Plants and Animals: My new favorite band

Ok, “favorite band” may be a little strong.

But these guys are really good. With the raw energy of White Denim, meandering song stucture of Pavement, and the pop instincts of Weezer (circa 1995, not the current whitebread edition), these guys really won me over. Switching instruments mid-song and singing in three part harmony, they produce more variety of sound than they you’d think possible for a rock trio. Bottom line, they’re a lot of fun– yet unrefined and smart enough to avoid classification as a guilty pleasure.

Actually, the White Denim comparison may be the most appropriate. I remember seeing WD this past February at Noise Pop in San Francisco and thinking they would be the next big indie thing. Performances at the Plug Awards and heaps of SXSW press confirmed my suspicions. But months later, I haven’t heard much about White Denim.

Are Plants and Animals doomed to similar fate? Is there just too much music floating in the indie-music sphere for these guys to find a sustainable audience? We’ll see. But today, the crowd loved them. As did this music critic.