and deeper in love with it. For the band, this album is definitely the triumphant return the band must have been hoping to make: straight up power-pop/punk, honest, unpretentious and plain as a sunset should be.
Written by: Jeremy Lua
