0068944700820. Pre-Owned: Good condition. CD. Arising from the same musical tree as fellow Canadian Patrick Watson Plants and Animals are a very sophisticated arty group that meld a wide arrange of influences. The bombastic orchestral opener Bye Bye Bye could be considered a melding of the Polyphonic Spree Devendra Banhart and the Beatles but the band nails the song perfectly. Walking such a fine tightrope though for an entire album could be a mistake so fortunately the group offers up a panoramic plate of styles especially on the groovy prog rock feel of Good Friend that recalls a mellower version of the Flaming Lips. The lone snag with the track might be how string-laced and rich it becomes to close. The first true taste of classic hippie-tinged prog rock is Faerie Dance a slow plodding track that might be the yin to Black Mountain s yang. The group are quite adept at changing moods especially on the roots-riddled Feedback in the Field that sounds to be heavily influenced by early Neil Young. The record has a sizeable amount of drama or gravitas as well evidenced by A L oree Des Bois which changes into a rather ethereal effort three-quarters of the way in. One of the highlights here is the nearly eight-minute waltz-rock approach behind New Kind of Love which screams to be covered by the Arcade Fire. Probably the biggest disappointment is the messy Mercy which veers from a dance-driven Afro-beat format into some haunting guitar instrumental à la Explosions in the Sky. They more than atone for it with the majestic and regal Keep It Real. ~ Jason MacNeil Rovi