Hail! The Planes arrive on ANBAD with an almost pitch-perfect set-up: not only were they recommended by a previous (and very good indeed) band, Trwbador, but they also have a great! big! exclamation! mark! in the middle of their band name.
Regular readers will know that the latter, in particular, really does count for something.
All hail!, then, a band who have made a folk song which transcends its six-minute limitations and unfolds – it really does seem to unfold – into a broad, chiffon-thin, kaleidoscopic swirl of colour and life.
The song flips between fluttering flimsiness and stout, reassuring bulk. A coiling, circular melody of almost excessive simplicity develops into something perilously close to overblown; and it’s this dalliance between two extremes that lends the song its strength.
Brother is a generous song that still keeps most of its cards clutched close. After listening you’ll know how to feel, but you might not be sure why. Nice.