PLUMPUS

by Katie Whitman

A CD with a particularly striking cover arrived in my mailbox a few weeks ago.  The band’s name – Plumpüs.  The cover – an oriental-style drawing of a devil riding a wave on a dragon’s head.  Very, very cool.

            The music?  I imported the CD into iTunes and gave it a whirl.  Suddenly, I was 14 again, watching Def Leopard and Gun ‘n’ Roses on MTV.  A heady Axle-esque voice wailed from the speakers, backed by standard rock power chords, machine gun drum fills, and breakneck guitar solos.

            Plumpüs’ music is filled with rock, metal, blues, and country influence.  Song themes revolve around truck stops, sex, driving fast, sex, fetish, oh, and sex.  Not really a romantic album for the ladies.  They do, however, slow it down about halfway through, pull out the acoustic guitars and piano and introduce a female singer with a Melissa Etheridge sound.  She duets prettily for a few songs, then takes over and kicks it up a notch to the end of the album.   

            If you’re a fan of Lyrnyrd Skynyrd, Charlie Daniels, Metallica, or the bands mentioned above, you ought to be enthused that Plumpüs is out there creating good ol’ rock music despite the push towards over-produced emo bands of the now.  www.myspace.com/plumpus or Contact Lloyd Kandell at 808-256-4333 or lkandell@hawaii.rr.com to get your copy.