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You would expect the pressure to record a following to an album that was shortlisted for a Polaris Music Prize and received two Juno nominations to be somewhat overwhelming. But Plants and Animals frontman, guitarist, and vocalist Warren Spicer isn’t exactly crumbling under the weight of producing the band’s latest and follow-up to their critically acclaimed 2008 debut Parc Avenue.
“You don’t really think about it that much. Maybe after the fact, but when you’re writing or in the studio it’s not really on your mind. You just do what you do,” explained Spicer from his apartment in Montreal’s Mile End neighbourhood. “Then when it’s all done, you’ve got a record and a bunch of time to think about it.”
Spicer and his bandmates, Matthew Woodley and Nicolas Basque, returned to the studio last December for three days of recording at the Treatment Room, the same studio used to record Parc Avenue. Then came a week-long stint in April followed by five days in France at La Frette Music Studio just outside of Paris. After a summer of tightening and working, Plants and Animals are set to release their second album, La La Land, later this month.
While not a complete departure from the part indie-rock, part post-rock, part ambient folk aesthetic that marked their debut, La La Land is the next step in a maturing career. Coming in at 47 minutes, La La Land is much more pointed than its lengthy predecessor, which ran nearly an hour. It’s not a coincidence but a path Spicer wanted to take.
“We had a vague direction in mind. It was going to be more electric guitars and make it a little tighter or more focused,” said Spicer. “I also want to explore writing more basic lyrics, almost superficial stuff just to try to get away from more nebulous, cloudy, dream sequences.”
La La Land continues to build on the lush sound of Parc Avenue by adding horns and saxophone to the characteristic strings of the debut that are still present. Saxophonist Colin Stetson, who has also worked with Arcade Fire, was brought in to flesh out the arrangements.
“That R&B production is always something that I really get off on, the horn and sting type of stuff. I tend to hear that stuff quite a bit, so it’s always fun to kind of make it happen. The saxophone came more from [Woodley]. He had a dream of having a rock sax solo with a lot of balls that kicked ass,” said Spicer. “Luckily enough we got Colin who could actually make our dream come true and not have a shitty saxophone solo that came off as ironic.”
Spicer may not feel any pressure when it comes to La La Land, but he cannot avoid the impending reviews waiting for him following its release. It’s something Spicer said he wishes he didn’t have to read but at the same time he also finds himself curious to see what is being written. However, Spicer doesn’t write music to garner favourable reviews; he has another motivation.
“We’re doing it for the same reason as the first recordings which I ever did. It’s just to write not to get prizes or nominated. If that comes along with what you do, great, but otherwise you do what you do because you enjoy it.”
La La Land is Plants and Animals enjoying what they’re doing without reservations or hesitations. It’s no matter to Spicer, Woodley and Basque if it lives up to the hype of critics; for Plants and Animals, there are always new lands to explore just over the horizon.
La La Land hits stores April 20. They will also be playing at La Tulipe April 22.
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