Plain Jane Automobile
Your Tomorrow
Self-Released
By Ellen Eldridge
In a style U2 fans will find familiar, Plain Jane Automobile begin again with album opener “You Were Only A Song,” which recounts sentimentality of the loss of a friend to war. Admittedly, vocalist/guitarist Duke Crider felt compelled to tell the stories of WWII heroes and victims. His own grandfather was a Polish Jew living in Germany during the war. For a band that can easily fill the shoes of pop icons like Shinedown and Matchbox 20, Plain Jane Automobile sidesteps the pop themes and cashes in with metaphorical gems. Rick Beato, producer of Shinedown, worked on Your Tomorrow with the money the band raised through social media and fan donations. The album speaks to audiences looking for more meaning in lyrics and substance in musical dynamics.
“Your Tomorrow” starts with quiet attitude and kicks out hopeful spirit. Plain Jane Automobile’s website states, “The title track offers a fervent plea to humanity’s best to never stop surprising us.” According to Crider, the song is based on the story of the Bielski partisans. “They survived in the woods for over two years, rescuing over 1200 people in the process and eventually restarting their lives in New York.” The chorus entices listeners to sing along to the words, “This is how the world is falling apart,” yet its music propels a more encouraging vibe.
“Yesterday’s Pain” brings a Beatlesque sentiment to the ideas of love lost with its lyric, “I read your face; I got it wrong.” The acoustic strumming and high notes of the vocals take this very human theme to classic levels. The style and presentation of “Stones” does a great job of combining the themes on the album in one song; it ties the messages of war to those of heartache and connects with modern audiences longing to connect with previous generations.
Plain Jane Automobile do justice mainstream music with Your Tomorrow and fans of good radio rock should check them out.
Plain Jane Automobile play Vinyl on May 11 for their CD release party.
