Plumerai

By Nick Moorhead

Plumerai is a long-running, Somerville-based band that has been gaining an increasing amount of attention following the release of their new LP, Mondegreen.


At the Trident Booksellers and Cafe in Boston, I was able to speak with the magnificent vocalist of Plumerai, Eliza Brown. Eliza spent twenty minutes instructing me on the theory of the album Mondegreen. A “mondegreen” is a misinterpretation of a statement, in this case, “Lady Mondegreen” instead of “laid him on the green.” Another example is my uncle mishearing the Four Tops’ Bernadette as “Burned to Death.”

The concept behind Mondegreen was her excuse for not discussing her lyrics explicitly, which I was interested in discussing. One of her songs on the new record is titled Cannibal Ladies. I was wondering whether the song is autobiographical, and if so would I be surviving our interview?

Plumerai’s lyrics are evocative, and suggest multiple interpretations. They are sometimes hindered by Eliza Brown’s grasp of the English language, resulting in a few clunky phrases (there are only so many ways to interpret the phrase “the first good-looking prick I could accessorize”). However, there are also some beautiful moments that you can find in someone who grew up speaking another language but learned to speak English in a very formal way.

Hailing from France, Brown has an idealized vision of America that is inspirational. She also shared that it is her fantasy to be a famous jazz singer like Ella Fitzgerald, and effuses that she is living the American Dream.

The record Mondegreen speaks to an early career creative spike of Brown’s, full of catchy hits such as Troubled Soul and Marco Polo. Marco Polo evokes shoegaze favorite Slowdive’s Allison, and shades of Is This It? By The Strokes.

Mondegreen is the musical equivalent of Silver Linings Playbook, unapologetically bi-polar, unanimously excellent. The idea behind the record is that we hear not what is actually said, but instead what we would like to hear; I don’t know if that is true, but if it is, I would like to hear more Plumerai.

Catch these psychedelic pop phenoms at Radio, Saturday, April 27, 379 Somerville Ave.

- The Somerville News

Let’s not be naïve here, Boston’s Plumerai is rising fast, with some of the best tunes you’ve heard in awhile. Just listening to their new CD Mondegreen, I find myself repeating the tracks on their Bandcamp page. A sure delight, I tell you. Plumerai’s haunting yet captivating frontwoman and vocalist, Eliza Brown, to me is the future of voice. Fall inside a dream, and be here tonight. - RVA

This indie rock dream pop quartet kicks out of Boston, led by the Parisian jazz smoked vocals of Eliza Brown. Their music, while holding on to sharp guitar tones that shimmer and slide, would not be out of place on stage in some red velvet lounge: It swings like a shoegazing beatnik, and drifts like a snowflake on a dark wave. The light bluesy twists pull against the ethereal tones, creating songs that feel almost brand new. I hear touches of bands such as Halou and from even further back, The Rose Chronicles, but I can also pick out touches of Slowdive and Galaxie 500—if you can picture Dean Wareham as a French chanteuse
- The Big Takeover

The old adage that less is often so much more could easily apply to
Plumerai’s stripped back art rock sound, every beat, every note, you
feel has been carefully thought about before inclusion. There’s an almost irrepressible feel that you’ve been transported back to an alternate version of music history, blended to perfection then brought bang up to date, with the production as sharp as a butchers knife. In many other hands this would simply turn out as regular pop, not here though, there’s way to much avant garde, plus mercifully, the absence of an electro beat. ‘13’ for instance opens all spikey before moving into brooding and moody territory, ‘Troubled Soul’ is the softest most velvety of rock with just a hint of jazz to the rhythm. All this is merely a backdrop to the voice of Eliza Brown though, who sounds like part Dido and for some reason that I could not get out of my head, Jessica
Rabbit. Not that there’s anything cartoonish about Eliza’s vocal style,
it’s very real indeed, very seductive, so addictively listenable. If you’re
looking to bang your head then this is not the album for you, if however
you want to sit down with the TV off, the curtains drawn and a glass of
your favourite poison to hand for a good chill out, ‘Mondegreen’ would
be the soundtrack I’d choose.

Gary Trueman - AFV (alternative female voice)

Boston’s Plumerai takes influences from any number of musical genres. Barely scratching the surface, you can hear shoegaze, rock, jazz, and dreampop twining their way together to create Plumerai’s unique sound. With an atmosphere created by wistful female vocals over a dark, heavy foundation, the music is most distinctive in its various contrasts. It is dissonant, but remains accessible to listeners of all different tastes with its steady basslines and pop-influenced melodies.

Mondegreen is the first full-length album to feature their current lineup. Plumerai consists of new members Parisian vocalist Eliza Brown and drummer Mickey Vershbow, along with multi-instrumentalists Martin Newman and James Newman. Brown’s voice is reminiscent of Jane Siberry, a soprano capable of being both ethereal and earthly. Her sweet sound over the distortion and effects of the instruments is disorienting. You can never be entirely sure where the music is going to go next. With its combination of timbres, Plumerai takes what is harsh and ugly and forms it into something beautiful.

Mondegreen is available on Bandcamp. A digital version costs seven dollars, but for twelve dollars you can get the physical CD, complete with designs and photos featuring members of the band. Plumerai also has a few shows coming up in the next couple months. March 16 they will be at Radio on Somerville, while April has them playing ZuZu’s in Cambridge on the 8th and Firehouse 13 in Providence on the 12th.

Standout Tracks:

Marco Polo: A slow, contemplative baseline introduction leads into a melody straight out of eighties new wave. The chorus especially will keep you humming it all day.

And speaking of the eighties, check out these covers of The Cure’s “A Forest” and “Cold,” available for free on Plumerai’s Bandcamp page. - Ten Miles

“13” opens this release with good ole prog rock straight out of Genesis, mixed with eerie synthesizer and insistent ostinatos, all topped with Eliza Brown’s soulful vocals. On “Trip” the formula is varied, if not by much, by an upbeat pop melody and a truly lovely and beautifully sung vocal rendering. Some standout tracks vary the mix further: the minimalistic torch ballad “Troubled Soul”; the liquescent “Come and Go,” with its spectacular if somewhat overblown crescendo serving as a mock grand finale; the wispy but pleasantly ecstatic “Marco Polo,” and the lilting, languorous “Mortality.” My only caveat—perhaps a minor one—is that I find this sort of low-key quasi-Gothic brand of atmospheric histrionics to be often lovely but also somewhat aesthetically suspect, depending for its emotional effect upon what a cynic might be tempted to conclude are (not wholly justified) melodramatics. (Francis DiMenno) - The Noise

Take in the wintry flowering and unwind of Plumerai’s “13? from their album Mondegreen... - Parasites and Sycophants

New singer Eliza Brown adds more to the same great classy sound!

- Love and Mathematics (WZBC)

Plumerai. Sure, is not the first time I got into a band thanks to a female voice. Active since 2004, this Bostonians have gone through several line-up changes, four EPs and three records including 2011's "Your Guilty Prize", after which they added the Parisian Eliza Brown on vocals. With her on board (plus a new drummer) joining foundational members Martin & James Newman, they released their latest LP, "Mondegreen", past November. Eliza's powerful, sweet, breathy and mysteriously haunting vocals (I imagine her stealing hearts while singing at some jazz club) give a very unique counterpoint to the indiepop, with a dark twist, somewhere in between shoegaze and post-punk, band sounds. Seductive music. - Bloodbuzzed

Plumerai has just released their album,’Mondegreen’, the first full length CD by the band since the addition of Eliza Brown on vocals and Mickey Vershbow on drums. Together with Martin & James Newman, they’ve crafted some of the finest dreamscapes this side of the Atlantic. As once described in the press, Plumerai is the personification of beauty. Sample the album now and visit their Bandcamp page to buy on CD or in DIGITAL format. - Angelic Voices

Boston Band Plumerai releases album ‘Mondegreen’ with Lineup Changes

Released late October, ‘Mondegreen’ is Plumerai’s second full-length album, and their first with new singer Eliza Brown. While listening, I couldn’t help but wonder if the singer was French: her symbolic lyrics and breathy, jazzy melodies made me feel like I was in a club in Paris, being crooned to by an attractive lady in a sequined dress. Turns out Ms. Brown is indeed French, although the band is from Boston. For their part, on many tracks we hear shoegaze guitar and bright cymbals, although the sonic landscape has been described well elsewhere as ‘moody’. - Geoff Noble - The Deli Magazine

Per Google Translate...

TUESDAY 1 JANUARY 2013
Plumerai - Mondegreen
The Plumerai joined in 2011 to make music and a band was born in Boston formed by Eliza Brown (voice), Martin Newman (guitars), James Newman (bass) and Mickey Vershbow (drums). Released in the month of November 2012 by Darushka-4, Mondegreen is the group's latest album, the EP succeeds Marco Polo, launched in January of the same year and both the EP and the album is available for listening on bandcamp and soundcloud of Plumerai.

Mondegreen is a fantastic album because it was composed, produced and recorded no major secrets; Surrounded by a sounding indie and alternative balance between dream pop and shoegaze, has ten songs that melodically based on a simple approach, and this, as I said, your greatest charm. The pure and clear voice of Eliza is an asset positively exploited to exhaustion and winning an even bigger highlight when something murky Martin guitars have the ability to provide a somewhat mystical aura and expanded, not only to the voice of Eliza as well, in the background, the message itself of the songs.
Despite the apparent homogeneity and conceptual sound patent Mondegreen, which serves to clearly define the sound of Plumerai, an attentive hearing allows dissect different pathways and infuências because, while there is a soundscape that transpires calm and serenity, there is also constant tension and even a certain mood that does not let us fail to be aware of the conduct of the songs and the little details that will surprise us.
In the background, there is a huge sense of comfort while listening to Mondegreen, made ??possible by a unique rhythmic atmosphere and clearly intentional, covering so comforting space where it is heard, like a mantle that remains sleepy but happy and born of hope. Hopefully aprecies suggestion ...

TERÇA-FEIRA, 1 DE JANEIRO DE 2013
Plumerai – Mondegreen
Os Plumerai juntaram-se em 2011 para fazer música e assim nasceu uma banda em Boston formada por Eliza Brown (voz), Martin Newman (guitarras), James Newman (baixo) e Mickey Vershbow (bateria). Lançado no passado mês de novembro de 2012 pela Darushka-4, Mondegreen é o disco mais recente do grupo; Sucede ao EP Marco Polo, lançado em janeiro do mesmo ano e tanto o EP como o disco estão disponíveis para audição no bandcamp e no soundcloud dos Plumerai.

Mondegreen é um disco fantástico porque foi composto, produzido e gravado sem grandes segredos; Envolvido por uma sonoridade indie e alternativa que balança entre a dream pop e o shoegaze, tem dez canções que melodicamente assentam numa abordagem simples, sendo esse, como referi, o seu maior encanto. A voz pura e límpida de Eliza é um trunfo explorado positivamente até à exaustão e que ganha um realce ainda maior quando as guitarras algo turvas de Martin têm a capacidade de proporcionar uma aúrea algo mística e ampliada, não só à voz de Eliza como também, no fundo, à própria mensagem das canções.
Apesar da aparente homogeneidade conceptual e sonora patente em Mondegreen, que serve para definir claramente o som dos Plumerai, uma audição atenta permite dissecar diferentes vias e infuências, já que, ao mesmo tempo que há uma paisagem sonora que transparece calma e serenidade, também existe uma tensão constante e até um certo humor que não nos deixa deixarmos de estar atentos ao desenrolar das canções e aos pequenos detalhes que nos vão surpreendendo.
No fundo, há uma enorme sensação de conforto durante a audição de Mondegreen, possibilitada por uma atmosfera rítmica única e claramente intencional, que abrange, de forma reconfortante, o espaço onde é ouvida, como se fosse um manto que permanece sonolento, mas também feliz e carregado de esperança. Espero que aprecies a sugestão... - Man on the Moon

Plumerai takes a low key approach on ‘mondegreen’. None of these songs possess a particularly large reserve of energy. Many have a method similar to a ‘bedhead’ approach. Fall out of bed and write a song. Actually this works wonders for them. Sleep-filled eyes are simply one approach. Others moments indicate a clear debt to St. Vincent’s style of engagement. Clearly the vocalist owes at least a little to her ‘above it all’ singing approach. Yes the singing is pristine, pure, and clean unlike the oftentimes blurred approach of the guitars behind her. It is this narcoleptic approach that makes it memorable.

‘13’ begins with an almost ‘Explosions in the Sky’ beginning before it veers off into another completely different approach. As the song progresses this calm attitude returns through the constant levels of tension. On ‘Come and Go’ Plumerai is completely sedated. The mood grows smoky on here. Little is actually revealed. Even with the addition of a rhythm section it feels late night starry-eyed. Perhaps this may be one of the loveliest songs on the album. As it grows it does so extraordinarily slowly without ruining the slight pang of sadness. Besides this ‘Mortality’ possesses a similar spaced-out atmosphere. Parts of it are reminiscent of Mojave3’s ‘Love Songs on the Radio’. How it continues to spread forth, encompassing all space is comforting.

Comfort is the biggest part of this album. It feels warm like a blanket. What is on here remains sleepy, happy, and hopeful. - Beach Sloth

translated with Google Translate...
On the sublime Silber records is always a surprise what they now produce. De ene keer is het een digitale release, de andere keer weer een fysieke album. The one time it's a digital release, the other time a physical album. Maar nog meer varieert het label in genres; alles lijkt mogelijk, van droompop tot doom. But even more varied label in genres, everything seems possible, from dreampop to doom. In 2007 debuteert de vierkoppige droompop band Plumerai er met hun geweldige cd Without Number . In 2007, the debut four piece band dreampop Plumerai there with their great cd Without Number. De broers James (bas, keyboard) en Martin Newman (gitaar, bas, keyboards) richten de band in 2004 op. The brothers James (bass, keyboards) and Martin Newman (guitar, bass, keyboards) focus the band in 2004. Na diverse mini's verschijnt er in 2011 nog de cd Your Guilty Prize en na diverse line-up wisselingen zijn het Eliza Brown (zang) en Mickey Vershbow (drums) die het kwartet completeren. After several minis appear in 2011 the CD Your Guilty Prize and after several line-up changes are Eliza Brown (vocals) and Mickey Vershbow (drums) completed the quartet. De sterke zang van Eliza vormt net als voorgangster Elizabeth Ezell een bepalende factor in het geluid. The strong vocals of Eliza is like predecessor Elizabeth Ezell a determining factor in the sound. Zij brengt de soulvolle, jazzy inslag in de muziek, die verder het midden houdt tussen indie, experimentele rock, post-rock, new wave, shoegaze en trip hop. She brings the soulful, jazzy impact in the music, which further somewhere between indie, experimental rock, post-rock, new wave, shoegaze and trip hop. Nu is er hun officiële derde cd Mondegreen , waarop ze de sterke lijn van eerdere werken doortrekken. Now there their official third album Mondegreen, they strong line of previous work by pulling. Het is een heerlijk trip naar vervlogen tijden, waar Opium Den, Cocteau Twins, Bel Canto, Portishead, The Cure en Audry de revue passeren. It is a wonderful trip to ancient times, where Opium Den, Cocteau Twins, Bel Canto, Portishead, The Cure and Audry presented. Bijna drie kwartier lang weten ze het beste uit het verleden een prachtige plek in het heden te geven, zonder gedateerd over te komen of in herhaling te vallen. Almost three quarters of an hour they know the best of the past a beautiful place in the present, without coming across dated or repetitive. Ze brengen gewoon nostalgische muziek die rockt, vertedert en de nacht in meandert. They spend just nostalgic music that rocks, softens and night meanders. Het is overheerlijk voer voor de melancholici onder ons en past ook als een warme jas in deze tijd van het jaar. It is delicious food for the melancholic among us and fits like a warm coat at this time of year. Bijzonder herfstige pracht! Particularly autumnal splendor!

by Jan Willem Broek

original...
Op het sublieme Silber records is het altijd een verrassing wat ze nu weer voortbrengen. De ene keer is het een digitale release, de andere keer weer een fysieke album. Maar nog meer varieert het label in genres; alles lijkt mogelijk, van droompop tot doom. In 2007 debuteert de vierkoppige droompop band Plumerai er met hun geweldige cd Without Number. De broers James (bas, keyboard) en Martin Newman (gitaar, bas, keyboards) richten de band in 2004 op. Na diverse mini’s verschijnt er in 2011 nog de cd Your Guilty Prize en na diverse line-up wisselingen zijn het Eliza Brown (zang) en Mickey Vershbow (drums) die het kwartet completeren. De sterke zang van Eliza vormt net als voorgangster Elizabeth Ezell een bepalende factor in het geluid. Zij brengt de soulvolle, jazzy inslag in de muziek, die verder het midden houdt tussen indie, experimentele rock, post-rock, new wave, shoegaze en trip hop. Nu is er hun officiële derde cd Mondegreen, waarop ze de sterke lijn van eerdere werken doortrekken. Het is een heerlijk trip naar vervlogen tijden, waar Opium Den, Cocteau Twins, Bel Canto, Portishead, The Cure en Audry de revue passeren. Bijna drie kwartier lang weten ze het beste uit het verleden een prachtige plek in het heden te geven, zonder gedateerd over te komen of in herhaling te vallen. Ze brengen gewoon nostalgische muziek die rockt, vertedert en de nacht in meandert. Het is overheerlijk voer voor de melancholici onder ons en past ook als een warme jas in deze tijd van het jaar. Bijzonder herfstige pracht!

door Jan Willem Broek - Caleidoscoop

This local band's music has a mellow vibe despite its often dark tone. The breathy, ethereal female vocals and liquid guitar tone have a lackadaisical, floating quality, suggesting a mood between dreaming and waking. It's kind of like seeing a ghost but being weirdly unmoved by it - which might ultimately be scarier. The show is also a farewell for the cinematic duo Arms & Sleepers - The Metro

PLUMERAI
Marco Polo
Download (Silber Records)

Esce il mini per questa band di Boston che presumibilmente introduce quello che sarà il quarto full-length della band, la quale propone un fresco ed interessante shoegazing pop: circa un quarto d'ora di musica ben suonata e ben prodotta, unita alla meravigliosa voce di Eliza Brown che ha aperto la band ad influenze più melodiche, senza scadere in musica per le masse, mantenendo tuttavia predominante la componente post punk/shoegaze. Fondata nel 2005 dai fratelli Martin e James Newman, dopo ormai sette anni di esperienza la band è matura per fare il grande salto. L'approccio alternative rock oscilla dai Cranes agli Slowdive passando per i Cure: quattro tracce di buon livello che fanno ben sperare per il prossimo futuro.
Sito web: http://www.plumerai.com
(M/B'06)
per Google Translate...
Exit the mini for this band from Boston who presumably introduces what will be the band's fourth full-length, which offers a fresh and interesting shoegazing pop: about a quarter of an hour of music well played and well produced, together with the wonderful voice Eliza Brown, who led the band to a more melodic influences, without falling into music for the masses, while maintaining the predominant component of post punk / shoegaze. Founded in 2005 by brothers Martin and James Newman, now after seven years of experience, the band is mature enough to take the plunge. The approach ranges from alternative rock to Cranes Slowdive via the Cure: four tracks of good quality that bode well for the near future. - Rosa Selvaggia Obscure Webzine

Plumerai opens up “Marco Polo” with not and air of exploration or pool games, but a certain variety of witchcraft. The magic is introduced by a shimmering circular guitar part that winds over and through and under itself like some optical illusion, except for the fact that it is an auditory illusion. The guitar serves as a semi-constant companion for vocalist Eliza Brown, who completes the bewitching circle with soothe-saying vocal that gets you spinning in circles even moreso.

Brown’s vocal melody dovetails with that of the guitar, as the two wind about the mix like dance partners, their eyes trained not upon each other but those of the listener. We remain helplessly fixed in their hypnotic gaze, even when the upbeat chorus comes around and everything starts jangling and making our vision all hazy. Seriously, Plumerai, what did you put in this stuff? The churning bubbles like a cauldron full of magical elixir, splashing all over the place and changing every surface it touches.

Brown pushes her vocal to the highest registers available, although it never sounds like she is “pushing” anything, per se – her voice remains perfectly clear and unbroken. This level of control maintains not only her voice, but the song’s posture – it never falters or weakens in its hypnotic effect. You may find that you haven’t blinked for this track’s 3:20 runtime, and you will further notice that you don’t care, as long as Plumerai keeps the spell weaving.
- Boston Band Crush

Plumerai is some mildly frantic sounding indie rock driven in a large part by some lovely vocals. The songs are melodic have that post-rock-like quality of building up but a shoegaze sorta instrumentation. Recommended to those that fancy strong vocals in their music.
- Spacerockmountain

"Hello music, my old friend..." Ce sont les mots magiques qui me viennent à l'esprit chaque fois que je lance l'écoute d'un disque de Plumerai, groupe originaire de Boston. Eliza, chanteuse de Plumerai, a répondu, en français, aux quatre questions du vent.
"Hello music, my old friend ..." These are the magical words that come to mind every time I start listening to Plumerai, from Boston. Eliza, Plumerai's singer, answered the four questions in the wind, in french...

1. te souviens-tu de ta première émotion musicale ?
Non lol. On me dit, que toute petite je chantais à tue-tête l'oiseau bohème de Carmen. Et c'est vrai que j'ai toujours été très touchée par la grâce et la séduction dans l'interprétation de Julia Migenes dans le film de Francesco Rosi. Je pense qu'en général, je suis le plus touchée par les airs les plus simples, et même, et vous me pardonnerez cette confession très cucul-la-praline lol, par les sons de la nature, ou ses silences qui ont été la musique de mon enfance, moi petite fille de la campagne!

2. comment es-tu venue à la musique ?
A la maison. Petits, nous n'avions pas le droit de regarder la télévision, seulement les cassettes. Et toutes celles que nous avions étaient des comédies musicales américaines ou des films de gangsters des années 20, qui traînent dans les clubs de jazz avec de belles divas en tenues à paillettes. Vous savez... les petites filles aiment bien les choses qui brillent lol! Donc c'est la musique de films qui m'a intrigué en premier, le glamour des chanteuses, et puis ce qui me plaisait le plus de cette époque, c'était que parfois leurs chansons étaient mélancoliques, et les musiciens l'étaient donc aussi, mais si la musique était dynamique, alors, ils transmettaient une telle énergie, un tel bonheur de jouer, c' était très difficile à ignorer et c'était surtout difficile de ne pas être contaminée par l'envie d'en faire partie. Je pense maintenant à l' intro de Sing, Sing, Sing de Benny Goodman avec Gene Krupa, qui à chaque fois me donne envie de voyager dans le temps. J'ai l'impression qu'on se prenait moins au sérieux à l'époque, et qu'on s'amusait plus quand on était musicien.

3.peux tu nous en dire un peu sur vos influences et vos goûts en matière de musique ?
Comme vous avez pu le remarquer j'aime beaucoup le jazz, mais, j'aime la musique en général et différents genres peuvent m'attirer. La preuve, Plumerai ne fait pas du tout du jazz, et c'est ce qui fait son point fort je crois. Chacun d'entre nous avons des goûts très différents. Martin et James sont très rock des années 80, Martin adore the Cure, James passe en boucle Nick Cave (ca me rend dingue) Mickey est plus dans le psychedelic rock des années 90. Du coup, notre musique va un peu dans tous les sens parfois mais c'est une bonne chose et ça la rend plus intéressante.

4. as tu un 'disque de chevet', le genre que tu écoutes encore et encore ?
Pour moi, c'est There is love in you de Four Tet. Pour Martin, il y en a deux "Pornography" de The Cure et "Aurora" de Leningrad. James aime "Tender Prey" de Nick Cave. Mickey aime "Peoples Key" de Bright Eyes - So the Wind won't Blow it All Away

Q&A with the deli's Band of the Month: Plumerai
by Chrissy Prisco

Deli: How did the band start?

James Newman: Martin and I started the band in '05 with Suzanna and Jorge. The owners of the rehearsal studio we practiced at invited us to record an album, but unfortunately that band fell apart during the sessions. So, Martin and I wound up handling all the instrumentation while we searched for a new singer. Eventually, we found Kathryn, finished recording and then pieced together a band to play out while we mixed.

Where did the band name Plumerai come from?

Eliza Brown: I'm convinced the Newman brothers had no idea what it meant before I came along, but they say I'm rude to say that. It's a verb that comes from a French children’s song called "Alouette, je te plumerai" : Alouette, I will pluck your feathers. I don't -- and hope -- it has no deep meaning in relation to the band. I think they just liked how it sounded. And it does sound nice. A little bit of nonesense that sounds nice.

J: The lyrics were in my high school french text book. For some reason, that particular word [plumerai] stuck with me.

What are your biggest musical influences?

J: In context of this band: Siouxsie & the Banshees, the Cure, Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds, Cranes, Birthday Party, the Glove, Lush.

What artists (local, national and/or international) are you currently listening to?

E: A wonderful old record of Duke Ellington with Adelaide Hall singing. It's a pure joy

J: In addition to the ones I already mentioned, I've been into the Sugarcubes, Dag Nasty, Danzig-era Misfits, Tindersticks & random hits from the 60's & 70's.

What's the first concert that you ever attended and first album that you ever bought?

E: The first big concert was Cali, a French singer. It was very impressive. But I prefer more intimate concerts. First album I bought... I haven't bought many albums. Didn't have much allowance for it and modern music wasn't very approved in the house. It was much more fun to steal albums from my siblings. I remember the first cd I ever listened to was the Cruel Intentions soundtrack that I still care for today.

J: Ozzy was my first concert. Sadly, it was for the Ultimate Sin album when he was dressed up like a fat, sequined bumble bee. First album I bought with my own money was Iron Maiden's Piece of Mind.

What do you love about New Englands music scene?

E: I prefer more intimate concerts, which is what is cool with the New England music scene. Even big bands come and play in a small room with limited entries. So much more enjoyable than standing 10 meters away from the stage. In Boston particularly what is wonderful is that there are many gig opportunities if you work for it.

What would you like to see change in the local music scene?

E: Obviously more breaks given to the little bands. More support from bigger bands. More opening act opportunities.

What are your plans for the upcoming year?
E: Finish our album and go on tour on the west coast. As a foreigner, being in a band is the most incredible way to discover a country. People welcome you more, and you have something to share and an opportunity to bond with others, which is quite difficult when you're first to a new country. Plumerai definetely makes my life in America fuller and better. So my intention is to keep the adventure going on and enjoy every minute of it.

What was your most memorable live show?

E: A show at Jacques' Underground when for the first time people danced. We had no shoegazing that night it was wonderful!

J: Playing Thesaloniki, Greece. It was the most professional event we've played & there were a lot of people who seemed to enjoy our music. Plus being jetlagged made things blurry. Almost dream-like.

Is there someone who has helped your band grow through support?

E: Our friends most of all who regurlarly come to our shows and pass around our music.

J: There have been people throughout the band's existence - The Deli (New England)

Q&A with the deli's Band of the Month: Plumerai
by Chrissy Prisco

Deli: How did the band start?

James Newman: Martin and I started the band in '05 with Suzanna and Jorge. The owners of the rehearsal studio we practiced at invited us to record an album, but unfortunately that band fell apart during the sessions. So, Martin and I wound up handling all the instrumentation while we searched for a new singer. Eventually, we found Kathryn, finished recording and then pieced together a band to play out while we mixed.

Where did the band name Plumerai come from?

Eliza Brown: I'm convinced the Newman brothers had no idea what it meant before I came along, but they say I'm rude to say that. It's a verb that comes from a French children’s song called "Alouette, je te plumerai" : Alouette, I will pluck your feathers. I don't -- and hope -- it has no deep meaning in relation to the band. I think they just liked how it sounded. And it does sound nice. A little bit of nonesense that sounds nice.

J: The lyrics were in my high school french text book. For some reason, that particular word [plumerai] stuck with me.

What are your biggest musical influences?

J: In context of this band: Siouxsie & the Banshees, the Cure, Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds, Cranes, Birthday Party, the Glove, Lush.

What artists (local, national and/or international) are you currently listening to?

E: A wonderful old record of Duke Ellington with Adelaide Hall singing. It's a pure joy

J: In addition to the ones I already mentioned, I've been into the Sugarcubes, Dag Nasty, Danzig-era Misfits, Tindersticks & random hits from the 60's & 70's.

What's the first concert that you ever attended and first album that you ever bought?

E: The first big concert was Cali, a French singer. It was very impressive. But I prefer more intimate concerts. First album I bought... I haven't bought many albums. Didn't have much allowance for it and modern music wasn't very approved in the house. It was much more fun to steal albums from my siblings. I remember the first cd I ever listened to was the Cruel Intentions soundtrack that I still care for today.

J: Ozzy was my first concert. Sadly, it was for the Ultimate Sin album when he was dressed up like a fat, sequined bumble bee. First album I bought with my own money was Iron Maiden's Piece of Mind.

What do you love about New Englands music scene?

E: I prefer more intimate concerts, which is what is cool with the New England music scene. Even big bands come and play in a small room with limited entries. So much more enjoyable than standing 10 meters away from the stage. In Boston particularly what is wonderful is that there are many gig opportunities if you work for it.

What would you like to see change in the local music scene?

E: Obviously more breaks given to the little bands. More support from bigger bands. More opening act opportunities.

What are your plans for the upcoming year?
E: Finish our album and go on tour on the west coast. As a foreigner, being in a band is the most incredible way to discover a country. People welcome you more, and you have something to share and an opportunity to bond with others, which is quite difficult when you're first to a new country. Plumerai definetely makes my life in America fuller and better. So my intention is to keep the adventure going on and enjoy every minute of it.

What was your most memorable live show?

E: A show at Jacques' Underground when for the first time people danced. We had no shoegazing that night it was wonderful!

J: Playing Thesaloniki, Greece. It was the most professional event we've played & there were a lot of people who seemed to enjoy our music. Plus being jetlagged made things blurry. Almost dream-like.

Is there someone who has helped your band grow through support?

E: Our friends most of all who regurlarly come to our shows and pass around our music.

J: There have been people throughout the band's existence - The Deli (New England)

This band is beauty personified. Their music is ethereal and swirly, much like Cocteau Twins and Bel Canto. Eliza Brown’s voice captivates and entrances. The guitars are swirly and chimey while the rhythm section chugs along quite contently. As much as this should sound like a 4AD wet dream, I find the mix and the overall production to be so “demo-like” and unfinished. There is truly a wasted potential here, given the dreamy quality the songs possess and the music so desperately needs. It seems like serving a fine aged cognac to a roomful of dignitaries in a Dixie cup. This band has been around for a few years and has seen many lineup changes. I do feel this combination of musicians is indeed the strongest they’ve had and I hope they continue to make music as impressive as this in their current configuration. (Joel Simches) - The Noise

Some bands are never the same again after key members depart. Others thrive on it and bring in replacements who even serve to add something extra. Plumerai’s core duo of Martin and James Newman formed the group in Boston, Massachusetts in 2005. However, shortly after their last album in 2011, both drummer and vocalist departed but were soon replaced by singer Eliza Brown and new stickswoman Mickey Vershbow. It was a good move based on the outift’s new EP, entitled ‘Marco Polo’.

Plumerai’s USP is definitely Eliza Brown. It is quite rare to have such a strident female vocalist fronting a shoegazing act, let alone one whose style would be more traditionally suited to jazz music. Her quality shines through on the EP’s title track and her range is almost enough to carry the melody on its own but Martin Newman provides a hypnotic jangly guitar figure as accompaniment. ‘Trip’ and the insistent ‘Mortality’ aren’t quite as arresting but Plumerai do sound more like a band rather than a vehicle for a singer. The group save their widcard to the end, however, and it arrives in the form of ‘Loss’; a folk-inflected number with Brown weaving in and out of the twisting key changes and Vershbow’s doomy rhythms.

Half of this EP may be solid rather then spectacular fare but the two other tracks certainly stand out from Plumerai’s contemporaries; offering a versatility and uniqueness that will be the envy of many. A new album will be arriving shortly which should prove that they can last the distance. - Leonard's Lair Music Reviews

Plumerai have an amazing freshly released EP, Marco Polo, which was recorded by Chris McLaughlin at 1867 Studios and includes some fine artwork, if we do say so. This is their first studio recording featuring two new members: chanteuse Eliza Brown, who hails from France, and drummer Mickey Vershbow. Along with co-founders Martin and James Newman on guitar and bass, they have their own special sound, a big part of which is the voice of Ms. Brown. Her voice might hint at the sounds of some of the great indie rock singers on the 4AD label, but ultimately sounds uniquely her. They were just on the air on WMFO this week talking about this show and their EP, and having previously played an east coast tour, they have set their sights on putting together a tour of the west coast in the near future. You can check out two C.D. on Songs reviews on BBC for Marco Polo and Trip from their new EP, as always they’re available for free download. - Boston Band Crush

PLUMERAI Without Number (CD, Silber Records) With three releases under their belt, Boston four-piece Plumerai follow up their 2006 EP “Res Cogitans” with their second album entitled “Without Number”. Having secured a consistent line-up of Elizabeth Ezell (vocals), Martin Newman (guitars), James Newman (bass) and Todd Richards (drums) during 2006 the band toured up and down the US East Coast and worked on new material. Choosing bass player Newman to record the album allowed the band to experiment more in the studio and use instruments such as accordion, guzheng and keyboards. “Without Number” is based around a series of character studies and stories brought to life by Ezell’s unique vocal talents; “Lavinia” for example is based on a Shakespeare play while “Iris” pays tribute to a lost friend. Musically, the band are not easy to categorise as they draw from a number of influences as diverse as alternative, shoegazer, art-rock and beyond. Ezell’s vocal delivery is distinct and evokes a unique mixture of such names as The Cranes, PJ Harvey, Patti Smith or even Portishead. The only thing that can be slightly distracting is that the music itself can sometimes become slightly too overpowering at times. Aside from that fairly minor point, “Without Number” is a worthy indie-pop album characterised by Ezell’s seductive vocals. (PL:7) PL -SideLine Magazine (belgium) - PL -SideLine Magazine

Che sorpresa un album pop su Silber! I Plumerai vengono da Boston e propongono un alt-rock venato di vellutate screziature darkwave e shoegaze. La voce di Elizabeth Ezell - qualcosa tra Cat Power e Pj Harvey - mantiene l'atmosfera delle canzoni ben ancorata a terra, anche quando le chitarre prendono il volo senza sentire il peso della forza di gravità, come nella celestiale “Blues & Greens”. A metà scaletta i quattro di Boston piazzano gli oltre otto minuti di “Lavinia”, un condensato di dream-rock che chiama in causa i Cure e i Cranes. Atmosfere decisamente cupe e romantiche anche su “Iris”, una delle più belle canzoni dell'album. Altrove i Plumerai danno prova di sapersi muovere anche tra i ritmi desertici delle musiche di confine alle Calexico (“Sin El Lagarto”), sebbene i risultati non siano sempre degni di nota. ROBERTO MANDOLINI - Losing Today - ROBERTO MANDOLINI - Losing Today

With their early EP release in 2006, Boston-based Plumerai had driven up quite the excitement due to a unique blend of PJ Harvey Style vocals from the husky voiced Elizabeth Ezell and The Cure style shoegaze/ dark wave accompanying music from band Martin and James Newman and Todd Richards. A creation that promised more than the length of the EP could handle. At long last Without Number is upon us, Plumerai’s latest release and thankfully still full of the charm, if not more so, of its predecessor, no doubt in part due to James Newman’s hand in recording the album and thus allowing the band’s idiosyncratic use of instruments such as the Guzheng and accordion not to be wavered for a more mainstream sound. Right from the offset with ‘Home Again’, Plumerai’s force as an alt-rock/ art-rock (hell call it what you will!) act is almost palpable, mainly due the band’s ability to strike a complete equilibrium between Ezell’s to die for voice and the band’s ability to muster up a brilliant and layered tune or two. Following is ‘Illuminata’ a track that first marks Plumerai’s desire for using off kilter instruments within their compositions, case in point; the xylophone, which brings uniqueness to the track matched only by the constant synthesizer sound warbling in the background. But it is with ‘Blues and Greens’ that the addition of instruments like the accordion provides the most overt feeling, giving Ezell’s vocals an almost jazzy, Parisian feeling with which to sway her vocals to the listener smoothly and effectively. ‘Avernal’, while still of the laid back and chilled out pace of the other tracks, provides more of a sense of exigency, the band working in unison so that you can almost feel the oncoming chorus via the tension in the drums and guitar work which slips easily into a haze of shoegazer like sound with even the accordion giving as good its gets by the end, keeping up with the speed and rhythm of the drums. ‘Sin El Lagarta’ while still using the now well documented plethora of unlikely instruments does so in the album’s most unusual way. A speedy, care free and anarchistic instrumental piece that merges sounds that could be roughly defined as folktronica and dark wave. A strange mix indeed but one that on first listen will have you wondering if it’s the same band and then eventually enjoying the refreshing break it creates in the album’s line up. As mentioned previously with their EP release ‘Res Cogitans’, as long as Plumerai waned away from the temptation for a more mainstream sound (and thus a bigger fan base) then they would find great things with the album later in the year. And great things they have found indeed. A blend of styles and sound that is reminiscent of other acts but totally unique to the band in question also. A signature album that should hallmark a surge in popularity for the group as well as many new releases to come. - Michael Byrne, LeftHip - LeftHip

Plumerai's pursuit of an older sound now fully revived — the romantically inclined drive of post-punk in the vein of such powerfully melancholic performers like the Chameleons — continues apace on Without Number, which starts out strong with the brawling sweep of "Home Again," tense guitar lines and warm background textures combining again and again, and doesn't look back. Elizabeth Ezell's vocals are in many ways the core of the band; rather than specifically sounding like an earlier forebear, she has her own simultaneously fragile yet fiery delivery well in hand. Combined with the group's own desire not to simply repeat the past — a lesson too many current bands haven't learned at all — everything feels refracted through a variety of lenses, a nervously lush musical bed supporting an often intensely ragged singer, whose vocal catches lend a frayed-edge kick to the music. The constant introduction of different styles helps to keep both the band and listeners on their toes — the presence of an accordion, signaled in part through the album art, is often a very lovely touch. On "Blues & Greens," its presence turns the song into both a sea shanty and a bit of French glamour, leading into a dreamily lush conclusion that sounds like cascading chandelier crystals. - Ned Raggett, All Music Guide - All Music Guide

When the late ‘70s indie-flavoured, avant-garde art-rock New Wave blast began to kick in, there were a world of experimental talent that may have garnered just a few adherents overall, but it didn’t stop them from being universally recognized by the cultish respect of those fans, who were clearly devoted. Since, avant-garde-ism has never really faded away; it just remained underneath the radar. The music of Boston’s Plumerai is highly avant-garde with its willingness to merge unusual instrumentation with unconventional vocals. Plumerai extend their musical reach by mixing accordion with a shimmering Cocteau Twins-like guitar, or by blending a Chinese table-like, multi-stringed instrument called the guzheng (seen in films like Hero), with standard rock instruments. Add the intriguing voice of Elizabeth Ezell to the depths of their lyrics and you have a notable band worth paying attention to. Without Number contains 9 tracks, all adroitly fascinating but never intended for the ears of the masses. The opening song, “Home Again,” starts off accessibly enough, making it a well-placed song, a snare of sorts. Once you’re hooked by the song, with its time-bomb ticking guitars, you are then escorted through a collection of songs that, at times remind vocally of Bjork and musically like few others. The music of Plumerai bears noting as their style will attract the attention of music fans interested in music not-by-numbers. I have a devout interest in such music because it keeps it all fresh but not subscribing to the known formulas of bands seeking to stay within a box for the sake of discovery. The real question is…how much experimentation can you handle? If you can do Radiohead, you could enjoy Plumerai. - Matt Rowe, MusicTap.net - MusicTap

Credit James Newman and his antsy bass for grafting a cab-forward groove to his usual new-shoegaze synths, and for making Boston-based Plumerai sound like Stereolab giving free reign to their darkest urges. Don't credit the vibraphone though, which gives the song a disagreeably jazzy feel even though it doesn't disrupt the flow. Do credit Elizabeth Ezell for killing herself softly with this song. Her voice breaks gently on each syllable, creating a strange and soulful vibrato that communicates her anguish easily and gracefully, not unlike Karen O ripping her heart out, ballad-style. Most of all, credit Plumerai for crafting a song that draws from popular influences, without coasting on them. - Stephen M. Deusner, Pitchforkmedia (Track Reviews) - Pitchfork Media

"I'm an equal opportunist," says Elizabeth Ezell, vocalist for Boston-based indie rockers Plumerai, when asked about the title choices for songs on the group's newly released first full-length, Without Number. "I pick song titles from many different languages, including Spanish and Latin," she says. Three of these songs are taken from the band's first release, the EP entitled Res Cogitans: "Avernal," "Illuminata," and "En Vole." These esoteric monikers might seem cryptic upon first consideration, but the band's naming of song titles is evocative of their inventive, intellectual sound. Often grand and all-encompassing, Plumerai's music blends a variety of disparate influences from around the world into the more traditionally grounded genre of rock.

The group began in early 2006 with brothers Martin (guitars, synths) and James Newman (bass), adding percussionist Todd Richards and, shortly after that, Ezell. Martin Newman is the primary songwriter and brings the core songs and changes to the rest of the group. "After that," he says, "everybody adds their parts," with Ezell handling "100% of the lyrics and vocal melodies." The unique thing about Plumerai's sound is the way each member of the band contributes to a layered, unified barrage of textural melody. Think My Bloody Valentine with accordions. The band layers keyboards, accordions, guitar feedback, and weird noises into the mix until it's hard to decipher each part individually, yet each instrument remains equally important. Despite the group's sound taking form as a unified whole, the band's greatest asset is Ezell's sultry, tortured vocals, which will no doubt lead to countless Beth Gibbons comparisons. Todd Richard's deft drumming is an interesting study in how to perfectly combine dizzying shoegaze influences with the steady bleakness of Portishead-y trip hop beats, giving Ezell just enough space to coo her way through these memorable soundscapes.

An impressive confluence of sounds and influences differentiates Plumerai from their peers. Using traditional folk instruments from around the world, the band's artistic palette is varied both sonically and regionally. Martin Newman explains that "the nature of the [more traditional] instruments allow more rhythmical playing than if we were just playing guitar and keyboards" - especially, he emphasizes, where the accordion is considered. "The way you can play the accordion rhythmically is something that would sound cheesy or generic on keyboards or synths, but the 'breathiness' of the instrument allows you to just bang out a rhythm along to the song that sort of lifts the music as opposed to sounding weighted down with melody."

While Plumerai cites modern pop bands like The Cure, Lush, and Cocteau Twins as influences, the band also weaves in a highly original array of world and euro-folk influences as well. Newman cites a variety of Eastern Euro "gypsy" bands like Fanfare Ciocarlia, Taraf de Haikdous, and local Boston ensemble ViaRomen. "When I listen to this type of music, I don't really listen to guitars, I listen to the Balkan style brass, the violins/fiddle and accordion," he says. "I write according to those influences, but I still have a solid base of rock, post-punk, and shoegaze bands that I grew up listening to ... with some punk and metal thrown in for good measure."

In support of their new release, Plumerai, will tour around the country this fall.

By Andrew Palmacci
Photo by Mauricio Tejerina - Northeast Performer

PLUMERAI Editor's Choice

A Boston four-piece led in the highs and lows, Plumerai owes its measured intensity to bassist James Newman, who gives the band's art-rock dioramas a thick, popping backbone influenced by dub and British dance. The surface comes equally equipped, shaped as it is by Elizabeth Ezell, whose tense air could make a whisper sound like a threat of seduction. —GC - Independent Weekly (NC)

A little over a year ago, the Boston-based Plumerai released Res Cogitans, a 4-song EP that found the group blending some very familiar post-punk and shoegazer textures, yet doing so in a manner that was all their own—though not without a few little bumps here and there. And now they return with Without Number, a full-length that mixes several reworked tracks from Res Cogitans with brand new material, and overall, marks a very solid improvement to the band’s oeuvre.

As with Res Cogitans, there is plenty of nuanced, darkly atmospheric pop to be found in the nine songs here, and all of it existing at that uncertain nexus between post-punk, shoegazer, goth, electronica, and gypsy folk(!). But to Plumerai’s credit, the quartet almost always manage to avoid being pigeonholed into any of those genres.

There’s an eclecticism at work here that recalls Arcade Fire. Not that Plumerai sound anything like Arcade Fire (though both groups have a penchant for building up to fiery outburtsts in their songs). But like Arcade Fire, Plumerai exhibits the same proclivity for taking seemingly disparate elements and using them to conjure up something that is both incredibly familiar and yet very much it’s own thing.

That eclecticism becomes immediately apparent by the second track. “Illuminata” also appeared on Res Cogitans, but it appears here in updated form. Even so, the vibes are still there, lending the song a noir-ish, espianoge-like air, as does the heavily affected guitar, which at times sounds like it’s channelling a spectral version of 007’s theme.

A church organ groans and creaks away on “Blues & Greens” whilst Martin Newman’s guitar wails and screams high overhead in a fine shoegazer tradition. But then there’s a soft, acoustic-led bridge and the accordion takes over, sending the track sashaying down a haunted Parisian boulevard with nary a break in stride. A similar thing occurs on “En Vale,” where the accordion more than holds its own against the crashing drums and searing guitar atmospherics, lending the dark alternative number a certain “Old World” charm.

Flourescent shards of post-punk guitar ricochet and tear through “Lovinia,” the album’s 8-minute “epic.” As the song progresses, layers of Elizabeth Ezell’s sultry vocals pile on top of eachother, each one more distorted than the last. The guitar and drums pick up the pace, another organ comes drifting in, and cast off atmospherics sigh and flutter away until the entire song collapses in on itself. Meanwhile, in fine darkwave fashion, a soft synth melody lends the song an inexorable melancholy.

At times, however, the band’s eclecticism can get the better of them. The updated version of “Avernal” is a definite improvement over the Res Cogitans original, and feels even more like the group’s obvious single. But the song’s final moments, where the group steps it up double-time and lets the drums and accordion run roughshod over everything else, still feels awkward to me.

The accordion-fuelled, gypsy-inflected rocker “Sin El Lagarta” certainly sounds like it’d be a lot of fun to play live but it feels distinctly out of place on Without Number—especially since it comes after “Iris,” which contains some of the album’s most emotional and pensive track.

And while the album boasts more solid production values than Res Cogitans, the self-produced Without Number still lacks a certain amount of studio polish that would do well to heighten rather than obscure the layers of detail going on in Plumerai’s music and give it the necessary depth and richness.

But those are minor quibbles, methinks. Plumerai are clearly heading in the right direction with their sound. They’ve chosen not to sacrifice any of those sounds and styles that interest them, but they manage to incorporate all of them via a highwire genre balancing act that pays off more often than not ("Illuminata," “Blues & Greens"). And I have yet to say anything about “Home Again,” the album’s opening track, and arguably the best thing the band has done to date, or Elizabeth Ezell’s seductive voice, which is truly the group’s secret weapon. - Opuszine.com

Plumerai are a quartet from Boston that play a brand of alt-rock/pop music that transcends those genre labels with well crafted art-rock influences. Reading the promo sheet and reviews on the band's web site I see references to The Cure, Radiohead, Portishead and Cocteau Twins, and while I'm not familiar enough with those bands to comment on the analogies, they probably do give a reference point. I also see references to shoegazer, a style I am familiar with. There are definitely shoegazer elements to Plumerai's music. The tag helps explain the spacier elements in the songs, though I'd say that overall the music is much richer and more detailed than most shoegazer bands I've heard. Among the highlight tracks is "Illuminata", which rocks out but also includes an orchestral backing. I really like the combination of standard rhythms and choppy pulsating guitar that pervades throughout the song. I love the spacey, surreal carnival motif on "Blues & Greens". Especially later in the song when the band go even deeper into space, accompanied by a bouncy accordion jingle that soon devolves into a demented meltdown at the end. Excellent song! "Avernal" is another standout, taking a basic accessible song and propelling it into the cosmos. And with its 7 minute length the band is able to stretch out and really develop the music. Plumerai really rock out, but even when the guitars are bashing and the drums flailing, there are other bits and pieces that accentuate the color and character of the music. More accordion, shifting chordal patterns and more. A nice combination of song and structured jamming. "Lavinia" is the other lengthier track of the set and again takes a basic song and does a great job of making it into a virtual construction job. Elizabeth Ezell's vocals don't dominate the music like most pop singers do. Instead, she functions in tandem with the music, particularly the simple yet entrancing and ever shifting guitar melodies. And once again Plumerai soar into deep space and get ultra freaky, while always retaining the core song. "Iris" would be a great candidate for radio play. "Sin El Lagarto" is a little different, being a high energy, frantic paced sort of avant-gypsy song. Very cool. And with "En Vole" I'm now really diggin' the way Plumerai incorporate the accordion into their music. It gives the song a traditional feel, yet all this alternately dreamy. - Jerry Kranitz, Aural-Innovations - Jerry Kranitz, Aural-Innovations