Rating: 
You have to give it up to Toronto’s Rock Plaza Central; not only have they just finished their new album, but they managed to make it the most long-winded title: At the Moment of Our Most Needing or If Only They Could Turn Around, They Would Know They Were Not Alone. Yet again, it’s a record that begs to be listened to from start to finish, and if you make it the entire way through the album, you’re destined to be rewarded.
“Oh I Can” creates an emphatic opener worthy of grabbing the listener’s immediate attention. Slowly, almost inaudibly, percussion sounds inch along the recording, creating a tension which begs the band to let it all loose. And they do, chanting out the song’s title in gang vocals, before singer Chris Eaton focuses a little bit more on the traditional verse tactics. And before you know it, you feel as if you CAN too. Then the song goes off into the distance, replaced instead by an instrumental number.
This is one of the more noticeable additions to this album, as Eaton and Co. clearly worked to construct a concise album with all the pieces ornately put down with purpose. Every song carefully melts into the next, flowing like a river through an orchestral valley in the country of Americana. It’s here that you see the band share a lot of resemblance to Theater Fire. “Them That are Good and Them That are Bad” is a song that uses layer upon layer of musicianship and craftwork to carefully flesh out every bit of the song; this is a song that exemplifies the band doing their best work to date.
While Chris Eaton’s voice might steer some listeners in the wrong direction for it’s cross between Jeff Mangum and Will Johnson, it definitely falls directly in line with the patchwork of the band. String instruments are abundant, as well as various horn elements, and non-traditional instruments such as a banjo play a great role in the hodge-podge construction of this album. Sure, it lies somewhere in line with the folk/americana aesthetic, but there is more at work here. You really get the feeling that Eaton has put a lot of thought into the composition of every inch of song, much as he would his novels, of which he has written two. Interestingly, there aren’t a lot of stand-out moments on this album, just a lot of great craftsmanship and organization; in the end, that makes up for everything, as the record is as complete an album as they come, filled with beauty and inspiration.
[audio:https://austintownhall.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/06/07-them-that-are-good-and-them-that-are-bad.mp3]
Download: Rock Plaza Central – Them That are Good and Them That are Bad [MP3]
Perhaps my friend Shane and I are the only one interested in this, but I’m sure we’re both really excited. Chris Eaton’s Rock Plaza Central project has been sporadic at times, but that shouldn’t take away from the great body of work, such as my personal favorite, Are We Not Horses. Chris has just re-released one of the group’s early recordings, Quantum Butterass, and I’ve really been enjoying getting to see where the band began. The track I posted has some similarities to Mountain Goats, and I can definitely see similarities that have lasted into both bands careers. If you like this, the band is giving it away, but they’re asking for donations, which are always suggested by us here at ATH.
Daytrotter 