With twelve years, four albums, a dozen tours, two vans, several hundred shows and an endless collection of warm cans of domestic beer under their collective belt, The Plastic Constellations (TPC) have done a lot in their years together. And now as the members approach the ripe old ages of 26, they’re releasing an ambitious new album that marks a new era for the band. TPC started playing together in 1995 as rambunctious 14-year-old best friends. After playing their first show at 15, starting high school and growing several inches a piece, TPC officially began storming the Midwest club scene in 1999, borrowing their parents’ mini-vans for a variety of tours of venues they weren’t old enough to drink in. After a four year break for college and travel, TPC released the critically acclaimed Mazatlan (2024 Records) in 2004 which received Pitchfork’s Best New Music designation. They then made the jump to the national stage with 2006’s Crusades, a complex and epic album for New York’s respected Frenchkiss Records. The band was on the road for most of 2006, sharing the stage across North America with the likes of The Hold Steady, The Gossip, Thunderbirds are Now, Swearing at Motorists and many more. Now the next phase begins with the release of We Appreciate You on April 15, 2008, again on Frenchkiss Records. While the album retains the exuberance, energy and passion of all that TPC stands for, it finds the band exploring a new sound, more melodic and diverse than ever before. From the powerful group melodies of the album-opener “Stay That Way” to the rhythmic sing-along “Perched on a Porch” (featuring Dessa from Doomtree on vocals) to the ambitious and hopeful album-closer “So Many Friends,” We Appreciate You is the varied manifesto of long-time pals who’ve seen the world together—a celebration of youth and friendship. Through all the years, the band remains closer than ever—finishing each other’s sentences, sharing the same warped sense of humor, and drinking beers in each other’s backyards with unhealthy frequency. With no touring planned for the record beyond a trip to the SXSW festival in March, and an indefinite hiatus on the horizon, We Appreciate You is a statement. It’s an exclamation mark that may note the end of a long and exciting ride!
http://2008.sxsw.com/music/showcases/band/65203.html
