Plasterscene Replicas ‎- Glow (1988, Raining)

It seems every year I come across a seriously Chaunkah-worthy indie pop relic from the Reagan-era (or in the case of these Canucks, the Mulroney era) that was entirely unfamiliar to me the year prior.  So how did Toronto's Plasterscene Replicas make my much belated radar?

I believe I encountered their name in the "thank you" credits in a Change of Heart album, and by coincidence, not long after, I found PR's Glow while browsing at a record store up north.  Truth be told, I've presented a lot of bands like the Replicas over the years - forward thinking guitar rock with mildly oblique lyrics and a dash of melancholia.  Sonically, they fit the bill as well - sweet, echoing guitars that are simultaneously crunchy yet jangly, backed by a tight, spotless rhythm section.  In short, a shoo-in for the college radio circuit, though I'm not certain how much traction PR had south of the Canadian boarder.  And almost everything here is golden - "What Could Be Incomplete," "All I See," and the sprite, assertive opener "We Can Walk" to name but three.  Glow often emanates the feel of a vintage Don Dixon or Mitch Easter production, and while there are traces of Game Theory and early Dreams So Real, there are beefier angularities that point to the likes of early Northern Pikes, Big Country (less obviously), and the Replica's Irish contemporaries Cactus World News.  I'm lovin' this one mightily.

PR co-guitarist/frontman Charlie Salmon passed on in 2013.  An article on Toronto's Now magazine site offers some background details on him and the Plasterscene Replicas is general.

01. We Can Walk
02. Things You Hold
03. Doldrums
04. What Could Be Incomplete
05. Trains
06. Pull Out
07. All I See
08. Hot Sand
09. Holler
10. Town Crier
11. Falling Down the Stairs
12. You've Got the Way

MP3  or  FLAC