REVIEWS

Taken from the theories of 17th century Swiss philosopher Rene Descartes, Res Cogitans translates roughly as "occurrence thorough consideration," an offshoot of the much more famous Descartes deduction: "I think, therefore I am." Zap forward four centuries to Boston, and occurrence finds its direction from Plumerai’s consideration. The four-piece’s latest EP is almost as thought-provoking as Swiss philosophy (but rest assured, much more thrilling) and defies labeling. That said, let’s give it shot: Res Cogitans is complicatedly ethereal, moving forward with a delicate grace that could only be supplied by Elizabeth Ezell’s equally flowing voice. While Plumerai only gives us a 4-song taste of what is to come, each song flows forward for about 5 minutes, moving from small beats to explosive climaxes, patiently transitioning the listener from emotion to emotion. "En Vole" ("Be Willing to Behold") drips with maturity and elegance, and with added spices of foreign influences, it’s hard to believe that such a sound came out of Boston. Anything but, "Linear" combines a bouncy beat with almost shoegaze touches, moving into 'Illuminata,' a mysterious orchestral ride that just goes to show anything can be expected from Plumerai. If they continue to put this much consideration and thought into their music, their new album should make quite a splash indeed.. - Michael Schmitt, Music Emissons

Credit James Newman and his antsy bass for grafting a cab-forward groove to his usual new-shoegaze synths, and for making Boston-based Plumerai sound like Stereolab giving free reign to their darkest urges. Don't credit the vibraphone though, which gives the song a disagreeably jazzy feel even though it doesn't disrupt the flow. Do credit Elizabeth Ezell for killing herself softly with this song. Her voice breaks gently on each syllable, creating a strange and soulful vibrato that communicates her anguish easily and gracefully, not unlike Karen O ripping her heart out, ballad-style. Most of all, credit Plumerai for crafting a song that draws from popular influences, without coasting on them. - Stephen M. Deusner, Pitchforkmedia (Track Reviews)

        "Plumerai is a Boston-based post-pop band that specializes in "shoe-gazing guitars, tight drumming... everything you could want from pop-oriented music," according to their press release. A scant four songs comprise Res Cogitans, the band's latest release. The album begins with "Avernal," which sounds as if it were 80s dream pop laden with French house vocals and drums. "Linear" and "Illuminata" are more upbeat rock songs that seem to update the shoegaze to which this band obviously looks for guidance. "En Vole," the clincher, is a poppy, yet dark number. Both violin and piano work to give it an almost cinematic feel. Res Cogitans is an enjoyable mix of energetic guitars, lethargic vocals, and relaxing instrumental passages - a mix which makes the band seem like a group searching (successfully) for their artistic and acoustic niche." - Rachel Chervin, Melisma Magazine

        "According to their press release, the name Plumerai “comes from a French lullaby about depluming a bird". Interesting name for an interesting band, that despite the lack of feathers, they demonstrate they can still take flight. Although Res Cogitans is only 4 tracks long, each song is longer than the average with, "Avernal" lasting about 7 minutes. After two years of instability, the four-member band has solidified their sound and declared this 2007 EP to be their true debut album.
          Fronted by a female vocalist, Elizabeth Ezell delivers her raw feminine tones, resembling at times like a sexed up Bjork, ending her lines in subtle quirky vibrato. The keyboards, guitar, bass and drums converge in good chemistry, emitting their influential roots—80's punk and alternative—to create dark, mysterious, enchanting modern rock. Their raw energy is captured in their production process by focusing on greater live recording with minor overdubs. And this steer away for that studio perfect sound is rather quite perfect for them.
          My ears welcome the long musical breaks with my favourite found in the last few minutes of “Avernal” where instrumental noise entwine to blood pumping climax, sounding appropriate for a Pulp Fiction soundtrack." - Cathy Lee, Spill Magazine

“For those who haven't heard of Plumerai before, you're in for a wonderful sampling of 80's alternative-influenced musical titillation. Elizabeth Ezell's shaking vocals are the first & immediate attraction. Seductive, tortured, & wanting, it's a voice you can almost touch as well as hear. The music is very thick with the double-timed echo guitar familiar in most early 1980's alternative rock. The music is reminescent of what you would expect from a Radiohead/Cranes collaboration. Instantly appealing, this EP starts out amazing & gets better with each subsequent listen. A must-have for our listeners." - Poseidon, Gothic Beauty

         Local night at the Middle East draws people in, offering the chance to not only hear a diamond-in-the-rough band, but meet them after its set... -- but none could outshine Boston-based band Plumerai.
          Plumerai's recent EP is part The Cure, part Portishead, with a kind of quiet energy that translates surprisingly well live. Singer Elizabeth Ezell slunk about the stage in red heels and a polka dot dress, coquettishly seducing the audience. Plumerai, like Portishead, depends on the ability of its female singer to bring a yearning sexual energy to every song. The breathy vocals and James Bond-like guitar effects of the first (and strongest) song of the set, "Illuminata," convey this comparison well.
          These effects, produced by guitarist Martin Newman and his brother, bassist James Newman, exuded a sense of cool without sounding overdone. - Rachel Surwit, The Daily Free Press (BU)

Combining the sounds of many popular groups like Evanescence and The Cure, yet adding a harder tone with vibrating female vocals, Plumerai emerges with driven and appealing music that gets better with every listen.
          Plumerai's four-track EP shows incredible force and diversity. Interchanging between the influences of trip hop, rock, and some post punk, the quartet's music is difficult to categorize. They've been characterized as a pop band, but such a match is difficult to make because Plumerai deserves credit for their unmistakable sophistication and substance.
          'Avernal,' the EP's first track, kicks off with the concentrated guitar and drum contributions of Martin Newman, Todd Richards, and James Newman. Effectively portraying their ability to play within the conventional music styles, Plumerai inserts a subtle and driven back-melody behind the main melody. The enrapturing vocals of lead singer Elizabeth Ezell are unmistakable. Pinning listeners to her ethereal vocal styles in the track, Ezell conveys both warmth and a haunting sentiment, two beautiful emotions that reside with listeners throughout the Res Cognitans EP.
          Starting with quick reverberations of notes on the guitar, 'Linear' grabs listeners from the first measure. As soon as the echoing guitar effect settles in, an uptempo snare enters the track during the guitar's offbeat. The EP's most cheerful track, 'Linear' absorbs the listener as Ezell's slower paced lyrics match up against the quick background music of the composition. The lyrical pace in the song's chorus quickens to match the swinging pace of the musical background, and Plumerai reveal their catchy pop tendencies with the infectious 'Linear.'
          Plumerai covers a vast expanse of the music world in Res Cognitans. This stirring 21-minute EP has proven that the Boston-based quartet is more than ready to proceed to the next step in the music business. January of 2007 marks the release of Plumerai's forthcoming debut full-length album, and with it are great expectations from the band and listeners alike. - Lauren Proctor, Performer

“....The songs are all stirring numbers, from the trampling, 7-minute rock number "Avernal" featuring an eastern European tinge to the Cure-cum-Sundays "Linear," a track that would have been famous on MTV's 120 Minutes. The song - which would make an ideal single, features Elizabeth Ezell's pining, straining vocals. Some would say that Beth Orton or Chan Marshall are both clearly in her class but her vocal draw comes without peer among pop contemporaries. Her lightning shudders are sexy deeply affecting the winking guitars, swinging beat, and by the end loses herself in the crashing mix…..Song craft becomes the star, backbones provided by Martin Newman's deeply reverb fed guitars and a rhythm section with the undercurrent of libidinous undulation. The result is a warm, enthralling sound……This Boston area quartet twines dreamy and uncommon strings, and ultimately their EP is a short, yet rewarding listen. That assessment is true from top to bottom of Res Cogitans, a taste -- a sample, a trifling of rock extraordinary, before it's done." - Erick Mertz, Kevchino

…'Avernal' opens the EP and is a delightfully dreamy creation, the drums gentile and inoffensive (until the last two minutes that is) mixed with soothing guitars, all complimenting the arousing, sultry voice of Elizabeth Ezell.....'Linear' is a fine example of their influences hitting the mark perfectly, the catchy guitar work that is both pop and anti-pop simultaneously due to its melancholy feeling yet danceable beats......There is definitely a cabaret quality to Ezell’s vocals and throughout it suits the mood of the music perfectly as with 'En Vole' a piece where even the accordion gets a little more prominence than before. It’s unsurprising however that the cabaret element is there as Res Cognitans was recorded live, copying to CD the true untouched elements of the band which makes for a much more interesting and powerful release than just another studio outing. With retro electro rock (et al) being the big fad that it is at the moment, Plumerai will certainly have to put the hours in to ensure they don’t fall victim of its ephemeral and superficial charms. Yet if the four tracks on Res Cognitan are anything to go by, they are miles ahead of the majority in both sound and concept already. – Michael Byrne, Left Hip

.....Res Cogitans is a four-song EP, but those four songs are so substantial and meaty, you're left both wanting more and feeling quite satisfied. I really, really dig the sexy singing style of Elizabeth Ezell. All four songs are interesting, and all of them are new favorites, but I really dig the seven-minute 'Avernal' and the shimmery, should-be-a-hit 'Illuminata.' Great music, and hopefully the promises delivered here will be followed through next year with their forthcoming LP. – Joseph Kyle, Mundane Sounds

The Next Big Thing? Oh yeah! Il disco che non ti aspetti.
          Mi sono avvicinato a ‘Res Cogitans’ con assoluta indifferenza e la causa credo sia imputabile a quel formato (Cdr) così anomalo in casa Silber Records e/o a quell’artwork così essenziale, povero ed anonimo. Sta di fatto che non avrei scommesso neanche un centesimo sul suo valore intrinseco ed - invece - sin dal primo ascolto è stato capace di rapirmi, stupirmi nonché diventare la mia (nuova) droga.
          Troppo poco un EP di quattro pezzi per manifestare (spero) contagiosi entusiasmi? Forse. Ma i Plumerai creano assuefazione, in quanto due brani sono semplicemente divini (‘Linear’ ed ‘Illuminata’) ed i rimanenti (due) mancano di poco la perfezione evidenziando solo piccole incompiutezze: in ‘Avernal’ la lunghezza del brano (7 minuti) è eccessiva mentre in ‘En Vole’ la sezione ritmica risulta un po’ “caciarona” e dispersiva.
          La band dei fratelli Newman possiede un’arma diabolica: la voce sensuale e passionale di Elizabeth Ezell che appare lontana e distaccata, ma che riesce ad avvolgerti ed accarezzarti quanto il calore di un caminetto in pieno inverno. Forse Elizabeth si limita ad ammiccare ed io ci casco, ma oramai sono perso di lei e della sua voce. Nel frattempo mi rendo anche conto che come sottofondo la band di Boston costruisce melodie nostalgiche che mischiano triphop, punkrock, indierock, pop e dark come se Cure, Portishead, PJ Harvey, Bjork dessero vita ad un’unica identità… ed io sono diventato un loro fan. - Alessandro Lucentini. Kronic.it

Following on the heels of their self-titled full-length and encompassing a number of lineup changes, res cogitans, the new 4-song EP from Boston's Plumerai, showcases more of the shoegazing ethereal rock that's made a name for them on both the local and national scenes. Sounding something like the genetic culmination of Hope Sandoval, Polly Jean Harvey, and Melora Creager, frontwoman Elizabeth Ezell's lush, sensual warble leads the way through four tracks of moody, catchy, diverse post-punk-influenced alt rock. The opening "Avernal" is easily the disc's best, its moody rock delivery and catchy chorus hook certainly delivering, while the following "Linear" is nearly on-par, a poppier and almost equally infectious affair that almost recalls The Sugarcubes. . – Joshua Heinrich, Grave Concerns

…Elizabeth Ezell is no fey chanteuse; her voice contains a snarling sensuality…at their core Plumerai have things figured pretty well out, especially when Ezell's shivering voice sidles up against 'En Vole's sparse guitars and Parisian accordions, or the band weaves some chilled vibes and a John Barry-esque melody into 'Illuminata'….really solid and eclectic -- seriously, who incorporates accordion into post-punk? – Jason Morehead, Opus

What also makes Plumerai special is that each of the four songs present sound different. ‘Avernal’ has the most dark pop sounding elements and the song often times brings Trip Hop artists like Portishead, Massive Attack and The Third & The Mortal to mind. ‘Linear’ is definitely the most 80’s Goth/Rock/Pop influenced song, sounding almost like a lost song from The Cure’s mid-80’s work, while ‘Illuminata’ is similar with a groovy bass line, backing keyboards, and a really catchy chorus, but returns a bit more to the darker sounding approach. ‘En Vole’ is also rather different adding in an accordion to their unique dark pop rock sound. ... Plumerai delivers a real gem with their ‘Res Cogitans’ EP... – Joe Mlodik, Lunar Hypnosis

Elizabeth Ezell delivers excellent un-easy vox. . . .It kind of denotes anger and sorrow at the same time... looming large with these tiny torments of lovelorn pop ” – Thurston Hunger, KFJC 89.1