Not An Airplane is an indie folk rock trio from Northern California. Led by Nick Shattell on guitar and vocals, the band is finished by Jared Neilson on bass and Dave Rogers on drums. You can check out their website at http://www.notanairplane.com to become more familiar with these chaps. Currently, the site is under construction, and you’ll be led to their MySpace page.
As a person who is accustomed to sorting out their life categorically, it is hard to run into artists who aren’t easily categorized. How can a band be labeled a folk artist when they made their debut in a comic book (http://abyss.newbsoft.com/comic/iss025/page1.html)?
Apparently these guys.
I’ve been listening to this album (are they called albums anymore?) for the past week and I’m at a loss. I think the thing that’s amiss is the coffeehouse. I picture hearing these guys twiddle their sound in a coffeehouse on a Tuesday evening with a strong following from the local fanbase. Songs on this album could definitely fit onto the Reality Bites soundtrack. Most of the songs paint a picture of someone lamenting a recent relationship lost while smoking cigarettes in a 90’s coffeehouse. Nowadays, of course, they’d be blogging at the local Starbucks.
There were a few tracks that stood out to me as I went through the album. First impressions are always influential. The first track that popped up on their page was That’s What They Tell Me. It’s one of their more upbeat songs and is pretty darn catchy. I would also recommend taking a gander at Less Heavy and Somehow.
Having gotten used to listening to music that is more upbeat and typically laden with hooks, I need to state that I found it a little difficult staying with this one. In the background, this fits in like a pale blue wall. It doesn’t go with every room, but it certainly doesn’t hurt your eyes (or your ears).
I’d have to give Not An Airplane a rating of two coffees to a party of five. The rest need to order tea.