Plants and Animals

So far, it's been a case of town and country, winter and summer, for Montreal-based Plants and Animals — a vocal-sharing trio comprised of Warren C. Spicer (guitar), Matthew "The Woodman" Woodley (drums) and Nicolas Basque (bass) — who opened their album account in 2008 with Parc Avenue: a fine piece of work which was nominated for the Polaris Music Prize and contained such breezy semi-rustic delights as "À l'orée des bois" and the joyous "Bye Bye Bye." Then, with 2010's La La Land came something a little grittier, more urban and more likely to employ fuzz pedals, as you'll hear on standout tracks "Tom Cruz" and "Jeans Jeans Jeans." Taken as a whole, the band's output to date has been gloriously eclectic, mining deep seams of roots, classic and progressive rock to offer something really special and unique, whether you prefer such extended, moody noodlings as "Jacques..." and "Guru" or more concise offerings like "American Idol" and "Swinging Bells."