Sunday: Plini - Tarred & Feathered

     In addition to marking the beginning of Operation Barbarossa, the Nazi invasion of Russia during the second World War, June 22nd also marks my birthday. More importantly, however, at least as far as you're probably concerned, yesterday also the marked the date of birth of Australia's one man prog army Plini.

     That makes it the perfect occasion for a Plini song, no? I've already featured most of Plini's catalogue here at Loud Noises at one time or another (like I've said before, hurry up and release an LP already!) but there's a couple of tracks I've heretofore glossed over, and since Plini doesn't write a bad song, there's still enough material for me to pick "Tarred & Feathered" from last year's Sweet Nothings EP as yesterday's birthday song.

     Ever wondered what Plini would be capable of if his virtuosic jazz fusion were to be unleashed upon an acoustic guitar? Wonder no more, because "Tarred & Feathered" will give you exactly that kind of slice of fried gold.

Plini - Orm

     My boy Plini has been busy this year. Not only has he released a pair of stellar EPs in March's Other Things and October's Sweet Nothings, he's also teamed up with British guitarist extraordinaire Sithu Aye to put out a split EP I at the end of November.

     The styles of these two very talented guitarists are perfectly matched: virtuosic technicality, jazz, rock, and metal influences, and instantly catchy melodies. If the back of the disc's sleeve didn't let me know who did what (including some guest spots from fellow axemen David Maxim Micic and Jakub Zytecki) I'd be hard pressed to tell who wrote which song, a testament to the blend of melody, groove, and skill exhibited by both guys.

     That said, I think I'm still giving the Plini the edge as my personal favourite, and not just because he deigned to answer some questions from little old me. Your song this evening, therefore, is the EP's opening track, "Orm", a Plini contribution with guest solo by Sithu. I sincerely hope that Plini can keep up this pace of musical output, because if he can, 2014 should be a very good year for Australian instrumental guitar music.

Plini - Away

     Since I received my copy of Plini's new EP Sweet Nothings in the mail today, we're going to stay the instrumental, somewhat jazzy course tonight and feature a track from Australia's most underrated export.

     The entirety of Sweet Nothings features oodles of Plini's fretboard-melting guitar work, so picking a song today is kinda hard, but in the end the weird groove of the main riff to "Away" has my vote. Labyrinthine and relentless, it drives the song forward like a intricate, mellow train. It would be right at home in a metal song, but instead Plini gives it a different, laid-back intensity. If that makes any sense.

     The only problem for you is that I can't seem to find an upload of just this track, so you'll have to listen to the whole EP stream to hear what I'm talking about. Oh wait, that's not a problem at all.

Song of the Day: Plini - Other Things

     I'm not going to make it a theme week or anything (largely because I can't sustain this hellish pace) but today we've got another song from a band... ahem, artist with a new release coming out this October. It's going to be a good month.