Words like "best," "amazing," "ever" and "all-time" are thrown around so carelessly in critical circles that it's easy to disregard them and move on. So take it with a grain of salt if necessary, but Planes Mistaken For Stars' new album, "Up In Them Guts" (borrowed from a Too $hort lyric) has the best and most amazing indie rock album title in the history of the modern world (ever and all-time).
The rock itself isn't half-bad either. Planes Mistaken For Stars has made leaps and bounds in many directions over the course of their tenure in the indie world. Their first two records were on Deep Elm Records and they sounded like many bands on that label. Still, something was perceptibly different in their sound and, it started oozing forth when the band signed with No Idea Records, home of Hot Water Music and Against Me amongst others.
The band got grungier and rockier. Anyone who has witnessed Planes live over their career knows the band doesn't put much stock in soap, but at last Spring's show at Xtreme Wheels with Against Me, their hair was even more soaked with sweat - before the show started - and their music was sludgier than Lynyrd Skynyrd in a swamp that empties out into a sewer.
That's precisely what "Up In Them Guts" sounds like. Just imagine if Kirk Cobain stuck around, put the shotgun away and invited Dave Grohl to share some of his Foofighters material in the Nirvana songwriting process. Now imagine the two sat down and had a few hundred beers while Krist Novoselic played them some Clutch and Alabama Thunderpussy records. Then, Novoselic and Grohl wrote Cobain some worthwhile lyrics and taught him the benefits of not mumbling - or Grohl just sang.
That's what "Up In Them Guts" sounds like: Filthy, dirty, smelly rock and roll.
