People In Planes - Beyond the Horizon Review
Posted by Brittany Haskins on 10.06.2008
People In Planes return with som mellow mainstream rock...
People In Planes' new album Beyond the Horizon is in stores and you better be ready.
People in Planes are from Cardiff, Wales and met in grade school (when one accidentally smashed a tennis ball into the others face…awesome.). They’ve also changed their name a number of times, first it was Tetra Splendour, then Robots in the Sky, than finally People in Planes. Why People In Planes you ask? Because they believe it expresses their sound, modern yet human with that sense of adventure.
I heard PIP was in indie band so I was expecting the album to be something like Airborne Toxic Event or something like that, but turns out they are on Wind-Up Records (along with heavy hitters Evanescence, Creed, Seether, and Finger Eleven) so the album is more Queens of the Stone Age than Interpol.
The first song is “Last Man Standing” and starts out slow but then the guitar is thick and roars throughout the song with mean drums in the back that just don’t quit! It’s a mellow song that you want to listen to while driving down PCH on the way to the beach. I assure you that you will be doing the light head bang while listening to this one.
“Mayday (M’aidez)” starts of with waves of sound and goes into an dance beat with a fat guitar riff that separates each verse. With a catchy chorus no wonder this is the first radio single from the album. “Help me help me/you know me better then I know myself/Help me help me/ seeing as I’m a danger to myself” -quite the catchy tune. Singer Gareth Jones’ voice is so strong and passionate that it makes you want to sing your heart out with him.
A beautiful piano piece opens up “Pretty Buildings” and when the song picks up, violins kick in and the song becomes a sad but astonishing ballad. This is probably one of my favorite songs on the album, it may be depressing but it is beautifully done and doesn’t sound emo, but a well done rock song that can be ingested by any music fan. The guitar sounds like its coming from a divine line, and is magnificent.
This should also be a radio single (but that’s just my personal, unbiased, third party opinion.)
“Flesh and Blood” sounds like it was recorded in a garage at first, and is acoustic until the second verse where the song really begins. This is a nice song as well, it is really calming and mellow and again very catchy with Chris Cornell sounding vocals, but will get audiences clapping along and tapping their feet.
The title track “Beyond the Horizon” is a good time. It’s a variety of sound and a play with volume that will leave your head spinning and wanting more. Theres a touch of Mars Volta, Chevelle, and a hint of Chris Cornell. The song really wants to make you smash a wall or someone’s face in.
The album is a good time if you are into radio rock, I can easily see my mom getting down to the slower People In Planes songs but I also get down on the heavier tracks, so it’s a win-win situation. The guys are on tour as we speak, so don’t miss them!
Sep 30 2008 8:00P Downtown Brew w/ Filter San Luis Obispo, California
Oct 7 2008 7:00P Revolution Music Room w/ Toadies Little Rock, Arkansas
Oct 8 2008 7:00P George’s Majestic Lounge w/ Toadies Fayetteville, Arkansas
Oct 9 2008 7:00P New Daisy Theater w/ Toadies Memphis, Tennessee
Oct 10 2008 7:00P Exit Inn w/ Toadies Nashville, Tennessee
Oct 11 2008 7:00P Bogarts w/ Toadies Cincinnati, Ohio
Oct 12 2008 7:00P Headliners Music Hall w/ Toadies Louisville, Kentucky
Oct 14 2008 6:00P Diesel w/ Toadies Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Oct 17 2008 8:00P Majestic Theatre w/ Toadies Detroit, Michigan
Oct 18 2008 7:00P Rave w/ Toadies Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Oct 19 2008 7:00P Metro (Chicago) w/ Toadies Chicago, Illinois
Oct 21 2008 7:00P Station 4 w/ Toadies St. Paul, Minnesota
Oct 22 2008 7:00P Sokol Auditorium w/ Toadies Omaha, Nebraska
Oct 23 2008 7:00P The Beaumont Club w/ Toadies Kansas City, Missouri
Oct 24 2008 7:00P Diamond Ballroom w/ Toadies Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Nov 5 2008 8:00P Trocadero Theatre w/ Toadies Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Nov 6 2008 8:00P Webster Hall w/ Toadies New York, New York
Nov 7 2008 8:00P Starland Ballroom w/ Toadies Sayreville, New Jersey
Nov 8 2008 8:00P Paradise Lounge w/ Toadies Boston, Massachusetts
Nov 9 2008 8:00P Living Room w/ Toadies Providence, Rhode Island
Nov 11 2008 8:00P 9:30 Club w/ Toadies Washington DC, Washington DC
Nov 13 2008 8:00P Canal Club w/ Toadies Richmond, Virginia
Nov 14 2008 8:00P Cat’s Cradle w/ Toadies Carrboro, North Carolina
Nov 15 2008 8:00P NorVa Theatre w/ Toadies Norfolk, Virginia
Nov 16 2008 8:00P Headliners (Columbia) w/ Toadies Columbia, South Carolina
Nov 18 2008 8:00P The Masquerade w/ Toadies Atlanta, Georgia
Nov 19 2008 8:00P JaxLive w/ Toadies Jacksonville, Florida
Nov 20 2008 8:00P State Theatre - Tampa w/ Toadies St Petersburg, Florida
Nov 21 2008 8:00P House of Blues - Lake Buena Vista w/ Toadies Lake Buena Vista, Florida
Nov 22 2008 8:00P Culture Room w/ Toadies Ft Lauderdale, Florida
Nov 24 2008 8:00P Beta Bar w/ Toadies Tallahassee, Florida
Nov 25 2008 8:00P House of Blues - New Orleans w/ Toadies New Orleans, Louisiana
The 411: If you are into slightly more mellow rock ballads then this is the band for you. They will fit very well on mainstream radio and moms will like them too. Don’t let the fact that they are mainstream material make you assume this is a shitty album though, they are still a great band with a lot of talent, but nothing you haven’t heard before.
