Puzzlewood

For over 20 years, Plones small body of work was a fleeting glimpse into a magical world. In particular, the spooky and sweet moods of their 1999 album For Beginner Piano conjured childhood mischief and wonder effortlessly. Compared to the more complicated, self-consciously mature sounds of most of Plones Warp labelmates, it was an outlier, but it became a cult classic that foreshadowed the hauntology movement and other whimsical electronic acts that popped up in the decades to follow. Aside from some bootlegs of mid-2000s recordings that floated around online, that seemed to be that. Until it wasnt. That Puzzlewood arrives on Ghost Box makes sense, since Plones aesthetic was a significant influence on the label and its artists. However, anyone expecting Michael Johnston and Mike Billy Bainbridge to pick up where For Beginner Piano left off might be surprised. While Puzzlewood bubbles over with innocent synth tones and warm, absorbing atmospheres, Plones first officially released music in 20 years is livelier and somehow even more playful. Sometimes, it resembles Pianos bouncy melodies with the brightness turned way up, as on Miniature Magic, which throws in some sunny surf, lounge, and dub elements in for good measure, and Sunvale Run, a zippy track full of whooshes and zaps that suggest especially stylish video game music. On the title track, they distill their music into the purest form of ear candy, complete with synths that sparkle like grains of sugar. Here and on the whizz-bang sound effects of Just a Shadow, they come closer than ever to the vintage childrens television music that influenced their early work so profoundly. Its interesting to note that Puzzlewood spans tracks that Bainbridge and Johnston worked on during all the years between this album and For Beginner Piano. Though these songs are undeniably cohesive, Plone also give themselves room to grow. They begin the album with Words and Elements, a spacious and futuristic take on their style, then revisit For Beginner Pianos lullabies with Circler and Red Kite, a sunny spring day of a song that should have a storybook to accompany it. Puzzlewood gets even more interesting when it recalls the work of other playful electronic-inclined acts. Day Trips taut disco riffs and strutting beat could be the work of a toy model Daft Punk; with its clippity clop percussion and posh strings and trumpets, Watsons Telescope recalls the High Llamas neatly turned out pop. On the sample-fests Sarcelle and Sweet Factory, they call to mind the vibrant shibuya-kei of Takako Minekawa and Cornelius, artists who explored similar moods and themes at the time of Plones first heyday, albeit in very different ways. While Puzzlewood lacks some of the mystery that made For Beginner Piano so singular, its to Bainbridge and Johnstons credit that they didnt try too hard to recapture their debuts magic. On its own terms, this is an engaging, welcome return, and its sonic sweets are hard to resist. ~ Heather Phares