Readymade: All the Plans Resting (Where are My Records, 2005)

by Jason

Readymade All the PlansBased in Vancouver, British Columbia, this five-member band brings subtle sounds and incredible song writing that beautiful and epic. Arch (guitar and vox), Dr. Roberts (drums), J. Gittes (bass), Kevin Hilts (keyboards), and DT (guitars) make up a powerful pentad that generates beautiful and power emotion through instrumentation and vocals. The walls of sound give way to acoustic subtlety and perfect melodies. All the Plans Resting is amazing and has the feel of a well thought out piece of art.

Their third full-length, All the Plans Resting, begins with “The Fake but No Finish.” This song fades in and has a backbeat with shimmering guitars and a soft-subtle drone. The vocals are strong and Arch’s voice is perfect for what they are doing on this disc. This song isn’t exactly shoegaze, but it has a more post-rock feel to it. This is a fantastic opener and really gives the listener a sense of what is to come on the disc. “Nightsky of Exit Signs” begins with breathy keys and acoustic guitar. This creates a soothing mood. The drums kick and are soft, patient, and perfect. Arch’s vocals are also ghostly and a bit layered, accenting the stripped down soundscapes at work. Hilt’s lyrics are beautiful and do more to communicate a feeling rather than tell a story. “Nov30” begins with glowing keys and acoustic guitar as well. The melody really floats in the vocals and is quite hypnotic. That is one thing I love about this band, they find a hook or melody that is awesome and really make it hypnotic and allow it to play itself throughout the song, building around it.

“Brace” communicates the feel of driving fast over flat plains of farm land, speeding along with the beautiful blue sky hanging over one’s head and going on forever. It is a beautiful, medium tempo instrumental that is short, but very sweet. “Outlast by Rain” follows with floating keys and quiet drum work. The guitars accent the bass, keys and guitar with shimmering punctuations as Arch’s vocals float on the tempo and dreamy keys. The song has a languid tone to it and the lyrics point to a dream perhaps that has died. “Shorter Breaths” is a slow tempo song with breathy vocals and floating keys. The guitars are hypnotic, and really float the listener along with the song. “Under the Networks” is a faster song with driving drums and slightly out of tempo vox. I really like the break in the walls of sound when they transition to some shimmering guitars and backbeat style drums. The build in the song is beautiful and filled with layers of keys and guitars. “Donostia” begins with reversed beats and some sparse acoustic guitar and keys. This is a beautiful instrumental transitional piece that is about two minutes long. Like “Brace,” this song really gives the album a nice flow and leads the listener into different parts of the album.

“Hengshan Reeling” has harmonic guitar work, fuzzy guitar picking, and an almost tribal beat pushing the song along. This song has a lush quality about it that is gorgeous. After the gloomier “Reeling,” “Rememberforget” is a great surprise. Here is a great, bright song with fantastic dream pop elements. The drums are “happy,” the guitar shimmering, and the keys cheerful. It gives the album some happiness in the midst of more melancholy songs. “Goodbye South Goodbye” has a metronomic feel, with slight drums and acoustic guitar picking. The guitar work on this song is impressive and really plays a large role in the feel. Arch’s vocals are subtle and express the feeling of the track brilliantly. “Futility Steps” closes out the disc. This is a quite, almost droning song with the hum of keys and soft chords played on the keys. It is subtle until about the two minutes into the track and then it gets full. When the swell dies, Arch’s vocals kick in and things get really quiet. The build and vox eventually comes back and fills the song out with walls of sound. This is a perfect ending to this disc that has a fantastic coherence.

Readymade has made a consistently excellent album. It is breathtaking, subtle, beautiful and moving all at the same time. Highly recommended to anyone into shoegaze or post-rock, but, I think, that any music lover would be ecstatic about this disc.

Share This: