he thought of planes - beyond

He Thought Of Planes

Beyond
self-released; 2013

3.9 out of 5

By Matt Jensen

He Thought Of Planes is the solo project of Reed Trachy who just released an impressive five-song debut called Beyond. He started recording the EP in early 2012 and after he had the music ready, he made the wise decision to have it professionally mixed by hip-hop producer Randy Ross which is similar to the decision Animal Collective made by hiring Ben H. Allen to contribute to the low end. The record is essentially an indie rock/ pop record mixed with the aesthetics one would approach when carving the sounds of hip-hop.

The first track on the album entitled “Beyond” starts off as a soft combination of horns, delicate strings and some of the best vocal melodies you will hear on the entire album. Once you hear the drums come in you realize where the hip-hop influence comes in. The drums hit hard, have a thick low end and would sound fantastic blasting at high volumes though a nice pair of speakers. Trachy’s angelic reverb-laced vocals swirl around horns and bells before a distorted white noise creates dissonance on top of the beauty. 

“When The Sky Split Open” builds layers of sound as it progresses. Disjointed rhythmic patterns immerse in the lake of tranquil sounds that Trachy creates. Trachy seems to be questioning his spiritual convictions as he sings “A sign from above? A sign of the changes ahead? I don’t know….” The most straightforward rock song on the album is “Voltorb” while “Lie” contains mariachi style horns that sound fantastic against the deep hip-hop beats. The closer “Future Girlfriends” is a sparse, melancholy song devoid of percussion and instead relying on guitar and piano to create a atmospheric canvas for Trachy to sing over.

Trachy did things right with this record. He took his time, collaborated with the right people and pulled off an exceptional debut he should be proud of. 

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