Plum Crazy, 2007
Maybe the best thing from Vermont since maple syrup, Plum Crazy has a new CD stocked with its unique blend of radio-ready rock. Plum Crazy was formed in early 2002, and its sophomore album, Slot Machine Rolodex, is both addictively sweet and expertly sour. Their infectious, guitar-driven pop punk is paired with lead vocalist Krissi Long’s good-girl/bad-girl voice (vocally and lyrically matching powerhouses like Liz Phair and Gwen Stefani), which is almost impossible to resist singing along to, given her charms and conviction.
The just-catchy-enough lead song “Empty Room” spills through the speakers and settles somewhere in the middle of Plum Crazy’s eclectic style, but it’s not until the following track, “Bad You,” that the band actually arrives. The bold “Bunk Smack” has Long sassily proclaiming that she “is not dirty, just promiscuous,” and throwing out a loud “screw you” to anyone who has a problem with that.
The CD ends with the hypnotic “Chain Reaction,” a bit of a stylistic departure. With its eerie guitar texture and throbbing drumbeats, it leaves listeners both stung and satisfied, hungry for more.
