Ashtray Rocks, but Plaskett doesn't

Wednesday, July 11. 2007

Ashtray Rocks, but Plaskett doesn't

Of all the names on this year's Polaris list, the one I was least familiar with was Joel Plaskett. I mean, I'm well-aware of who he is: he was in Thrush Hermit, he wrote one of last year's catchiest songs, and he's the producer behind arguably the most fun album so far this year, Two Hours Traffic's Little Jabs. But, as far as the nominees for the prize went, Ashtray Rock, was the one album I hadn't yet heard.

Now that I have heard it, I'm still not sure what the fuss is about. Of course, this is exactly what I should've expected. Plaskett's appeal has always been based in large part on the way he conveys a very specific, Maritimes-centric point of view; Ashtray Rock takes that one step further by being a semi-autobiographical concept album about a group of friends from Clayton Park, Nova Scotia. Given that I've never even lived in a small town, let alone been in Atlantic Canada (save for a week when I was ten), it's not really the kind of thing to which I can relate.

On a musical level, the album is a continuation of everything he's done so far -- lots of fist-pumping rockers, with the odd ballad thrown in for when he wants to recharge between those rockers. He never quite matches "Nowhere With You", but he makes a valiant effort at it with "Soundtrack For The Night", one of those rare songs that perfectly encapsulates the rest of the album in both sound and spirit. If you love it, then there's a good chance you'll love Ashtray Rock; if not, then Joel Plaskett will just be one of those proto-typically Canadian artists that you can't quite get into. I, unfortunately, fall into the latter camp.

Posted by matthew in mp3, reviews at 22:21 | Comments (10) | Trackbacks (0)

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Ashtray Rock is the best record of the year. Period.

But of course it won't win the Polaris. Obviously.

#1 Ross (Homepage) on 2007-07-12 00:17 (Reply)

I don't know...I think it stands a pretty good chance. The people who love it really love it, and it was one of the three albums (the other two being Feist and Arcade Fire) that I was sure would make it onto the shortlist. Unlike those other two, he doesn't have to worry about there being much of a backlash against him...I think his odds of winning are pretty strong...

#1.1 matthew on 2007-07-12 00:20 (Reply)

But if you remember last year, the underdog, Final Fantasy, beat all the well known names like Metric, BSS, The New Pornographers and Wolf Parade. There's probably a good chance it'll happen again. (Although Arcade Fire's album has so much fuss around it that I think it stands a good chance to.)

Although I understand you dislike Arcade Fire, Matt. For shame.

I was wondering, though, which album do you want to win?

#1.1.1 Daniel on 2007-07-12 03:16 (Reply)

Such a great album. Of course I live on the east coast and grew up in a small town in Nova Scotia so I'm able to relate a little better. I love everything this guy does. He seems to be a crack producer as well. The Two Hours Traffic album is fantastic as well. I think he's got a shot at the award but I don't think he'll win. It's based on artistic merit and a concept album...while rare today isn't a new concept or groundbreaking. I'd love to see it however.

#2 Pete on 2007-07-12 07:21 (Reply)

I don't think you need to have lived in Atlantic Canada to relate to Ashtray Rock's story. It's about kids hanging out, falling in love, being in bands, getting into fights, etc. That happens in cities and small towns all over the world.

Joel's definitely got a lot of lyrics that mention home, but I don't think it is enough to alienate someone who doesn't live here. As for fist-pumping rockers being what he's known for, I think a listen to "La De Da," his solo record, would change that opinion.

#3 Matt on 2007-07-12 09:58 (Reply)

I think of all the more "mainstream" candidates (Arcade Fire, The Dears and Feist being the others), he stands the best chance of winning...he's popular, but not to the extent of overexposure, which is what will probably end up hurting AF and Feist. If you were to place him in last year's last in terms of popularity, he would've finished somewhere between Final Fantasy and Wolf Parade/Metric/BSS, so for him to win wouldn't be obvious, but it wouldn't be a huge upset, either. As I said, the people behind Ashtray Rock are much more passionate in their support than the people supporting anything else. A lot will depend on who comprises the final jury, but if one or two Plaskett fans make it on there, their enthusiasm might catch on.
It also helps that his album, even though I'm not a huge fan, is still far better than both The Reminder (which was basically repackaged adult contemporary music) and Neon Bible (as much as Arcade Fire should be commended for not making Funeral Part II, it would've been nice if they'd made an album that wasn't lots of boring filler to pad the band's "artistic" credentials interspersed with a few good songs as a sop to the people who wanted to enjoy listening to the album). Ashtray Rock isn't my thing, but re-listening to it now I can still see why it would be someone else's thing, which is more than I could say for the other two albums.

As for who I want to win...Miracle Fortress, without hesitation. I wouldn't mind if Besnard Lakes or Patrick Watson won, and I'd have no opinion one way or another if Chad VanGaalen, Julie Doiron or Junior Boys came away with it. But of the bands on there, Miracle Fortress is easily my favourite.

Now, if Woodpigeon, Jim Bryson, Fucked Up or Handsome Furs had made the list, it would've been a different story...

#4 matthew on 2007-07-12 10:09 (Reply)

Speaking for myself, I've always liked Plaskett's acoustic/solo stuff a lot more than his Emergency stuff.

Oddly enough, in some ways he reminds me of Bruce Springsteen: he's an undeniable talent, but something about him -- either the way he presents himself as an artist, or the mythology that's been built up around him -- makes his music feel like I'm not really the audience he's aiming for, even though in reality I'm exactly who he's aiming for.

So while I wouldn't hate it if Ashtray Rock won, it wouldn't be my choice, and I'd rather he'd been nominated last year for La De Da.

#5 Craig on 2007-07-12 17:18 (Reply)

I gave the new album a listen and the whole time I was thinking, The Bear would play any one of these songs. I don't know what that means exactly, but it's not necessarily a good thing.

#6 Josee (Homepage) on 2007-07-24 22:51 (Reply)

I'd just like to point out the error that the guys on the Album aren't from Clayton Park...they are from Dartmouth, and neither place is a small town...Clayton park is a neighborhood in Halifax, and Dartmouth is a large region of Halifax, which has a population just under 400,000 people

You've got the right to love the album or hate it, but I love it!

#7 Andrew on 2007-08-07 09:24 (Reply)

Sorry, it's at http://www.orato.com/node/3232.

#8 Robyn (Homepage) on 2007-08-13 15:27 (Reply)

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