ROBOTANISTS ‘Plans in Progress’ Album Review

Label: Overhead Records
Release Date: February 15th, 2011

Los Angeles east-siders might recognize the ROBOTANISTS from their February residency at The Silverlake Lounge, a local dive notorious for cheap drinks, open mics and in this case, housing some of Los Angeles’ best kept underground indie secrets. However, with the release of the quartet’s full-length, Plans in Progress, and subsequent shows at some of LA’s bigger venues, not to mention a slew of SXSW performances, it’s safe to say that this is a band who won’t stay secret for much longer.

The ROBOTANISTS are fronted by the uber sultry, Sarah Ellquist, whose hauntingly rich, delicate tone can easily be compared to Portishead’s Beth Gibbons with the ethereal heights of Denali’s Maura Davis. Her range is best realized in the album’s first track, “Have We Met Before?” which opens sparse and urgent, driven by little more than a heavy bassline and light rhythm before it builds into an ambient explosion loaded with twists and changes in dynamic, tempo, key and energy, showcasing their collective songwriting ability and, in this case, the amazing talent that is drummer, Preston Scott Phillips.

As a whole, the album is evocatively dreamlike without sacrificing command or precision. It moves consistently through a spectrum of hushed melodies, crashing choruses and driving rhythms. The Robotanist’s third full length album may be the shortest, but it’s the most relentless and auspicious in what lies ahead for the four piece.

Track List:
1. Have We Met Before?
2. Terminal A
3. ON/OFF The Ledge
4. The Lack Thereof
5. Plans In Progress
6. Luggage vs. Baggage
7. The Ghost You’re Haunting

-purchase ‘Plans in Progress’