Release Date: 18th May 2009
Format: Single – 7” Vinyl & Digital Download
Tracklisting:
1 All Them Witches (Radio Edit) (3:01)
2 All Them Witches (Original) (3:09)
3 She is Unique (3:49)
With artwork portraying a ladette’s worst nightmare and the most danceable 'let’s-write-about-my-ex/yes-I-do-still-think-of-what-you-did-and-hate-you-for-it' title track to have graced your ears since Bon Iver’s "For Emma..." Plugs have made a first-rate follow up to their much lauded 2008 EPs That Number and ‘Imaginary Friend’. The trio were digitally and lovingly caressed by many a radio station, music channel, magazine and blog after their past releases and All Them Witches has the potential to follow suit.
For those of you who haven’t been grabbed (or even lightly scratched) by the far-reaching fingers of this trio yet, the band comprises Morgan Quaintance, Dave Chin and the aptly named drummer Boomer. You’ll know Morgan as the chap who sings vocals and plays guitar in the internationally successful Does It Offend You, Yeah? and through his various performances alongside certain ex and current members of indie “IT” bands. You probably won’t know Dave Chin or Boomer, but not to worry.
Filthy Dukes picked up the band after asking them to play their Kill Em All club night at Fabric and were so impressed by Plugs they signed them up for the debut release on their newborn record label, erm, Kill Em All. Kudos to the Dukes as ‘All Them Witches’ is, in the words of Mr T (the A-Team - or the recent Snickers advert campaign), “pretty good!”.
All Them Witches is the most brilliant concoction of electro-indie-pop with just a shot of shoegaze for good measure. The first fifteen seconds of the song serves to warm up your ear drums to the soft, infectious electro of the track and will make you do that awful but oh so good 'head bob with shoulders' dance that we all do when we’re on our own (okay, maybe just me). When Quaintance’s warm and lethargic tones cut in, the music immediately switches from sharp, prodding electro to, dare I say the word, ‘groovy’ pop/indie dream. It’s a smooth transition that doesn’t have a millisecond of awkwardness and adds to the excellence of this track. What works to the songs’ advantage most however is the contrast between the happy, perfectly danceable music and vocals with the actual lyrics themselves. It’s akin to the scene in Stanley Kubrick’s A Clockwork Orange, when Alex hits George in the ‘yarbo’s’, kicks him into the Thames and slices Dim’s hand open, all to the jubilance of Rossini’s The Thieving Magpie. It can take half way into the song or multiple listens until you take notice of the lyrics in All Them Witches and realise that the song is actually a fairly deranged and bitter offering to an ex-girlfriend, who I’d suggest best get on the blower for a restraining order ASAP:
"If I see you in the arms of another, I’ll be standing over your shoulder with a gun in my hand, For the good of man."
Another fuelled lyric comes in the infectious chorus: "You’re like a feather/Travelling in the breeze/From partner to partner/I’m gonna make you bleed". However whatever Quaintance’s intentions with this ode to a seemingly fickle ex, this makes for a bloody good tune as these slightly maniacal lyrics layer over the upbeat and highly accessible music Plugs have brought to the table. A hot track that will make an invaluable addition to your music libraries!
It’s a crying shame that in complete contrast She Is Unique is nearly four minutes of anti-All Them Witches. Okay – this might seem harsh, we’ll mitigate and call it nearly four minutes of not-so-good song. It may just be the disappointment of the fantastically composed All Them Witches compared to the not-so-good She Is Unique, but even after only listening to the B-side a few times over I still find it an awful track. It’s try-hard, the vocals are too lazy. The song tries too much to emulate those ‘arty’ bands who layer clashing guitars or sounds with too much shoegaze and a lazy voice, and make something that should sound wrong really good - Metronomy did this well on their first album "Pip Paine...". The problem is that Plugs don’t pull it off and it makes the track hard to listen to the whole way through. You’ll find yourself subconsciously flicking the ‘back’ button of your iPods/hi-fi’s/record players to All Them Witches because She Is Unique is simply... listless.
It sounds just like a first bike ride feels, or watching a very drunk, very legless adult trying to climb a flight of stairs: awkward and uneasy. The reason I bring this B-side to attention and not simply sweep over it is that it’s unexpected of Plugs who usually create fantastic synth-drenched, infectious tunes that are sure-fire hits. Zane Lowe didn’t hand over the Hottest Record in the World nod of approval for no reason. Listening to their discography, when Plugs strip their songs of any synth, electro or pop the songs turn out to be ‘not-so-good’, but when they include them their songs will have everyone singing and dancing in unison, hands in the air – from an intimate gig to a stage at a festival. The fact that the remixes on the Imaginary Friend EP of That Number surpass the original song proves the point.
Despite She Is Unique, it is really worthwhile to have this single, even just for the title track which stands alone. I implore you now to part with whatever pittance they ask for this single on May 18th and buy, buy, buy! Don't just download, grab a 7" too. They also release a free download each month on their Myspace (linked below), which is music to anyone’s ears. They’ve been booked for the famous Camden Crawl this year and are playing a number of dates in the UK starting from last week’s Hoxton gig with We Have Band (which was incredible, by the way). Lend your support and check them out:
17th April: The Freebutt, Brighton
18th April: Play It By Ear @ Monarch, London
25th April: Camden Crawl, London
30th April: Hinterland Festival, Glasgow
1st May: Hinterland Festival, Glasgow
In a recent blog on their Myspace, Morgan tells us: “Trust me we have some loopy shizzle in the nizzle”. We'll take your word for it...
www.myspace.com/plugsmusic
http://www.peopleinthesky.co.uk/ (for previous EPs)
Review / words of wisdom: Rowan (special guest reviewer) Allen
