Plants and Animals

Plants and Animals have been playing together for 10 years. They began as an instrumental group. They recorded a self-titled record in 2002 with 15-minute songs. They played around Montreal for years, no vocals, heavy on the improvising. Warren started singing with other people, and soon enough he just couldn’t contain himself. Silence became oooohs, oooohs became words.

In 2008, a project two years in the making became Parc Avenue and they stepped out onto the circuit for the first time. It had guitars and drums and vocals, and orchestration out the wazoo. It was nominated for one Polaris prize, two Junos and three GAMIQs. They opened for Grizzly Bear in Montreal, and did their first tour with Wolf Parade. Danger Mouse got his paws on it and invited them to open for Gnarls Barkley, and later Broken Bells. The National invited them to open for them in Central Park. They headlined stages across North America and Europe.

In 2010, they released La La Land, a heavier, darker departure from Parc Avenue that has become a veritable cult favourite. They played over 100 shows that year, including a long US tour with Frightened Rabbit. To the Pitchfork Festival appearance the summer before, they added to the list such notables as Primavera in Barcelona, Bumbershoot in Seattle, End of the Road in the English countryside, a marquee spot at the Montreal Jazz Festival, and many more.

They're currently putting the finishing touches on their third full-length, due sometime early 2012.

PLANTS AND ANIMALS ANNOUNCE TOUR, LIGHTSHOW 7”, & SHARE COVER OF WOLF PARADE’S “I’LL BELIEVE IN ANYTHING”

Secret City is pleased to announce that a new 7" for Plants and Animals Lightshow, their first single off of The End of That, due out February 28th. The 7” will be available in stores on the same day as the CD/LP, and features a live cover of Wolf Parade’s I’ll Believe in Anything on the B-side. A digital version of the 7" is available as of today via iTunes!.

The live cover comes from the band’s “Live at Breakglass” performance during Pop Montreal in September of last year. The renowned Montreal studio hosted a combined live recording / intimate concert event as part of the tenth anniversary of the festival. Plants and Animals celebrated the milestone by covering local Montreal acts in addition to performing their own material. You can watch the actual performance below.



The band has also announce a ton of new tour dates in support of the album:

» read more…

Nylon Mag on Lightshow

equal parts scuzzy overlays, yearning vocals, and choppy guitar riffs. It's the kind of song that makes me want to go camping, only so I can sing it around the campfire.

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Quick Before it Melts on 'Lightshow'

The more I listen to “Lightshow” the more I am seduced by its anthemic nature, its joie de vivre...I have myself the first song of 2012 that I will most definitely be including on the to-be-annual year end compilation

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Magnet on Lightshow

The track starts off with a foot-tapping electric-guitar riff and continues that same joyous, melodic sound until the end of the song, showing off the band’s maturity and joie de vivre.

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MTV Hive on "Lightshow"

Clocking in at a lean three and a half minutes, “Lightshow” is neither stripped-down or overblown — instead, it’s a perfect example of rock ‘n’ roll precision. “Lightshow” is that sort of big-time, anthemic rock song that says what it has to say in a half-dozen ways, and as hard as it may try, never goes out of style.

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Consequence of Sound - Lightshow

Punching into the Canadian band’s strolling folk rock are these warm, tall sips of guitar solos. They sound as if they’re conjured from the shag-carpet of an old 70′s studio — it’s palpable as shit. To that end, the folky elements aren’t shellacked together, and individual musicianship reverberates all through the track.

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"Lightshow" - KUT's Song of the Day

They’re proggy without being self-indulgent. They’re folky without being boring. They’ve got enough pop chops to keep even the most casual music fan’s ears glued to the stereo. ... On “Lightshow” Spicer sings like a man standing at a great precipice, staring down into the wet, gaping maw of indecision. His vocals are tender and vulnerable ... Contrasting Spicer’s vocal impasse is a big, sure-footed rhythm and strutting guitars. The discordant solo echoes fellow Canadian Neil Young’s fret work. It’s a song that is made great by its emotional complexity from a band that is great for being everything it’s not.

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Plants and Animals announce The End of That

Plants and Animals have announced their third full length album, entitled, The End of That. The record sees the Montreal trio of Warren C. Spicer, Nic Basque and Matthew Woodman Woodley bridging the gap between their 2008 debut, Parc Avenue, and 2010’s darker La La Land.

Check out the first single from the album, Lightshow.

Plants and Animals - Lightshow by SecretCityRecords

A North American tour was announced recently to support the new release, here are the upcoming dates, more to come:

12/07/11 Brooklyn, NY || The Rock Shop w/ Takka Takka, Balene
01/12/12 Chicago, IL || Schuba's w/ Herman Dune (Tomorrow Never Knows Festival)
03/08/12 Ottawa, ON || Ritual Nightclub
03/09/12 Quebec City, QC || Le Cercle
03/10/12 Montreal, QC || Cabaret du Mile-End
03/21/12 Vancouver, BC || Rickshaw
03/22/12 Seattle, WA || The Crocodile
03/24/12 Portland, OR || Mississippi Studios
03/27/12 Edmonton, AB || Starlite Room
03/28/12 Calgary, AB || Republik
03/29/12 Saskatoon, SK || Amigo's
03/30/12 Winnipeg, MB || West End Cultural Centre
03/31/12 Minneapolis, MN || 7th St. Entry

Midnight Poutine reviews Plants and Animals at Pop Montreal - Live at Breakglass

Both these bands have the sound and the talent to make a live show spectacular, but there are sometimes elements out of their control that can take that away. And certainly, when it comes to Pop Montréal, Plants and Animals have the upper hand.

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Montreall Gazette reviews "Live from Breaklgass" Pop Montreal performance

Perhaps better than any band in town, Plants and Animals have an amazing ability to embrace the infinite possibilities of a song, bringing each one to vivid life and taking us along for the ride.

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