(2021) Plankton Wat - Future Times


Review:
Sometimes an album is defined by moments, Future Times by Plankton Wat overflows with moments where what you hear redefines everything you know about music. One such moment occurs less than 30 seconds in to “The Burning World” when a bass note takes hold with such force you have to sit up and take notice. Dewey Mahood, along with musical partner Dustin Dybvig and engineer/producer Victor Nash have generated an auditory playground, combining the psychedelic and transcendent. The gentle acoustic guitar of “Nightfall” is ripped from its moorings by an electric playing repeated phrases blasted into the dark. Strings buzz as the sounds of horns enter then fade into the mists. Before the buzzing gets to be too much a gentle guitar joins the fray to provide a few moments of respite before the repeating phrases reappear, along with the horns. Keys also add to the piece before it finally fades into the dark. Discovering “Modern Ruins,” a flute softens the scene, contemplating the desolation modern man has created. The themes of the album sorted themselves out during the recording process in the Spring of 2020, a time of intense questioning where answers were in short supply. There is an incredible sense of loneliness to this material. One of the questions these instrumentals raise is how do we achieve a sense of comfort and community when living essentially in isolation? There are no easy answers, the intensity of the material drives home this point. Filling the black void, “Dark Cities” is an eerie glimpse into the vast lonlieness existing in our word and hearts. Buzzing frames the sound of a Casio as it provides a framework for guitars that claw skin, prepared to shred the derma. Yet despite these moments the danger never comes, leaving unease in its wake. “Teenage Daydream” appears ready to fulfill some of the anger and destructive force of the previous track,  building in power and intensity before moving back from the brink. The solace of “Sanctuary” seems in short supply. While there is a small sense of calmness, it lacks the ability to provide hoped-for relief. The journey is not over and there is definitely more that needs to be done. Small bells signal the beginning of “Future Times.” Isolation and dislocation seem to be walking hand in hand. Decisions are being made within the back and forth bass rant. At the halfway point a plan emerges, the bass laying a foundation while the guitar seems to tear a hole in the sky. If ever an idea was ready to come to fruition it is quite clearly to “Defund the Police.” This slow shot is not a war cry, rather it’s a reasoned call to action built on elongated phrases and a lone trumpet slowly calling out for change against the darkened clouds. Finally, we are drawn to “Wind Mountain” where guitars ring out as the wind begins to build the higher one climbs on the journey towards the precipice. While the album may seem to some like a travelogue, it is actually a journey inside the minds of Mahood, Dybvig and Nash. As Plankton Wat, Future Times lays out out a manifesto for change. We need to listen with open hearts.





Tracklist:
01 - The Burning World
02 - Nightfall
03 - Modern Ruins
04 - Dark Cities
05 - Teenage Daydream
06 - Sanctuary
07 - Future Times
08 - Defund the Police
09 - Wind Mountain


Media Report:
Genre: alternative folk, psychedelic rock
Format: FLAC
Format/Info: Free Lossless Audio Codec, 16-bit PCM
Bit rate mode: Variable
Channel(s): 2 channels
Sampling rate: 44.1 KHz
Bit depth: 16 bits