Not that words absolutely have to be the end all be all. Tom Pearo, by appearances a good-natured Vermonter, can say a lot relying on soaring guitar tone.
On first hearing “Plains,” I was reminded of pleasant nights when some locals here used to put on something called the Cumulus Festival. If only that festival still existed. Cumulus Festival, for me, was a chance to hang out in someone’s daydream. That also is the effect of Pearo’s track. The guitars are choice, the drums assist in building to a natural crescendo. It is low-key orchestral jazz as interpreted using the tools of, well, rock.
I’ve long been curious about what grown-ups can make with the tools of rock n roll, and this track is nothing to take lightly. Like a lot of Levi Fuller’s curated tracks, this song grabs the subconscious but also appeals to the intellect. Here’s hoping Tom Pearo relaunches the Cumulus movement.