Artist description This genre defying Berkeley, CA based quintet dubs its sound"space fuzz melodika." Layered soundscapes give way to great hooks,melodies and arrangements. Growling bass, white noise guitars, languid slides, and driving rhythms mingle effortlessly with hook-filled vocalsand sampled madness.

Music Style Alternative, pop, electronica, mod

Similar Artists Garbage, Radiohead, Sneakerpimps, Cure, Portishead, Echobelly, Pulp, Massive Attack, Curve, Blondie, Cardigans, Bjork

Artist History Berkeley based band Plavu came together in 1998, forming a productive musical collaboration from a diverse group of musicians and influences. Plavu's members have played in Bay Area neo-psychedelic favorites like Anymore and Dorothy's Melting. Adapting the best elements of their musical pasts, the members of Plavu have moved into their own version of the future and have taken a more aggressive approach to both the studio and the live music environments. Plavu's focus is on writing fresh and memorable melodies, and folding these melodies into rich arrangements that are full of surprising noises, beats and sounds. Alex Ionov is the chief songwriter and bassist. He is a native Russian whose unconventional sense of melody and rhythm defines the musical face of the band. Ionov was involved in the underground experimental music movement in St. Petersburg. In the early 90s, Alex moved to California in order to continue his musical career and promptly began to collaborate with singer Alzara Getz (daughter of Dave Getz, drummer for the infamous Big Brother & Holding Co.). Getz is the lead singer for Plavu, whose classic, soulful voice is reminiscent of Dusty Springfield or Karen Carpenter. Her approach is very modern. While bringing a dream-like intensity to the stage, she uses tone and rhythm changes to communicate to the audience. Plavu considers itself a guitar band, even though they venture into the realm of non-traditional instrument usage. Sean Murphy and Matt Kehoe's unique use of diverse and unusual guitar sounds set the band apart from their peers. Murphy and Kehoe create a powerful mixture of raw, aggressive filtered noise and quiet, almost intimate guitar passages that define Plavu's dynamic sound. But Plavu doesn't stop there, for that would be easy. By incorporating complex percussive arrangements and the beautiful elements of "electronica" into their sound, Plavu adds a new layer that is both captivating and original. All of this is backed by the innovative rhythmical styling of Ben Kaplan, Plavu's drummer, whose influences range from hip-hop to power pop to 60s psychedelic.

Group Members Alex Ionov - Vox, Lyrics, Bass, ProgrammingAlzara Getz - Vox, HarpsMatt Kehoe - Guitar, Programming, Keys, TurntablesBen Kaplan - Drums

Instruments Guitars, vocals, bass, harmonicas, drums, turntables, samples

Albums Life Instructions Enclosed

Press Reviews "Beneath the vocals, lies a sea of slightly unsettling instruments, nonchalanthorns, floating harpsichords and even some scratching...Plavu knows the use of textures! Sexy Music!" .Limcat "Full of hip-hop beats and trippy noises that are unexpectedly introduced in the music like a shoe drop during the night, this album is more abstract than structured, but its also what makes it a fun listen..." Altar Native "Plavu explores the cheerier flip side of trip-hop melancholists Portishead and the prospect of My Bloody Valentine's Loveless being transformed into a Disney cartoon..." San Francisco Bay Guardian

Additional Info Stickers

Location San Francisco, California - USA

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