With so many indie bands reinterpreting 1980s New Wave sounds in 2012, delving headlong into the 1970s seems like a bold choice. Some might even say it's so last year.
Trendiness aside, earthy ambience works for Montreal's Plants and Animals. The title track of their new album shares a kinship with David Bowie's "Rebel Rebel," the 1974 hit that marked the end of his glam-rock journey. Accompanied by handclaps and a freewheeling guitar track, singer Warren Spicer laments how a woman stole his heart and cocaine ripped out his soul.
"Crisis!" channels a bluesy groove that Mick Jagger himself would dig, complete with the rhythmic, half-spoken lyrics of a Bob Dylan impersonator. Like much of this album, the track takes a while to find its own voice, but when it does, the payoff is - what's that thing Jagger sang about? - satisfaction.
