Plane

Chicago’s Plane are a band in transition. Their self-titled debut appeared back in 2001 and was a keyboard-fixated, new wave pop record that was reasonably well received. Their sound was probably due to the fact that Legzdins was making a living selling restored classic synthesisers; but this time round the focus has been shifted to guitars. It does make for a less cluttered sound, but old habits must die hard because there is still a certain likeness to New Order on many of the songs. That isn’t really a bad thing because the other attempts to inject variety into the songs (such as the terrible screamed vocals on "Path of Destruction”) fall flat. Contrast that to songs like "Happy World” and it is clear where their strength lies. It seems like Plane are at their best when they stay true to their roots, and Shake My Ground isn’t the most convincing argument they could have made for a shift in focus and style.