Plaid Snakes - Slippery Slopes

Plaid Snakes

Slippery Slopes
​self-released; 2022

By Jay Freeman
​

The Plaid Snakes is based out of Nanaimo, British Columbia, Canada. This three-piece indie rock band have been playing shows since 2018 and just finished recording their first full-length album Slippery Slopes. Plaid Snakes initially was a two-piece band, (guitar and bass) and then drums were added later in 2019. The three bandmates, Jason Felker (bass), Alexandra Hicks (guitar/vocals) and Matt Chesterfield (drums) have been good friends for over ten years and have played in many other bands prior to starting Plaid Snakes. The ten-track album was recorded at the Chamber Studio in Nanaimo by Rob the Viking (Swollen Members). Rob Hooper (Rob the Viking) recorded, mixed and mastered the whole album.

“Shoes” opens the album up with a heavy, thumping rock sound. Heavily distorted rhythm guitars, a loud and deep bass drum and a lead guitar doing its own thing, carves out the band’s unique style and sound. “Andy” has got a fantastic groove. A little bit psych rock, a little indie alternative. I guess, from what I can tell so far, if you’re a fan of The Pixies, Sonic Youth, Velvet Underground and the Breeders, I think you’re going to like these guys. Next is “Graveyard” and it’s got an even more unconventional arrangement than the previous two songs. I really loved the James Bond / Link Wray sound of the lead guitar here. “Give it to You” is a short song, in fact it’s the shortest on the album. It features a fun, twisting ‘60s pop beat, with plenty of indie rock attitude and a catchy guitar hook. “My Suzie” takes things at a slower pace opening up with the line “Suuuzie was my doll / Suzie was bald, like me / it took a long time for us to grow.” The band’s rhythm seems intentional as well as their change in tempo and instrument arrangement. I’d say this one is on some trippy level – like Jefferson Airplane trippy.

The next song shares the band’s namesake, and it begins with a low guitar drone and deep, rumbling drum fills. The backup singing by Felker, and Chesterfield was great here, as well as Hicks’ guitar solo and the brief trade off on lead vocals. This one was a favorite!  “Biology” was another favorite too – I just loved the band’s groove – low, mean, dark and brooding. It reminds me of a cross between dark ‘60s psych rock, the Cramps maybe, and a goth version of the Breeders. I thought “Wes is turning 30” had a lighter feel to it, with its indie pop guitar sound (a little less distortion), and the band’s brief interlude and lighthearted style between verses. This one really reminded me of the Pixies when Kim Deal was still in the band. “Trash Can” has got a little less distortion overall, (or maybe the vocals just sounded less distorted), and a very catchy lead/bass guitar riff.

​Plaid Snakes’ last tune is called “Hard to Explain” and it has a fun, danceable beat – like the rock ‘n roll and pop grooves of the ‘60s, but with a modern indie sound of the early 21st century. This last track also happens to be the band’s longest, but it still runs shy of the four-minute mark. And that’s one thing I noticed about all the songs on Slippery Slopes – their short duration. Plaid Snakes stays true to the history of early rock ’n roll songs – where you’d be hard pressed to find any song clocking in at three-and-a-half minutes, let alone four. In fact, many of the popular tunes back then were under three. Whether or not that was the band’s intention, that approach works well here. The band’s chemistry was fantastic, and the album overall was consistent and focused. If you like the indie rock of the ‘90s and ‘00s, (Pavement is another band that comes to mind) – but also flavors of old school rock, like from the ‘60s and early alternative, check out Plaid Snakes.

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