The Plum Magnetic -Terra Animata

 The Plum Magnetic
Terra Animata
Self-Released

Terra Animata is the type of music you’d listen to while watching flowers grow. No, really. I mean it. Following their twenty-six second introduction with “Spring,” The Plum Magnetic delves almost seamlessly into the dark recesses of your Coachella with the nine minute and forty-one second totally instrumental track, “Trece Leches.” This song is perfect for a day in the park or even at the beach as excuse to zone out of existence and into yourself. With totally original, string-inspired music, The Plum Magnetic consists of Trent Ciolino, donning an electric six string banjo and contributing vocals, Andrew McLean playing guitar and tabla, Jonathan Solomon on bass, and Oliver Burke on drums. Did I mention the tabla? After “Trece Leches,” things become a bit more straightforward with the four minute and fifty second long “Sweet Confusion,” on which Ciolino sings with the help of backing vocalists. There is a decided reggae feel to this song with a bit of rock thrown in. The guitar on the seven minute “Shesh Besh” is a stand out along with rock-ish feel of “Parallax,” which starts almost like upbeat blues before descending into jazz. “The Delicious,” the longest song on the CD at nine minutes and fifty seconds, is a dreamy foray into metaphysical fields of grain; I can almost see this one on repeat at a yoga studio somewhere. The title track, “Terra Animata,” serves as good closer to the album and will likely serve as the group’s signature sound. Granted, the length of most of the tracks may serve better for the coffee shop than the car (unless you like listening to the same song for multiple rides), it doesn’t detract from the promise of this group. If you’re looking for something alternative, you’ll definitely find it here.