People in Planes: Beyond the Horizon
People in Planes: Beyond the Horizon
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Wednesday, 01, Jul 2009 10:41
Wind-Up Records, out July 6th.
In a nutshell...
Tight, technical, powerful vocals, but very forgettable
What's it all about?
Beyond the Horizon is the Cardiff-based band's third album, and includes the singles Pretty Buildings, Mayday (M'Aidez) and Last Man Standing. The vibe is mainly straight-talking hard rock, but Get on The Flaw injects some hip-hop inspired flair to proceedings.
Who's it by?
Welsh quartet who have recently supported Biffy Clyro and Stereophonics, you may remember Gareth Jones and co from their former incarnations as Tetra Splendour and Robots in the Sky. Signed to EMI for Tetra Splendour's debut album, but have since moved to Wind-Up records, for their first record as People in Planes, 2006's As Far As the Eye Can See...
As an example...
"Somewhere over the rainbow/A storm is brewing/And it's just like Cain and Abel/All over again." - Tonight the Sun Will Rise
Likelihood of a trip to the Grammys
Minimal, the despite flawless production values and witty song titles; the band have yet to break into the UK top 40, although their latest single Last Man Standing made it to No 30 in the US Modern Rock Billboard Charts. The band has made little impact on the mainstream so far and this album is unlikely to change that.
What the others say
"The album has the potential of making People in Planes a household name, and taking the band beyond their local horizons and actually making them synonymous with the greater region of modern rock." - Absolute Punk
"Slow-burning rock that thumps its way droning into your ears with a swaggering moan." - Artrocker
So is it any good?
People in Planes have been compared to Muse, Pearl Jam and Radiohead, but don't be taken in. Whilst they have built up a distinctive style and there is plenty of flashy guitar work on offer from Peter Roberts, Beyond the Horizon never really steps out of the ordinary. There are glimmers of promise and potential, but for a band on their third album, potential is just not good enough anymore. The feeling that this record could be a grower is undermined by the clunky, predictable lyrics of Flesh and Blood and Know By Now.
Lead singer Gareth Jones' vocals are mature and powerful, but his thick American tones make his voice hard to distinguish from that of, say, Scott Stapp of Creed. Several big name producers have been deployed from both sides of the pond including Eleven (Queens of the Stone Age, No Doubt), Matt Squire (Panic at the Disco), and Dan Austin (Doves, Massive Attack). The result is a record which seems oddly familiar and is easily forgettable.
6/10
Chris Jefferies