65DaysOfStatic, Mogwai, And So I Watch You From Afar, Explosions In The Sky. If any of those bands caught your
attention then the debut release by Planets Live In Houses is something you need to experience sooner rather than later.
Combining the strengths of post-rock & math rock in a way that doesn't sound forced or pretentious is a trait
that this 4-piece have naturally developed which has lead to a lot of positive feedback from the DIY music community.
Fun fact: The band has shared the stage with Tera Melos, TTNG, Royal Canoe, Wander and a host of other up and coming bands
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From: CA, USA
Album release date: 4th April
Label: Enjoyment Records (UK)
Format: CD
Cat. Number: ENJ05CD
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PLANETS LIVE IN HOUSES are:
Mike Gibson - Guitar
John Tucker - Guitar
Brian Bakalian - Drums
Bobby Griffiths - Bass
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LINK TO BUY CD: http://enjoymentrecords.bigcartel.com/product/planets-live-in-houses-self-titled-cd
Note: Handmade packaging limited to 50.
Band links:
FACEBOOK /// https://www.facebook.com/planetsliveinhouses
BANDCAMP /// http://planetsliveinhouses.bandcamp.com/
VIDEO /// https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IwVij-y4PdE
LIVE VIDEO /// https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y_DNekWb--8
Label links:
WEBSITE /// http://www.enjoymentrecords.com/
FACEBOOK /// https://www.facebook.com/EnjoymentRecords?fref=ts
BANDCAMP /// http://enjoymentrecords.bandcamp.com/
TWITTER /// https://twitter.com/EnjoymentRecs
STORE /// http://enjoymentrecords.bigcartel.com/
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We all hope you enjoy listening to this EP!
Review: Planets Live in Houses EP (California Prog New Comers Welcome)
Planets Live in Houses’ debut self title is a progressive collection of numbers, using limitless possibilities and the fearlessness of various styles.
Wolf Computer may sound like a laptop with rabies, or a new invention Apple is coming out with called the ‘iWOLF’. Although, both scenarios represents this song’s science-fiction dreamland. Control, delays, and precision comes from the guitars and their effects. Complimenting the track, a dark melodic guitar rhythm, as well as on-point leads never coming out of synch with a downbeat mastering bass player. Last but not least, the drummer’s hands are straight and fast with full advantage with his dark symbol tone, bright shining rides, and ride-bells. With the drummers wobbling buildup, a guitar switch-off evolves in a soft clean sustain. Slightly distorted, ear pleasing riffs arrives as great background. THEN, last but certainly not least, a bolting out godzilla outro morphs into a 70’s sabbath bloody sabbath with an extra sludge of stoner rock, filling up air, on the side. Ending the track in a fantastic finisher.
Heathers begins as a more traditional math intro. Speedy drums with clean guitar rhythms that gives space to the mood of the song, but then, it allows for an ultra hard rock jam session in a 4/4 measure, a heavy but fresh breath of air and one of the best parts in the song. Then graciously, in such a perfect fashion, they continue back to their off beat time signature in great unison. With the flow of laid back math rock, building 4/4 jams in such a sneaky and effective way while going back to the math formula get pulls off very well. Beautiful, rocking, and disturbing, due to the glitch filtered sounds, of a woman crying about something that is instrumentally unknown, in the very end.
In, “Angel’s Dust and the Pastor’s Daughter” one bright, surprisingly great slide guitar intro begins in an great and effective way. Then turns into another skillful, upbeat melody with the bands steady and graceful focus. Even for heavier melodic bands like this one. Another solid track indeed, just that pretty guitar lead riff alone, that builds the entire song is worth it. Probably any musician player can dig it just by the guitar player’s technicality alone.
Then, the heaven sent and bit crushing echos roam this electronic ballad of dark synth and psyched out songwriting. It’s a definite left turn, but a risky and well put-together one. With an Eric Clapton sounding root of distinguish pain and suffering in the compelling and complicated, “My Girlfriend Died In The Fire”. Probably one of my favorite tracks due to the simplistic nature but outstanding musicianship.
The band was right on one thing, “Never Mean’t” shouldn’t had. It was WAY too long, and WAY too complicated!!! Thats all I’m saying… way too many solos…
Anyways, just when “Bare Claws” starting crawling around. I started to release, the entirety of this album had a Deftones’ anthem like thematics. Powerful, heavy, and off the way qualities. Is “Planet’s Live in Houses” a copycat of the ‘Deftones’? No.. Hell No. It’s only roots from a hybrid tree. Ending the album with mellow blues, with the dark undertones of Opeth style blues. Yes.. I know Opeth is a progressive metal/death metal band, but they have slow songs with long blues parts. You wouldn’t think of Opeth when you think of blues but, for some reason, this one does. Again not a copy cat. Just a hybrid of new music that needs to be heard. It’s almost 2014!! Most new music sucks, but as rock bands go, I have faith with PLIH. New music that has that inspiration. Injecting math-rock and progressive rock into their predecessors’ veins. Creating the dark and majestic wave of sound throughout this self title EP, an extremely and already, unique album.
You may remember these guys from sometime back in November last year, when they teased us with a sampler of their upcoming EP slated to drop January 25th 2014. If so, it is most likely then with little wonder as to why I'm posting this today of all days. Indeed, today is the day that their self-titled EP finally drops. This EP includes the two songs we heard off the sampler with three other tracks and a mini track thats six seconds long, appropriately named "Never Meant".
When I first listened to PLIH back in November, immediately what stuck out to me was the drumming, and that's definitely still the case here. The grooves seem to be what really drive the band for me. Its a prominent consistency that is evident throughout the whole EP. However, that's not to say that the guitar is uninspired. On the contrary, the EP is loaded with catchy melodies played by both the guitar and synth that seem to stick with you even after you've stopped listening. That said, PLIH is first and foremost a Post-Rock Progressive band, (with a dash of Atmospheric Ambiance.) There is plenty of "rise and fall" moments throughout the EP, which is evident through the crescendos and the constant change ups in the drums. As for the guitar, it often alternates between clean and distortion, the clean parts being mellow and a fluid and the distortion helping to drive the progressive feel. Everything fits together perfectly and is as it should be.
If I had to pick a song that really sticks out to me on this EP it would be "Bare Claws". Which seems to be the only track accompanied by a sax. The song captures the Atmospheric Ambiance I mentioned earlier perfectly. This is because of a combination of synth, the reverb, and the fluidity of the guitar. Now, if that was good enough, lets top it with a soaring sax layered over everything. Now we're in business.
After a few listens to the EP, I'm really in love with it, and excited to see where Planets Live in Houses take their sound in the future.
Planets Live in Houses will release a debut E.P. at 8 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 25, at the Love the Captive loft, 1830 Van Ness Ave.
Guitarist Mike Gibson says it started out as a solo project.
"I moved to Santa Cruz for school and I didn't have any friends, so I locked myself in my room and started writing songs with the intention of starting a solo project. I would use my looper pedal and write both guitars and bass parts," he says.
Those songs became the impetus for a creative collaboration with several local musicians, including electronic producer singer Sahab. That collaboration in turn, became the band.
The Bee talked with Gibson to find out more. (Read an extended interview at fresnobeehive.com)
Start with the basics. Who does what in the band?
Brian Bakalian plays drums, Bobby Griffiths plays bass, John Tucker plays guitar and I play guitar as well. We don't really have a rhythm or lead distinction between the guitars. We have more of a "whatever part you wrote is the part you play" kinda thing.
I'm always interested in band names. Tell me about yours. Is it 'live,' like it's where the planets reside, or 'live' as in not dead?
I never anticipated the confusion you just expressed, but you are definitely not the first person to wonder that. It's 'live' as in where the planets reside. It came from an old astrology book Brian's grandfather left him when he passed away. It was the name of a chapter describing the different houses planets can inhabit and the effects those houses have throughout the year.
On that note, I'd describe the band as instrumental, progressive rock with hints of math rock. It's jazzier than some similar stuff I've heard. How am I doing?
I love math rock to death, but I made a conscious decision to stray away from the overly technical super mathy stuff because I didn't want to get labeled a "math rock band." There are expectations that go along with being a band that embraces a genre, especially a fringe genre like math rock. If I want to write a simple three chord, verse-chorus-verse-chorus kind of song, I don't want to have to wonder if our math-rock fans are going to be disappointed and write us off. So I don't think we fit into one genre very neatly. But, we all love really spacey music, and since all four of us play guitar, we are definitely riff oriented. So your description was pretty dead on. I think we are progressive, dynamic, a little jazzy (thanks mostly to Brian) and when we have mathy moments, it's because they seemed called for.
Find out more at www.facebook.com/planetsliveinhouses.
Read more here: http://www.fresnobee.com/2014/01/22/3727386/artist-you-should-know-planets.html#storylink=cpy
After playing a few shows around Fresno (including an impressive set at Catacomb Party), the instrumental group Planets Live in Houses has dropped a late year surprise with it's excellent two song Clouder demo. The winding "Wolf Computer" functions like a pumped up theme and variations, up until a pulverizing rock coda bust the fuck out of nowhere to lay waste to what came before it. "Heather" provides more of the same, but with an expanded palette of mallet percussion, electronic flutters, and samples (possibly due to the involvement of producer extraordinaire Sahab). The care taken in creating something unique is apparent in every note. It's a solid first release from a band ready to do big things in 2014.
101 W Main St, Visalia, CA 93291
1426 N. Van Ness Ave Fresno, CA
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2183 Mission St, San Francisco, CA 94110
2330 Telegraph Ave Oakland, CA