Description
Strange Exchange is a compilation album by the American indierock band Plankeye, released on BEC Recordings in July 2002, a division of Tooth & Nail Records. Featuring five new songs and two remade cuts.
One of several bands from America’s rock/hard music underground, moving up to the next level with some mainstream exposure. If you’ve yet to catch up on the band (whadja mean you never read about them in CR42?) or if you can’t wait to get your hands on their Nitro Records debut, this Best Of from their days with Tooth & Nail Records is a useful item. Listening to this album you soon realise that Plankeye have rather a broad musical spectrum. These guys have been on a journey that has seen them mature from raucous punk to soft rock. Both extremes are represented well within and there’s plenty in-between. Like any respectable band, they don’t like to be compared to anyone but many tracks would put you in mind of Ash. The better examples of this would be «Captain» and «Ladies And Gentlemen». Plankeye were rather baffled by comparisons to Greenday in some of their earlier work but with tracks such as «Someday» and especially «Open Day» you can see why it’s been said! But for many, I’m sure; the best tune on the disc is the definitive «Goodbye», which is free of any glaring comparison. The original version of «Goodbye» signs off a good representation of one the best Christian rock bands of the ‘90s. Like a good quality “best of”’ album should be, it reflects all aspects of the band’s music and is the best starting point if you wish to buy their music. Whilst not making a huge impact on me, it can be enjoyed by almost anyone who likes music that falls under the broad umbrella of rock. [Greg Sammons, Cross Rhythms, May 2003]
Greatest hits albums are a unique prospect. In general, the people who would buy the greatest hits disc already have all the old songs anyway. Plankeye realizes this, so they threw five new songs and two remade cuts onto their greatest hits album, Wings to Fly.
The criteria for including songs is unknown. While some of their ‘greatest hits’ make it on here, («Goodbye», «Someday», «B.C.») others don’t. Notably, their most recent full-length release, Strange Exchange, is represented by just one song. Most of the old songs come from the pop-punk Scott Silletta era rather than the melodic, moody Plankeye of recent years.
The new songs are a mixed bag. Drummer Adam Ferry, who jumped ship with Silletta to start Fanmail, returns for two songs here, which is a nice touch. «Captain» rocks with a defiant vibe, and the chorus of «Down to the Altar» has a classic hymn feel. «Scared of Me», though, recycles the «Goodbye» formula of slow, pensive verses and an upbeat bridge. And the vocals on «Psalm 20» are woefully undermixed to the point of being unintelligible.
The band also offers new versions of two classic songs. «Bicycle», which originally appeared on their Commonwealth album, is given a more upbeat, fast-paced treatment, which is interesting, but still can’t outdo the original. The new version of «Goodbye», arguably their best-known song, is even slower than the original, and leaves out the rave-up bridge, instead trailing off into nothingness, accompanied by a mournful organ.
The Plankeye fans at whom this album is targeted most likely own the band’s back catalog anyway. Plankeye should have tossed out the ‘greatest hits’ part of the album, shaved ten bucks off the price, and released the seven new cuts as an EP. Or, as long as they were in the studio recording seven new songs anyway, they could have just done three more and released another full-length album. As it stands, the new songs and 19-track length is nice, but what’s the point? [John Wilson, The Phantom Tollbooth, 8/5/2002]
> iTunes (https://music.apple.com/us/album/wings-to-fly/724558869)
CD tracklist:
01. Scared Of Me
02. Down To The Altar
03. Bicycle
04. Captain
05. Ladies And Gentlemen
06. Psalm 20
07. Goodbye (New Version)
08. Open House
09. B.C.
10. Someday
11. Scared
12. Beautiful
13. Who Loves You More
14. Playground
15. How Much I Don’t Know
16. Break My Fall
17. Indivisible
18. Chemicals And Sleep
19. Goodbye (Original Version)
[youtube_sc url=”” playlist=”AlP9neEhGQs,qgkIdH48UH8,DI4I2D3GEX4,NJi2DRbF-WM,LAuv3Je8mBQ,cNEIrtxfums,TwcIHrNvkx4,ADv6WcJlPOE,ymbbJpYDhtA,7KzSP_zBZOk,2yXABKQGyWs,sZXHiR9WvOY,Ln09PT-F4Ck,V1gPqjBmnJ8,i5u6PEcyu_Y,FU57MfqZIGI,kjX6gcimob0,UVBlDRw5rug,TwcIHrNvkx4″ title=”Plankeye, Wings to Fly – Scared Of Me + Down To The Altar + Bicycle + Captain + Ladies And Gentlemen + Psalm 20 + Goodbye (New Version) + Open House + B.C. + Someday + Scared + Beautiful + Who Loves You More + Playground + How Much I Don’t Know + Break My Fall + Indivisible + Chemicals And Sleep + Goodbye (Original Version)” autohide=”1″ rel=”0″]
[youtube_sc url=”” playlist=”ymbbJpYDhtA,7KzSP_zBZOk,hrKT-Qv_mWA” title=”Plankeye, Wings to Fly – B.C. (Video) + Someday (Video) + Goodbye (Video)” autohide=”1″ rel=”0″]
Reviews
There are no reviews yet.