Album Review: Plainride - Plainride
Reviewed by Matthew Williams
For the keener eyed readers out there, you will know that the third album from Cologne’s fast rising heavy blues rock`n`rollers Plainride, has been available on all major streaming platforms for a few months now, and has been very warmly received, but for those who love the feel of a tangible asset, the official vinyl and CD is now being released.
This is definitely one of those albums that grabs your attention, because it has so many twists and turns and blends so many different genres of music together, and I’m sure that they had audiences enthralled when they recently supported Corrosion of Conformity across Europe.
It’s also hard to pin them down into any one single genre, which I don’t see as a bad thing, because they are creating music that is simply brilliant, evocative and mesmerizing in equal measure. The trio of Max Rebel (vocals & guitar), Florian “F.J.” Schlenker (drums) and Bob Vogston (guitar and bass) are carrying the torch for heavy rock based music, but stamping their own seal all through its core.
'Plainride' will challenger listeners to grapple with its complexity and when you hear songs like opener 'Fire in the Sky' with its funky 70’s cop show style opening, the groove is strong with the joy of an added horn section, followed by another instant bluesy classic 'Hello, Operator', your fingers will be clicking and body moving. It’s impossible not to dance when these are blasting out.
But nothing prepares you for the sheer madness of 'S.O.T.U' as it’s pure genius from start to finish and shows how merging genres together, (bit of rapping and bossa nova anyone?), can produce a song of such high quality. And this is followed by some much needed calmness, with the beautifully acoustic 'Wanderer', it gives me a feel of The Black Crowes at their melancholy best before a heavy riff elevates the song even higher, allowing 'Siebengebirge' to give the listener a place of solitude and reflection.
The album continues with more high quality songs, with 'Shepherd' and 'Hour of the Mumakil' both being outstanding, and it far to say that Plainride have created an album that feels like an eclectic hell ride, with danceable hooks, sing along choruses, peppered with fury, humour and intellect, but more importantly, they have genuine quality oozing out of every song.
