OTHER THINGS

Plini ? Other Things

This is the first of an EP-trilogy created by Plini. The first release that features more than one song, so I think this is a good place to start digging Plini's music. Other Things was recorded back in 2012 and released in 2013. So this Australian wonder has been around creating music for the last three years, and I am just discovering it nowadays. Well, better late than never, and I am sure he has the potential to be discovered by so many people from all the globe, it will happen sooner than later, I am sure.

This 3 song EP has the talent of this man, but also the contribution of three guest musicians, two of them recorded guitar solos while the other helped with piano. It kicks off with "Heart" which starts with paused-guitars and a kind of jazzy and groovy feeling. The addition of drums is pretty accurate, and then the bass can also be perceived. What I like about Plini is that despite his youth, his compositions sound so mature, so well crafted, like if he was creating music since ten or more years ago.

"Other Things" has a jazzier sound made mainly by the guest piano that appears, but also complemented by drums and strings. I insist, if you listen to this song without knowing the performer, some big and acknowledge musicians' names will come to your mind, so it is truly satisfactory to understand this new man called Plini is creating first-class music.

"Selenium Forest" is the final and longest composition of this first EP, which by the way has a beautiful cover artwork. It starts slowly, with a sensual guitar that when explodes becomes powerful and virtuoso. This time the guitar importance is more evident than the previous tracks, it produces a lot of nuances, notes and textures which are greatly balanced and complemented by drums. Just before reaching the second minute the song changes and becomes heavier, more in the progressive metal vein. It flows and progresses and becomes majestic, it is simply great!

My admiration to Plini, every single song he has released has given me satisfactory moments, and I can say I am eagerly waiting to his first full-length album, because I think it might be a landmark in the progressive rock scene. Fingers crossed! Please go and listen to his music on his bandcamp site or other online platforms such as Spotify.

Now don't pay attention to my rating, because as a reviewer I have my "own rules" which don't allow me to rate releases under 20 minutes with more than 2 stars, unless it is the EP or single of my life.

Enjoy it!

While I haven't listened to Plini's full length album Handmade Cities at this point in time, I'm looking on getting around to it, since I find his EPs to be of extremely high quality, blending a modern Animals As Leaders inspired sound, with some djent elements, and then throwing in some jazz. While not revolutionary by any means, Other Things is an absolutely lovely album, and likely my favourite out of his EPs that I've checked out so far, being the most memorable of them and having my personal favourite song by him as well.

Heart is a nice, restrained song that sounds very similar to Toe, with a strong indie rock sound and a lot of notes being played, yet it all sounding extremely relaxing nonetheless, just an all around pleasant song. The title track has a much jazzier sound to it, and the style reminds me vaguely of Guthrie Goven, once again being able to put a lot of feeling into the instrumentals, despite the relatively fast speed of some of the solos. The piano and especially the saxophone both add another layer of beauty to the song, making it even better than the last. Selenium Forest is undoubtedly the highest point on the album, filled with melodic complexity, with riffs that will remain in your head for days, everything still managing to be incredibly beautiful and pleasant, yet still displaying some amount of technicality. I appreciate how despite the fact that this track is clearly complex in its composition, Plini doesn't spend the entire song demonstrating his ability to shred, instead writing the song in a fashion where it constantly progresses, being able to perfectly rise and fall, continuously returning to its main motif, all around being an excellently composed song.

While some of Plini's other EPs can be put down as simply pleasant, this one to me stands above the rest, having an excellent variety to it, each song being the perfect length, all coming together to make an amazing 12 minutes of music.

Best tracks: All are great, but Selenium Forest is definitely the highlight

Weakest tracks: None of them

Verdict: I'd definitely recommend that anyone interested in progressive metal to any degree should listen to this album, as I find it to be very high quality, and the 12 minute runtime makes it extremely easy to just throw on and conventiently listen through.

28th January, 2023: Plini - Other Things (progressive rock/jazz fusion, 2013)

I can definitely see why some consider this Plini's finest moment, but I think for me it's just a little too short to hold that title. I always have felt he's been at his most convincing when he drops the metal, and this is by far his softest release, with the first two tracks being jazzy, fluid, passionate and lush, with the piano backing on the title track in particular being great. But then he does break out the metal, and it really works - "Selenium Forest" is perhaps one of the best examples of Plini gone heavy, and even the subtle djent bits work well. I still prefer some of his later work as there's a bit more of an identity - he hasn't quite crafted his very signature lick style on this release - but this is a very pretty little release, and I'd like to see him again return to making more jazz-focused music.

6.7 (4th listen)

Part of my listening diary from my facebook blog: www.facebook.com/TheExoskeletalJunction