Best Thing I Have Heard in a While: Plants and Animals

This is too good to put in bullet format. It deserves its own post. Plants and Animals - Parc Avenue. I just downloaded this the other day, and am thoroughly intrigued by it. I was hook-line-and-sinkered after about two listens. Definitely echoes sounds of big band Arcade Fire and the orchestral sounds of Polyphonic Spree. Packed with stop-and-go wax and wanes, Parc Avenue is not only original, but also catchy. Simplistic, it is not. Although some of the catchy parts are simple lyrics, e.g. "I wanna dance, I wanna dance," on "Good Friend," the album is pretty complex. The aforementioned, "New Kind of Love," and "Bye, Bye, Bye" are the standout tracks. On tracks like "Mercy" and "Feedback in the Field," I can't help but think of the ending of Thomas Crowne Affair, Nina Simone's "Spinnerman." Hints of harps or harpsichords glisten the backdrop of a few tracks. The album instinctively has a 70's feel at times, but all-in-all incorporates the strengths and glories of indie rock today. If you still are not convinced, go sample at their myspace page. Link below.

Hail from: Montreal, CA
Available: eMusic, iTunes, Amazon, your nearest record store.
Website: Myspace
If you like: Arcade Fire, Annuals, Yeasayer, Polyphonic Spree, the 70's, America (the band) type tunes, "Sinnerman" by Nina Simone at the end of Thomas Crowne Affair.
Standout Tracks: "Bye, Bye, Bye," "Good Friend," and "New Kind of Love"