Planningtorock - Doorway / The Breaks

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Customer reviews
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4...according to our Brian on Thu 02 Jun, 2011.

Weird record this, from Bostonian weirdess Janine Rostron who used to release stuff on Chicks on Speed's label! 'Doorway' is already stalking into my heart with its Knife-like mogadon synth-pop strut and bizarre ethereal vocals. A totally engaging listen and rather unusual at that with synth sax thrusts & majestic, governing banks of glacial synth pomposity. That makes it sound awful but believe me, it's a powerful, moving piece of moody electronic genius. I'm actually less keen on the B side, it is built from similar tools - a funereally paced stomp of a bass drum kick and another synthesized reedy sample with spatterings of '80s synth. It's a very spacious tune that would definitely work within the realms of a downtempo or cosmic disco DJ set, possibly as a scene-setter but doesn't particularly go anywhere as a home listen, it just kind of...is?

Planningtorock is Janine Rostron, a musician and visual artist from Bolton who’s been based in Berlin for the last ten years. Ahead of the release of her forthcoming DFA label debut, W, Planningtorock releases a 9” single (yes, you read that right!) and announces rare UK live dates.

A ball of energy that landed by happy accident in the middle of the art, fashion and music worlds, Planningtorock has allowed Janine to travel the globe performing at gig venues and arts events, with recent collaborations including the opera score for Tomorrow, in a Year with The Knife and Mt Sims.

On this taster for the W album, ‘The Breaks’ introduces the melancholic saxophone depths and euphoric synth string highs contained in a single Janine Rostron song – epic in scale yet deeply personal, strikingly alien but weirdly familiar, and always daring and original. She stretches sounds and curdles her voice, a queasy rococo rush that has an intoxicating quality.

‘Doorway’ seethes with a throbbing electronic pulse and jabbing pizzicatos, unveiling the unsettling yet heady allure we can expect from W.

Planningtorock has built a formidable reputation for her theatrical solo show. “I’ve come to terms with the fact that what I do has a big percentage of elements that you just don’t know,” she says, “and that’s what makes it interesting.” Multimedia and sometimes kind of multi-gender, Planningtorock seems to raise more questions than Janine often has answers for, which tickles her.