Planted is the latest album from Vancouver-based artist Pennan Brae, with ten banging pop-rock tracks. Each comes with its own influences, and it seems that the artist is undertaking a challenge to redefine sounds! Planted (The Garden Series – Vol. 1) is the multi-talented singer-songwriter’s tenth album. And lest you forget, it’s his third album this year! Overall, the EP has a runtime of almost forty minutes, and is to be soon followed by a second volume. The subsequent album will be titled Picked, and will be released in 2022. But let’s get back to what the modern renaissance man has given us with this release!
Planted: The Garden Series – Vol. 1
Each track on the album Planted draws inspiration from a different point in time. And then it combines this influence with Brae’s Rock rhythm! Opening with the track Space Surf Navigate, the album welcomes the listeners onto this rock and roll journey. What stands out across the length of it is its rakish riffs on the guitar, and the staccatos which seem to be an important theme.
Next up is the track Beckon Command (Pun intended? Yes, please.) and you can’t help but notice the intelligently layered tunes. You’re hooked from the get go as you realise that this seasoned musician knows how to spin delightful tunes. Like its predecessor, this song is mastered to have the melody spinning all over your brain. With the raspy My Spirit Rides and Incognito, you float through the electrifying riffs and end up on my favourite track – Mona.
The second hald
Placed in the middle of the album, this funky country-rock style song is just the hook that gets you to wake up. Coming in next is Night Crawling, a track that reminds you a little bit of all the songs in the first half. It kicks off the second half of the album with fast-paced beats. The tracks Irons-Ons and Hi-Def Stereo roll in and out so smoothly you barely notice the change, And with this room for a breathe, the artist refreshes you for what he has in store now. Since we’re getting critical here, this would be the time to acknowledge the artist’s ability to string together tunes which harmoniously compliment each other.
Penultimate on the album is Laying Low with a dark and sultry vibe, thanks to the whispery vocals. Saving the best for last, the musician finally drops Long Bomb Deep Calm. Redifing the perfect closing track, this one is again all about staccatos that have you holding your breath. And what follows is blissful head-boppers of melodies!
To conclude
An undeniable contributor to this album’s assortment of moods and modes is the artist’s vocals. He displays the timbre of his voice in all its capacity – from the whispering lows to heady falsettos. In retrospect, releasing the tracks Mona and Night Crawling was a super smart decision. These absolue hits got the heads turning and had us all looking forward to the album. Finally, with the sundry set of tracks on Planted being absolute rock gems, now we’re all looking forward to the second volume!
In Conversation with Pennan Brae
Ques. With such incredible music borne out of your head and heart, one would think you do music full time. And you do — but you’re also a screenwriter and multi-hat-juggler. How do you find your music being affected by your many personas?
I find I always find time for music as it’s my first love. So even if I’m knee-deep in a script, I’ll still find time to practise. Playing music is a nice diversion from whatever you’re working on. If we’re working on a film,I’ll have to spend some more time on that. However, filming projects have been shelved lately due to the pandemic. And as a result, I’ve been able to focus more on the music. It’s a nice, solitary activity and there’s been plenty of time for that over the past 2 years.
Ques. I know Planted has been in the works for some time. Tell me about the inception of this collection, and why was it named so?
‘Planted’ felt like a good fit for this release. It’s actually the first half of a double album, with the second half, ‘Picked’ due out in 2022. The full title of the album is ‘Planted: The Garden Series. Vol. 1.’ And ‘Picked’ shall be Volume 2. I worked with photographer Dan Jackson in Vancouver to create this beautiful panel of a guitar seed being planted in the earth. Over the series of 4 photographs, the guitar sprouts up more and more until it’s time to be picked. The photography and art which Dan did was so beautiful that it made sense to take songs I’d been working on and apply them to a double album; 10 tracks a piece. The 4 images which Dan took make up the front and back covers of each album respectively.
Artist’s Picks
Ques. Songs like Night Crawling and Mona from this album have already made waves. Which are some songs that you enjoyed working on the most?
I enjoyed working on all of them but ‘Mona’ & ‘Night Crawling’ were 2 tracks that I really looked forward to releasing. ‘Mona’ has an odd country rock vibe to it while ‘Night Crawling’ is straight up 1970s classic rock. I like those arenas of music. Another favourite on the album is ‘Hi-Def Stereo’ which also has country rock influences while ‘Incognito’ is more 1990s rock and roll.
Ques. The diverse songs on the album really take you on a trip with their varying themes and compositions. But they’re all true to Rock – tell me about your love for Rock!
Thanks very much for listening to the album. I wanted ‘Planted’ to feel like a body of work unfolding. The release kicks out of the gate with ‘Space Surf Navigate’ & concludes Side A with ‘Mona’. Side B commences with ‘Night Crawling’ and finishes up with ‘Long Bomb Deep Calm’. ‘Beckon Command’ which is Track 2 on the album is another personal favourite and I also have a soft spot for ‘My Spirit Rides’, which is a blues rock song. I love rock and roll from the 1950s to the 90s; I’m completely satisfied listening within that period. I love The Beatles, The Stones, Chuck Berry and Muddy Waters. I love John Mellencamp in the 1980s and Red Hot Chilli Peppers in the ‘90s. I’m completely satisfied in that playground.
The next volume: Picked
Ques. You’ve been looking forward to the release of this album for quite some time. Now that it’s done, what’s on your mind? A long vacation or do you already know what to start working on next?
There’s no time for a vacation right now & no place to be really. I just want to get back into the studio and finish up the ‘Picked’ album. The weather is not great in Vancouver during the winter months, so burrowing in the music studio is a good place to be.
Listen to the album Planted by Pennan Brae here:
Check out our playlists here!
Discovered via http://musosoup.com
Promotional Disclaimer: The content in this post has been sponsored by the artist, label, or PR representative to help promote their work.
