Plastic Ants make prog pop for this modern world
Plastic Ants’ songwriter Robert Cherry spent 10 years editing Alternative Press. Now, he’s joined the ranks of Patti Smith and Neil Tennant, musicians who wrote about music and are in their own bands.
“I was writing songs in my early teens and playing in bands shortly after, so music came first,” says Cherry. “I stumbled into an editing career at Alternative Press in the ’90s. It was fun and provided a great musical education that fed my songwriting and tuned my ear.”
Cherry started Plastic Ants in Cincinnati with the help of Afghan Whigs bassist/producer John Curley, Wussy drummer/singer Joe Klug and classically trained keyboardist/singer Guy Vanasse. The band’s sweeping, cinematic songs hark back to the progressive pop of the ’70s, but the quartet puts a modern spin on the classic sounds that inspired them.
“Rob and I talked about forming a band like the Zombies,” says Curley. “Not to sound like them but to have the same instrumentation—guitar, keys, drums and bass—and use vocals in a prominent way. Guy and Joe are great at writing and singing harmonies, but after that initial concept, the music evolved organically. The ’70s were a great decade for music. It’s no surprise people are looking back for inspiration.”
New album Imperial Phase was recorded in Curley’s home studio, giving the band an opportunity to create expansive, multifaceted soundscapes.
“We took time trying different things with arrangements,” says Curley. “We’re always looking for something new to run through the Leslie cabinet. The real evolution happens during the overdubs. People start adding ideas, trying different instruments, adding vocal layers. ‘A Sea Of Upturned Faces’ is a good example of that. The middle section with the synth and guitar solos came together during an overdub session. It was very quick and spontaneous, with everyone contributing ideas.”
—j. poet
