I want to compare Plamondon's voice to someone' s but I'm not quite
comfortable name checking Kate Bush, Grace Slick, Klaus Nomi,or Ofra
Haza; none of them exactly suggest the drama and power and compelling
weirdness of Plamondon's pipes. Coupling her voice with several different
musical configurations (including Joy Fm, Satyrica, Pox Eclipse, and Lucid)
Plamondon sings jarring political songs, operatic pop, and most
interestingly, World Music Hybrids in which she occasionally goes into that
strange vibratic vocal thing beautiful sirens on Star Trek would do...
maybe her genre should be called Otherworldly Music. This album will
leave you exhausted and possibly confused, but also jonesing for more of
this strange seductive stuff.
"Roctober Magazine" January 2009
From San Francisco, Andrea Plamondon has created an unusually unique arrangement by adding her lyrics and vocal melodies to the music on this collection. An upbeat punk-eighties style lends to a rhythmic dance beat on the first two tracks, with percussion brewing strongly on songs like Hope Springs Eternal, and on Five Year Old Sages I am reminded of the likes of Grace Slick with a softer side. Little Boy Lost really exhibits an angelic performance reminiscent of something close to religious; the crescendo almost eternal, winding into a haunting vocal on Invisible Animals. Desert March is very "world" feeling whether of the middle east or an ancient Roman cathedral.
Plamondon is widely versatile with an emotional and mental recurrence to the mind. She would likely be comfortable on a punk stage, taking a bow on Broadway, performing a rock opera or singing three hail Mary’s, and this collection is proof of that.
"Womens' Rising"
Andrea Plamondon is a classically trained singer and you can really hear that on this collection of songs from throughout her career. Her voice is powerful, full of range and, at times, haunting. Dabbling in many genres of music, including New Age, opera and even progressive rock, she demonstrates herself to be a very 'flexible' artist. Much of her music is infused with Middle Eastern rhythms. The album is very intense and full of dramatic flair. At times you will almost feel as if the music is taken from a play or theatre production. A nice insight to seventeen years out of the career of this singer/songwriter.
"Orcasound", Montreal
Talk about your powerhouse performer; Andrea Plamondon knows music. And although her life has been forced at times with tragedies such as her brother, a gifted singer and graduate of Boston University, committing suicide at the age of 21, this has not stopped Andrea for making music that speaks to the soul. She has a certain way with her voice when she is singing that instantly captures one’s attention. Perhaps one of the most original talents currently out in the music industry Andrea’s music captures an eclectic mix of genres which is one of the main reasons why I instantly fell in love with her music.
She is not afraid to take risk with her music either and I promise you that once you get a glimpse of what she has to offer; you will not be disappointed. “I Still Remember”, Andrea’s musical anthology ranging from 1989-2006, is a haunting mesmerizing collection of what makes Andrea Plamondon’s music powerful. You will be super pleased when you take a chance on Andrea you will never regret one chord.
“I Still Remember” gets a solid A+
"JC Internet Indie Radio"
Rating: 7.9 out of 10
By Senior Writer C.W. Ross," Indie Music Stop"
This anthology style of release from Andrea Plamondon is definitely not the usual music I get in the mail to review. This release blends musical styles like, opera, experimental, new age, and even some progressive rock to create some very unique music.
Plamondon has lived a very interesting and at times tragic life. She was headed towards an opera career when at the age of 21 her only brother, who was himself a gifted singer and graduate of Boston University, committed suicide. Plamondon dedicated this album to, 'her brother and other loved ones who were lost so very young'.
Her brother's death sent Plamondon on a journey that included hitchhiking across the U.S. several times before settling down in the city of San Francisco.
Plamondon has been part of several bands with the thread that ties them all together being that she handled the lead vocals in all of them. Those groups include, Joy FM, Satyrica, Lucid, and Dreamstreamusic Inc.
The first thing that jumped out to me from this release was the wide range of vocals possessed by Plamondon. She has a very impressive three octave vocal range.
Another thing that struck me was the length of the songs. The shortest, "Chant of the Flower," is only 1:31 in length,and is as the title suggest filled with chants.
The longest of the songs is, "The Great Doubt," has a running time of a whopping 10:07. This song happens to also be my favorite one from the release. That's probably because it has an alt. rock sound that I could recognize. I liked the electric guitar and drums parts along with the vocals that had a Grace Slick vibe to them.
Track-6 on the CD, "Invisible Animals," deals with conservation of the planet. In conjunction with that a percentage of all album sales is being donated to tiger conservation around the world.
With 14 tracks of music, that last for over a full hour, I Still Remember offers up a lot, with each of its songs telling a story.
After listening to this music you come away with the fact that Andrea Plamondon is both very intelligent and filled with talent.
Plamondon's music is very eclectic but if you're a fan of Avant Garde, and Experimental styles of music then you should really enjoy this release.
"Indie Music Stop"
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Andrea Plamondon - I Still Remember: A Collection of Songs from San Francisco's
Underground
Blog Name: MuzikReviews.com Reviews & Press Releases
Saturday, March 28, 2009
Andrea Plamondon’s anthology I Still Remember: A Collection of Songs from San
Francisco's Underground 1989-2006 is a fascinating chronicle of the career of a
song writer. The classically trained singer delivers songs from her work with bands
Joy FM, Satryica, Pox Eclipse and Lucid. Each band is represented with a different
line-up, including some original members, giving the anthology a unique style from
track to track.
Plamondon opens the album with two songs written during her time with Joy FM.
“I Still Remember” and “No More Silence” have an 80’s pop sound that ranges
between the happy-go-lucky guitar pop of the Go Gos and a darker Eurythmics-
style new wave sound. Plamondon also infuses the sound of Joy FM with Middle
Eastern melodies and rhythms, as evident from “Devil Of Darkness” later on the
album. These influences help add to Joy FM’s creative sound, as does the
powerful, operatic voice of Plamondon.
Compared to Joy FM’s pop sound, the heavy experimentation and psychedelic
melodies of the songs penned by Satryica on the anthology sound completely
different. Plamondon’s ability to sing opera fits perfectly into songs like “Five Year
Old Sages” and “Hope Springs Eternal.” Her flowing vocals on the tracks add to
the hypnotic quality of Satryica. The songs also show the intrigue that powerful
percussion can add to a song. You’ll find it easy to get wrapped-up in the unique
rhythms of the band.
Fans of the Satryica sound will also find the similarities of Pox Eclipse’s “Little Boy
Lost” appealing.
The anthology’s songs from Lucid share the psychedelic quality of Satryica.
However, the keyboard melodies of tracks like “Invisible Animals” and “Desert
March” present you with darker, mysterious tones. Plamondon’s powerful vocals
once again add intrigue to these songs. At times Lucid adopts bizarre melodies
that seem to clash with each other, but patient music fans will appreciate the
experimentation.
I Still Remember: A Collection of Songs from San Francisco’s Underground
1989-2006 is a unique presentation of indie rock. It is a pleasure to hear all the
aspects of Plamondon’s interesting career.
MuzikReviews.com Assistant Senior Editor-Chris Homer
March 24, 2009
n 2008, Andrea Plamondon released a collection of songs spanning her career between 1989-2006, called “I Still Remember (A Collection Of Songs From San Francisco's Underground 1989-2006)”. The songs are from various bands that Andrea Plamondon was involved with during those years. .Andrea’s vocals are quite eclectic and remind me of three artists, Kate Bush, Toyah Wilcox and Siouxie Sioux. .Musically she stays in an artistic punk/gothic//new wave/(almost) progressive mode on all the songs.The most eclectic sounding song of this collection is the 10+ minute track, “The Great Doubt”. It actually reminds me of early Syd Barrett-era Pink Floyd. Most songs range between just over 4 minutes to 6 minutes. I noticed the shorter tunes have a more upbeat feel to them. The title track especially has quite a memorable sound long after it’s over.While not traditionally progressive, Andrea Plamondon’s music (in my opinion) does have enough qualities of that genre to fit in. The tag used most in progressive rock circles, ‘your mileage will vary’ is prevalent here. You can hear some of her music on her MySpace or CDBaby page. I assure you, if you like the music of Kate, Toyah or Siouxie, you’ll add Andrea’s music to those names. Andrea is one of the underground’s best kept secrets (outside San Francisco). Shine some light on Andrea and check out her music ASAP.
Reviewed by Ron Fuchs on December 16th, 2008
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Review by Russ Elliot : Musical Discoveries
(03 January 2009) The 2008 release by Andrea Plamondon, entitled I Still Remember-A Collection of Songs from San Francisco's Underground 1989-2006, is a 14-song digitally remixed anthology of the artists work spanning the period with five different lineups. The album is clearly a labor of love illustrating the range of the artist's work during this seventeen year period. Andrea's intensely delivered vocals pierce through every track.
Joy Fm tracks vary from the upbeat to the sublime. The album opens with the pulsing and accessible rock of the title track performed by the band. Andrea is backed by Matthew McGee (guitar), David Lister (bass) and Scott Williams (electronic drums). The 80s sound of "No More Silence" continues to illustrate the band's chops and Andrea's vocal dexterity. Recording quality, depth of arrangement and vocal maturity characterize the darker "Devil of Darkness." We appreciated the demonstration of Andrea's sheer power and vast range in the track. The chant and Middle Eastern feel of the final and short Joy Fm track, "Chosen Secrets," clearly contributes to the album's incredible diversity.
Satyrica is the largest and most robust ensemble Andrea presents on this album. She is backed by Andrew Carson and Sean Nolan (guitars, percussion, mandolin); Effie Jacombs and Jason Horn (bass); Allegra Windyworf (violin); Rick Zegri (trapset drums, percussion); Gene McCutcheon, Jun Segura, Phil Cox, Dionne Kohler, John Brick, Justin, Gary, Kyle (jembes, congas, percussion). These individuals recorded different tracks on the album. "Hope Springs Eternal" demonstrates the lush arrangements of the ensemble while Andrea's layers of banshee inspired vocals contribute to texture. The rhythmic arrangement of "Five Year Old Sages" and vocal melody contribute to the overall accessibility of the song. The brief mandolin-laced ballad, "Sweet Song," is delicately produced. The final track by Satyrica is a largely instrumental , progressive epic running almost ten minutes, entitled "The Ground Doubt." The track is full of Andrea's soaring and crystalline experimental vocalise.
Andrea included the track "Little Boy Lost" by Pox Eclipse. She is backed by Chris Ranzo (guitar, ukelele, percussion), Flavia Happ (violin) and two harmonizing vocalists named Sharon and Ananda. Transferred from a cassette recording, the tenderly delivered, yet sonically piercing, ballad "Little Boy Lost" illustrate's the artist's crystalline vocals work atop the lightest arrangement. We would have liked to hear more from this lineup.
There are four tracks by the band Lucid included on this CD. In addition to Andrea, Lucid was comprised of Salena Ugalde (percussion, vocals); Krystl Chamber (vocals); Albert Garcia and Aaron Goldstein (percussion). As one can see from the lineup, Lucid's arrangements are simpler than Andrea's other lineups. "Invisible Animals" is sensually sung by Andrea. The backing harmony vocals work well to add texture especially when Andrea's vocals explode into a siren. The down tempo, percussive arrangement of "Desert March" is contrasted by the vocal work in this most Dead Can Dance-oriented number. We appreciated the rhythmic keyboard arrangement behind the dissonant vocal work in "Gypsy Moon." Lucid's last number on the album is a short number entitled "The Chant Of The Flower."
The album concludes with the new age styled six minute track "Dream" by Dreamstreamusic Inc, a lineup comprised exclusively of Andrea (vocals) with Rob Cowan (soundtrack). We especially appreciated the depth of the instrumental arrangement and Andrea's perfectly complimenting vocalise. Andrea Plamondon's seventeen year anthology is a testament to the range and depth of the artist's work. This album is currently available online at CDBaby and amazon.com. What will Andrea do for an encore, more with Dreamstreamusic? We hope so!
last updated on: 01.04.2009 © 2000-2009 Musical Discoveries
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