Planes for Spaces
City Pages (September 14, 2005)
“With a name out of a beat novel and a mix of frenzy and contemplation reminiscent of
fellow tall guy Thurston Moore, Joe January leads Planes for Spaces through beautiful,
complex songs that feel like journeys (or “trips”, if you prefer). At the 400 Bar this past
Saturday, the band peaked with the bass-heavy “Dream Number One”, titled to match
January’s dreamy singing, which seems to float down from some strange elevation
(he’s tall, but not that tall). Often, in the middle of purring out a line, hell get into the
groove and step away from the mic, letting the words trail off and leaving the listener
alone with pleasant mysteries. / Chris Gantz
The Onion (September 10, 2005)
“The band’s debut, Letters From the Waves, calls up all kinds of good associations
with My Bloody Valentine, Radiohead, and Faith-era Cure…”
www.HowWasTheShow.com (March 17, 2006)
“Planes for Spaces don’t play songs so much as they glide from one movement into
another in a sprawling, electromagnetic symphony. The power they extract from their
painfully simple guitar-bass-drums lineup is dumbfounding; at moments it seems there
should be seven of each member to explain the massive, crashing waves of sound that
nearly knocked me off my feet. At others, they pull back so far that the notes dangle in
the air, waiting to be snatched up by the next perfectly calculated crescendo.”
/ Andrea Myers
Village Voice (December 18, 2005)
”... Minnesota indie trio, drifting out to sea; Letters From the Waves indeed…”
PULSE of the Twin Cities (June 29, 2005)
“While the band’s sound definitely veers towards the spooky and dark, Joe January’s
voice has the awe-inspiring ability to hit the impossibly high notes and float above the
instruments’ gloom. Overtly sentimental lyrics taste too sweet and earnest for the band to ever be stamped with a Goth label.”- Adrienne Urbanski
Pitchfork (September 2006)
”...The Minneapolis band, featuring the spacious vocals of Joe January accompanied
by a revolving group of musicians including Tim Luntzel (M. Ward, Gillian Welch),
Ryan Sawyer (Fiery Furnaces, At The Drive-In), Scott McPherson (Elliot Smith),
and Shawn Neary (Tapes n’ Tapes) formed in the Spring of 2005 and maintained a
weekly residency at Minneapolis’ 400 Bar. Last Year they put out an album,
Letters From the Waves, behind which the band toured the U.S. with the likes of
Death From Above 1979, Lou Barlow, Earlimart, and I Love You But I’ve Chosen
Darkness. This month, PFS crash into California for two shows.”
”...Gorgeous dream power pop… January’s voice will truly take your breath away.” (indie-licious)
”...Yelping and singing and hissing and purring and crescendos and sudden stops like you wouldn’t believe.” (The Subliminal Inevitable Show)
”...Singer Joe January letting loose some “Patti Smith as a man” barks over the wasteland…” (Merry Swankster)
”...They wail & stomp through their desert doomscapes with confidence.” (softcommunication.blogspot)
“Excellent… Joe January is clearly the heart of what Planes for Spaces is about.”
(Ear Farm)
