Reviews
Mr Plow Album: At One With Nature
Label: Monkey Basket
Tracks: 12
Website: https://mrplowsplace.bandcamp.com/
With AT ONE WITH NATURE, Mr Plow's first album in twelve years the Leicestershire trio delivers 12 terse slices of dry guitar driven reflection that both echo and explore American society's underbelly. Ewan MacColl infamously insisted performers at his club only sing songs from their place of birth. Completely upending that Mr Plow create a dank shotgun shack filled Midwest dystopia in the midlands, from which they emulate the music they love completely.
TV feeds on contemporary culture and contemporary culture feeds on TV. Alongside the widespread appropriation of language, there are a legion of bands who have named themselves around The Simpsons references. Fall Out Boy have probably far outgrown their cartoon superhero sidekick origins. Lo-fi Gothic Americana Mr Plow formed around singer guitarist Lincoln W Plow, took their name from Homer Simpsons' short lived snow clearing business. Lincoln dismisses any significance to the moniker, but it seems to suit the darkness of Mr Plow that they reference a lifelong slacker and underachiever who consistently manages to fail upwards.
"The Great Dismal Swamp" and "Find Joy" feature a wonderfully gritty wall of guitar, Mark Haynes rattling drums and Alex Copper's huge bass stirring up an infectious industrial noise. "A Bigger Better Jesus" pokes fun at US small town conservative churches with some sharp lyrics dryly delivered by Lincoln. Neil Young and Crazy Horse's "Powderfinger" looms hard in the sound and dark feel of the fine song and also sinister "300lbs". "Ever Loser Loses Again" has a sparser arrangement with Plow's delivery and lyrics reminding me of a grungier Handsome Family. Great atmosphere and sweet backing vocals from Lincoln and Alex too. That sweetly delivered dark lyric vibe from The Handsome Family also flows through short story like "The Happiest Person Alive". "Surf Nazis Must Die" is a great surf guitar instrumental, full of infectious plucked riffs and period note bending.
Beautiful retro guitar continues on the surprisingly delicate "Nineteen Twenty" a gothic noir love song as slow and rich as Nick Cave and punchy "We Are Not Your Friends". "We Are Not Your Friends" also a catchy playground chant chorus. "Mud Mountain" is Americana with a side order of Black Sabbath grind in its intro. The body of the song is all bleak wilderness references and anguished guitar from guest Kevin Hewick and Lincoln W Plow, like John Cale and Velvet Underground covering Johnny Cash. "Village Of The Damned" with Haynes' inventive percussion is more classic Americana full of dark imagery. After the great guitar sound of "300lbs" "A Particular Place" is delicate and louche with strums that are almost jazzy behind the cinematic guitar riffs. Lou Reed's languid delivery flows through Lincoln's singing on this track particularly.
Three blokes from Leicestershire in a trio that references a dysfunctional surreal US institution, absolutely nail dark slacker Americana with characterful vocals and bleakly beautiful playing. Both CD and LP versions are priced to invite exploration.
Marc Higgins
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The Happiest Person Alive
Fatea Showcase Sessions
The Fatea Showcase Sessions are a series of downloads featuring acts that we've really enjoyed and think that more people should get the chance to hear.
Pirate is the current session and features 16 fantastic artists check out the website to find out more about them and download your copy
www.fatea-showcase-sessions.co.uk for all the artist information.