(Orange Music, 2008)

Every now and again I get emails from bands asking me if I’ll accept a copy of their album for review. The first thing I do in such cases is take a trip to their Myspace page for a quick listen, as I don’t want to commit to anything blindly (and I don’t like slagging people too much—I mean, who the hell am I anyway?). Usually, at least in the case of Canadian bands, I take the ol’ “what the hell” approach and opt to give it a go ’round with no promises by way of what I’ll end up writing. Thus far, this has resulted in some great stuff I hadn’t previously come across (Construction and Destruction, for instance) and some that just wasn’t really my thing (The Dress Whites). As for Plajia, I’d have to say that their debut (?), Beautiful Explosion, falls somewhere between the two in terms of my tastes.

The first thing that strikes me about Plajia is their overall polish. I mean, everything from the Montreal band’s website to the album’s production has a certain level of sheen beyond that of most bands I would usually feature (which isn’t necessarily a bad thing). That said, it’d be a bit pretentious of me to let that get in the way of the music in question, as there’s definitely some merit to Beautiful Explosion.

If I had to use one word to describe the album it would have to be pleasant. Of course, since it’s my blog and I can use as many words as I want, allow me to elaborate: Plajia have a good handle on creating lush and full tunes that always have a lot going on, while at the same time throwing down some sweeping melodies (“A Love Song for Everyone” comes to mind), but there’s not often anything that jumps out and grabs me for the long haul. That said, there’s an interesting interplay between ambient colour and epic, sprawling pop throughout the release.

To be perfectly honest, I find the more overtly upbeat moments on this album a bit derivative (ie, “Beautiful Explosion”). That said, there’s nothing here to make me want to turn it off, it just so happens that I’m not particular invested in listening either. As I said before, it’s pleasant—a comment that can just as easily be translated as not exactly gripping, but enjoyable nonetheless.

All told, Plajia seem to be at their best when juggling the colourful layers and interesting accompaniment that make Beautiful Explosion such a lush release.  At least, that’s what has made me keep listening, as it’s obvious that these guys know how to build a solid tune.  Of course, while I prefer the more ambient moments, it wouldn’t surprise me at all to hear a couple of these tracks in some big money commercials.

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Check out a couple tunes from Beautiful Explosion below:

Plajia - Beautiful Explosion

Plajia - A Love Song for Everyone

Hear more at the band’s Myspace page and take a look at the many places where you can grab a copy of the album here.