Watching musicians evolve is always a fascinating process. As the saying goes, all music is created by standing on the shoulders of giants, but sometimes those shoulders are our own, if you get what I mean. Our past musical incarnations are all part of the journey that makes us who we are today. And I’ve seen Plummie Racket in solo mode firing off frantic, acoustic, punk-infused salvos and commanding a stage in pure anthemic Brit-pop meets scuzzy garage rock mode and a few points in between. It is all part of who he is.
But that was then, and this is now. And where we find him on “Panic At The Border,” his first song in a long time, too long, really, is in a more reflective and soulful mood. It’s a calm and surprisingly understated song, at least to begin with, but one that moves through a slow-burning spiraling of tones and textures, adding sonic weight and brilliant dynamics as it goes.
It is also a song that shows off his lyrical skills, something that hasn’t always been obvious via the incendiary, rapid-fire music that he has made in the past – a song woven of tender sentiments and fantastic sonics, not least the lead guitar lines, which often sound like distant trumpets.
It’s a song that has come out of the blue, quietly released with little warning or fanfare, but which certainly marks a most welcome return.
