(2020) Soft Plastics - 5 Dreams


Review:
Soft Plastics is Carey Mercer’s new band following the dissolution of Frog Eyes a few years back. At the time it seemed improbable that such a prolific and vociferous songwriter could staunch the soliloquies flowing out of him, even if the last couple of Frog Eyes albums hinted that a reinvention may help to spark some fresh fire in his belly. Pickpocket’s Locket and Violet Psalms redirected Mercer’s eloquence into more instrumentally eclectic territories, which continues on 5 Dreams. As in Frog Eyes, Mercer is joined in Soft Plastics by Melanie Campbell on drums, plus Shyla Seller on synths. There’s bass from Terri Upton and Collin Cowan, J.P. Carter on trumpet, and Campbell’s drums are often pitted against Josh Wells’ electronic rhythms. “St Tosh the Actor” is one hell of an opening salvo; typically for Mercer, the lyric sheet reads like Shakespearean verse, offering up plenty of vivid yet cryptic imagery, delivered in his distinctive theatrical tenor. The words never let up, their intensity matched by the distant squeal of Mercer’s guitar and Carter’s noble, declamatory trumpet. (Speaking of Mercer’s guitar, Frog Eyes often had his Telecaster steering the ship from the front, rattling away the whole time; Soft Plastics offers it a back seat for many of the songs.) As well as being the most structurally sophisticated song on 5 Dreams, “St Tosh” is also one instance in which Wells’ electronic rhythms can be distracting — on first listen, the shakers that start to swish around the stereo field during the song’s expansive middle section feel a little out of place. Much like “Claxxon’s Lament” on Carey’s Cold Spring, “A Flower in a Glove” on Paul’s Tomb: A Triumph, or “Bushels” on Tears of the Valedictorian, “St Tosh” casts an imposing shadow over the rest of the album. Elsewhere, Mercer returns to a more guitar-centric sound on “The Party’s Still On” and driving single “Rope Off the Tigers.” “Here’s Where the Sun Was” and “The Angels” foreground a surprising palette of electronic loops. And “I Dreamed of Cold Clean Green Seas” is eerily abstract, like a poem set to glitchy sound effects. For a songwriter who packs so much into his creations, it’s no surprise that Mercer makes it hard to get a full measure of 5 Dreams’ narrative gist, even after multiple listens. Approach these songs however you choose, and they’re sure to shift evasively, compelling you to follow.


Media Report:
Genre: indie-rock
Format: FLAC
Format/Info: Free Lossless Audio Codec, 16-bit PCM
Bit rate mode: Variable
Channel(s): 2 channels
Sampling rate: 44.1 KHz
Bit depth: 16 bits