PLASTICSOUL - Peacock Swagger

Just jumped up into its proper place - as one of 2009 best releases - so check this one out carefully, at the least. While not an immediate, `between the eyes`, knock you on your feet styled release, it`s a impressive accomplishment worthy of a solid test-drive here on this site. Absolute Power Pop blog named "Peacock Swagger" their #1 album of the year: "It seems that at its roots, power pop is a search for the Beatlesque. Not an pure aping of the Beatles per se, but the ability to capture the mix of melody, musicianship and innovation in a more or less traditional rock form that was their hallmark. Lots of artists and albums try for this, but fall short in way or another. But I daresay that Steven Wilson, a/k/a Plasticsoul (fittingly named a McCartney phrase that inspired the titling of Rubber Soul) gets pretty much all the way there. Of course, it doesn`t hurt to have a voice that sounds eerily like John Lennon either. And on Peacock Swagger, Wilson manages to capture the right mix of tunefulness, attitude and eclecticism that`s found on most Beatles and Lennon albums. "

AND Power Pop Aholic named it *their* #1 of the year, too! "10 out of 10. It`s hard to argue against this... it`s simply a work of genius. Opening with "Sentimental F**ks/ Life On Other Planets" is rich with Beatlesque guitar riffs, music hall piano and a drum break that Ringo would envy...This is the most sophisticated power pop album I`ve heard this year. Don`t miss it.".

Plasticsoul is the ironic moniker under which one finds singer/songwriter/producer Steven Wilson, his guitar and his book of clever pop tunes. Through songs that provoke thoughts and inspires memories, Wilson has created a local following that expects music to speak to the intelligent part of their soul while lifting their spirits with melodic blends of different musical styles. Each song is stamped with Wilsons recognizable beats, chord structures and sonorous and livid vocalizations, making this an album richly rewarding and one that will see repeated listens by Not Lamers galore.

"Wilson falls squarely into the Michael Penn/Jon Brion wing of power pop. His 2005 debut was such a treat that I went back and reviewed it even though I didn`t start this blog until a year later. The followup was worth the wait. Whereas the debut didn`t stray far from the Brion/Penn template, Wilson paints from a larger sonic palette here. The two-headed opener "You Sentimental Fucks/Life on Other Planets" answers the musical hypothetical "What would have Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey have sounded like if Lennon wrote it instead of McCartney?" (The fact that Wilson sounds quite a bit like Lennon helps answer that question as well.)...We then come to as strong a trio of tracks as can be found a disc this year: "Champion Tragic Boy", which Michael Penn fans will love, featuring Brandon Schott on the chamberlin in the Patrick Warren role. Next up is "Fishwife" (which made its debut on the IPO 12 compilation), a jangly sitar-laden track that`s instantly unforgettable, and rounding out the terrific trio, "Cancer", perhaps the definitive track on suffering with the Big C, complete with Revolver-styled backward guitars and sound effects in service of a great melody despite the subject matter...I`ll note that the race for the #1 disc of 2009 remains wide open in my book and things just got a bit more complicated."- Absolute Power Pop blog. "Peacock Swagger takes many of Steven`s favorite elements of rock and roll goodness, mixes them into assorted potions, brews and other concoctions, then delivers up a mixture that very few, if anyone, could serve up the way he does...I am already wanting more, just to see where Plasticsoul could possibly take us next-- This album has everything I like about music in it, and some new things I wasn`t aware of. Plasticsoul paints a vivid scene with each track, able to move you in every way. The fact of the matter is, there`s a time where the influenced becomes the influence, and that`s what makes a classic. Steve is becoming one of those classics, fermenting like a fine wine, doing it`s time." - Happy Rocker. EXTREMELY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!

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