Plastic Bubble
Big Day Parade
Jigsaw Records / Hope for the Tape Deck

The Plastic Bubble is a combo from Louisville, Kentucky spreading bubbly pop music with a twist. This is pop music from the indie/lo-fi divisions, clearly related to some of the flowery, pop-power acts connected to the Elephant 6 Recording Co. collective, with all their musical relatives in many directions and in many places. The E6 link is cemented with the fact that the record was mastered in Athens, GA by Derek Almstead - a member of/player with a line of E6 bands: of Montreal, The Olivia Tremor Control, Elf Power, Major Organ and the Adding Machine, E6 Holiday Surprise Orchestra, Circulatory System, Summer Hymns, Visitations, Great Lakes, The Sunshine Fix, Marshmallow Coast/M Coast, Pipes You See, Pipes You Don't, The Instruments, The 63 Crayons, and several others.

The E6 link can also be heard through the somewhat odd and charming pop songs, the arrangements, the instrumentation (horns and some 'E6 attitude' instruments such as saw, banjo and accordion), etc. In addition, like with most E6 bands, Plastic Bubble have a lot of good friends and helpers stepping in during recordings, adding instrumental and vocal contributions. Like the band say, it is 'a very long list.'

The Plastic Bubble are: Matt Taylor (vocals, keyboards, glockenspiel, percussion, piano horn, guitar, melodica), Jason Dudgeon (vocals, guitars, bass, saw, toy piano, percussion, dulcimer, banjo, accordion), Elisa McCabe (vocals, keyboards, percussion, ukulele, melodica), and John Kleemeier (drums, percussion). These four also produced their album. Some of the closest associated members seems to be Samuel Orndorff (guitars, drone, and drums) who is contributed to the song writing as well. Someone by the name Picklesimer also seems to be an ex-member, 'ghost writer' (well, obviously not a ghost...) or 'grey eminence', as he/she is credited for co-writing some of the songs.

According to their early history, Taylor began recording music 'with a rotating cast of friends as Blastic Pubble while a teenager. This went on for the better part of a decade or so. Then an attempt at a new line-up of said band became a whole new thing which was called The Genius File. That band did its thing and ran its course as bands sometimes do. And now, Plastic Bubble!' Their label, Jigsaw Records describes the music of Plastic Bubble to be 'really fun indiepop that recalls the heyday of Kindercore Records (think Kincaid, Gritty Kitty, early Masters Of The Hemisphere...)'. Speaking of influences, the band namedrop (besides the obvious E6) 'The Beatles, Brian Wilson, The Flaming Lips, Guided By Voices, Pavement, Syd Barrett.' When hearing Big Day Parade it also makes me think of (slightly) some Brit bands of the 1960s, such as The Kinks and The Small Faces. But also The Monochrome Set, The Feelies, Camper van Beethoven and Yo La Tengo comes to mind.

Big Day Parade holds twenty songs and they all clock in at less than 3 minutes (with a total running time for the album being some 40 minutes). The charm of the album and its songs is important, and the joy of listening to it/the songs gives me a really good time. Plastic Bubble appear to be relaxed and friendly, and the album is indeed informal and it's filled with joyful glee. The band (and their friends) is into this for the fun. They love writing, performing and recording songs. It is not a timeless classic, but a definite charmer. Yes it is! Thumbs up! You should definitely check this out, and you'd better support the band while doing it. Check Bandcamp and do the deal! Either at Jigsaw Records or at Hope for the Tape Deck. Go, Plastic Bubble!

Copyright © 2015 Howard Popeye