Plumerai: Marco Polo (Ep, 2012)

"Plumerai opens up “Marco Polo” with not and air of exploration or pool games, but a certain variety of witchcraft. The magic is introduced by a shimmering circular guitar part that winds over and through and under itself like some optical illusion, except for the fact that it is an auditory illusion. The guitar serves as a semi-constant companion for vocalist Eliza Brown, who completes the bewitching circle with soothe-saying vocal that gets you spinning in circles even moreso. Brown’s vocal melody dovetails with that of the guitar, as the two wind about the mix like dance partners, their eyes trained not upon each other but those of the listener. We remain helplessly fixed in their hypnotic gaze, even when the upbeat chorus comes around and everything starts jangling and making our vision all hazy. Seriously, Plumerai, what did you put in this stuff? The churning bubbles like a cauldron full of magical elixir, splashing all over the place and changing every surface it touches. Brown pushes her vocal to the highest registers available, although it never sounds like she is “pushing” anything, per se – her voice remains perfectly clear and unbroken. This level of control maintains not only her voice, but the song’s posture – it never falters or weakens in its hypnotic effect. You may find that you haven’t blinked for this track’s 3:20 runtime, and you will further notice that you don’t care, as long as Plumerai keeps the spell weaving" (Boston Band Crush)