Julian Plenti – Is… Skyscraper

Hmm, it's hard to know how to feel about the now inevitable vocalist solo album ”“ after all, why do singers need a solo album - they get their own way all the time anyway. Could it be the greedy record companies wanting more 'content', the whims of the egotistical artiste, or is it better to leave cynicism to one side and accept and welcome more material from those whose prior output has deserved a potential album of indulgence?With the recent Riceboy Sleeps album and a particularly superfluous sounding Julian Casablancas solo record on the way, the focus for now is on Julian Plenti is Skyscraper ”“ which is none other than Ewan MacGregor lookalike and Interpol chaunter Paul Banks, trading under a pseudonym that pre-dates his day job.The opening 'Only If We Run' provides solid guidance in terms of what lies ahead; authoritative drums, the unmistakable baritone and well, not a drastic move away the Banks oeuvre to date. Harking back to the Plenti name may be a way of regaining control of his output but is more likely just a handy title for a project that revisits previous working methods. Although it may be easy to read into lines such as “I've had my frustrations about/the pains of daily life” it's probably more accurate to see Skyscraper as a an interesting diversion rather than anything too permanent.So while we're not expecting any jazz funk work-outs there are some subtle differences that snake throughout the record. For one the necessity of having to construct the majority of the parts by himself there is a greater emphasis on programming and as such the songs that make up the album are more content to work around a groove rather than storming past as the full band might.The second major change is that Banks seems to have been freed up to use a whole lot of different sounds and textures; the finger picked acoustic guitars and whirling strings on display as the title tracks builds to a sweating, shuddering climax is a case in point as is the triumphant brass fanfare that greets the start of 'Unwind'. Never fear though, although elegant piano, het more strings and some sinister double bass are all present it thankfully isn't a case of simply a case of throwing the kitchen sink at the record. In fact one the the records features the the depth of the layers in each of the eleven tracks and whoever mixed the record deserves a hearty pat on the back.However there are more orthodox moments, the first taster from the album 'The Fun That We Have' wouldn't sound out of place on Antics, while 'Games For Days' is almost Interpol by numbers and as such is one of the weaker moments on the record.Lyrically there are familiar themes of paranoia and suspicion and added to this are a number of lyrics that read as part of some overriding espionage based storyline. Aside from the title of the opening 'Only If We Run' there is the cat and mouse of 'On The Esplanade'. This new guise for Banks seems to have inspired a certain identity confusion, or ambiguity if not a full blown crisis.To widen the lyrical palette further 'No Chance Survival' seems to be a comment on Darwinism while 'Girl On The Sporting News' revisits the sleaze of 'Turn On The Bright Lights' in a more domestic setting and suggest that Banks also enjoys spending days watching the repetitive loops of Sky Sports.There is a fairly clear divide between those tracks that would sit happily on an Interpol album and those that would perhaps not but this doesn't effect the flow of the record whatsoever and in fact the 37 minutes of ...Skyscraper breeze by.A comment on a solo album thread on a message board stated that a solo album could only be considered a success if it was “different enough” to the artist's main project. It seems more apt (although perhaps not after a review that has made more than it's share of comparisons) to judge the success of a solo record by judging whether it stands up as a good record without context. The lilting piano, wonderfully resigned vocals and sombre yet beautiful strings of 'Madrid Song' provide as comprehensive an answer to such a question as you're likely to get. 79%Julian Plenti on Myspace