The Plastic Waste Band is a Montreal quintet that deserves infinitely more attention than it receives from traditional media. Ferociously original, musically very advanced, emotionally authentic, the band unfolds a sound universe that is said to evoke “Led Zeppelin unexpectedly joining a concert with Coltrane’s quartet,” to which I would add some nuances. On the other hand, we could add a bunch of other things, but in the end, we would just be beating around the bush because, while the influences are numerous, the final product is unique.
The “plastic waste” does not indulge in libertarian virtuosity or the harmonic roughness of a certain modernist jazz, unlike the Coltrane reference mentioned above. The interventions of the main soloist, Claire Devlin on saxophone and flute, remain rhythmically relaxed. The beat is strong, often heavy (and here, we are indeed in Led Zep territory).
The Zeppelin reference is even more obvious when the guitars twist and screech violently (North of the North Pole, Nose Prose). Add here and there some ethereal atmospheres that bring us closer to post-prog (Dream Cake, WasToBe), sprinkled with intuitive comments from the soloists who, while remaining heirs of jazz, resolutely emancipate themselves from the contemporary hard bop model.
While Anything But You seems to float in weightlessness, Inner Gimbals leaps briskly into an energetic framework, accentuated by the guitar’s pecks to offer an airy conclusion that balances the entire program.
A very good album that knows how to offer just the right amount of groove, muscle, and improvisational virtuosity to satisfy the most seasoned music lovers.
