Hans Platzgumer’s Convertible returns with its seventh full-length album, “Favorite Record,” proving that his creativity and musicianship have no boundaries. With each new record, he further demonstrates how breaking rules and pushing the boundaries of many conventional genres can bring some of the finest tracks the music scene had a chance to witness. Still, Platzgumer and the accompanying musicians maintain their signature moves throughout the entire album, accommodating Convertible’s longstanding fans who got used to his sound before. By taking fundamental elements of contemporary and retro pop, soft and indie rock, and even some psychedelia, they craft tunes that immediately tackle all the senses and resonate with the listeners. “Favorite Records” reveals layers one by one and further drags listeners even deeper into the sole core, where Platzgumer and the gang hide their heaviest weaponry: boundless creativity, jaw-dropping talent, tremendous knowledge, and decades of experience merged into catchy, memorable, engaging pop-rock compositions. It’s a comprehensive collection where each song showcases how much heart and soul they poured into it. “Favorite Record” shines with a raw, honest, limitless emotion distilled into calm, soothing, relaxing, ethereal soundscapes empowered by Platzgumer’s soulful voice. It’s a one-of-a-kind sonic journey that will not only appeal to pop-rock fans but also those music enthusiasts stumbling upon Convertible’s music for the first time.
Firstly, “Favorite Record” explores different eras of pop music. You’ll stumble upon all the finest sonic ingredients that define the sixties, seventies, eighties, nineties, and modern pop music. They shift through decades with such precision and finesse, leaving a lasting impact on your listening apparatus. Of course, there are additional elements that make this sonic journey even more interesting. You’ll hear some blues, alternative, indie, psychedelic, and classic rock here and there, elevating and decorating particular segments or entire songs. Think of John Lennon’s solo career or The Beatles’ later works colliding with the stipped-down chord progressions borrowed from J Mascis and Dinosaur Jr. You’ll even notice some similarities with renowned artists like David Bowie, Nick Cave, and Leonard Cohen. However, “Favorite Record” is unquestionably stacked with Hand Platzgumer’s undeniable touch, a quality omnipresent on all Convertible records. Of course, some numbers carry a straightforward pop ambiance, a style that suits them well. You’ll even notice some explorations in cinematic ambient and electronic music, moments where this band proves there are no music genres they’re unfamiliar with. Each composition arrives with a perfect structure, adorned by many profoundly detailed segments, brilliant ideas, and marvelous musicianship. Hans Platzgumer’s songwriting, composing, arranging, and producing abilities go beyond comprehension many times throughout the entire album, as each composition carries many moments where Convertible shines in the limelight lyrically, vocally, and sonically.
Platzgumer employs poetic, storytelling lyricism, crafting stories that explore themes such as love, relationships, friendships, various sentiments, moods, situations, and circumstances, making “Favorite Record” a highly relatable full-length release that will resonate with the broader auditorium. His soulful, passionate, sincere, confident, emotional, powerful vocal performance acts as a centerpiece, elevating the entire album to new heights, commanding attention, and guiding the listening apparatus with precision and finesse. Besides emphasizing everything he intended to achieve with this marvelous piece of sonic artistry and decorating all the segments and instrumentations, his voice expertly contributes more emotional depth and detail to an already intricate song structure. The additional vocal layers, back vocals, and singalongs also provide a more anthemic feel that uplifts particular moments within these tracks. You’ll notice how all these vocal harmonies and arrangements showcase his dedication to the craft. Yet, you can also hear it through the music. The interplay between guitars and keys shapes a perfect backdrop for all vocals to shine upon. Platzgumer fully stacked this brilliant album with a comprehensive collection of leads, themes, melodies, harmonies, chord progressions, riffs, nuances, accentuations, and other sonic maneuvers. Whether delivered through guitars or keys, these orchestrations shine in the limelight, defining the sonic direction and output of the entire material.
Of course, the rhythm section makes “Favorite Record” even more interesting. There are equally impressive, audible, intricate, warm-sounding basslines lurking beneath the keys and guitars, offering heftiness, clearness, and deepness while serving as a glue between those instrumentations and rhythmic patterns. These low-ends are rich, deep, dense, and heavy, providing more warmth, groove, and detail to these songs. In the meantime, the exceptional drumming performance based upon many tastefully assembled, flawlessly performed, well-accentuated beats, breaks, fills, and other percussive acrobatics keeps the remainder of the band in line while dictating groove and tempo. You’ll hear how every hit of the snare, kick on the bass drum and splash over the cymbals cuts through the ambiance, adding more complexity to these profoundly intricate songs. Each instrument has its place and purpose in this sonic equation, making “Favorite Record” such a pleasant listening experience worth repeating over and over again. It’s difficult to pick standouts here when the entire album sounds good, but songs like “My Favorite Record,” “Into The Wide,” “Stalemate,” “House Arrest,” “Shrouded Trees,” “Watcha Doing To Me,” and “Lift The Needle” are my favorite picks here. Of course, you should listen to this masterpiece from scratch to finish, because there are no fillers here.
“Favorite Record” is one of those records you’ll hold near and dear to your heart. As soon as you put a needle on this vinyl record, you’ll immediately feel the urge to place it in your favorite spot in your collection. Therefore, head to Noise Appeal Records and grab this gem on vinyl. You will not be disappointed!
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