A band that deserves much more praise than it receives, Planes Mistaken For Stars impressed me from the moment I first heard them. They are, at their root, a hardcore band; but they do seem to weave a subtle melody through their music at the same time. They have a deep, throaty sound and I would not be surprised if they were tuned down (I’m not very experienced in this issue and so I don’t know if that is true or not). All in all, the album is heavy on the bass side. This accompanies the vocals, which sound as if the lead singer of Leatherface got pissed off and started screaming. To those who don’t know Leatherface (I pity you), this means that the vocals are very gruff and deep, much like the music on this album. Lyric-wise, I have absolutely no complaint. These are some of the darkest, most engaging lyrics I have ever heard. When the lyrics are backed by the fierce music, the combination which results is one of the most powerful things I have ever experienced. I’m seriously not joking. “Sicillian Smile” (which is my favorite song) contains lyrics that drive straight into my soul every time I hear them. I would list the lyrics here, but it seems like an injustice to do so without the music to accompany it. This one-two combination creates an intense experience which is hard to forget after you first hear it. My only complaint is that the vocals are far too gruff and it is hard to distinguish what the lead singer is singing.

The tracks on the album are very good with few exceptions. Planes Mistaken For Stars has a tendency to lay down an audio track from an outside source and play music over it. This does nothing for me and I wish they would have put another song in its place. In the case of “Fuck With Fire”, “Get Burned” is the track in which this occurs. To me, it detracts from the album as a whole as I don’t even listen to it and it seems like a wasted track. The only other track that I do not like is the title track, “Fuck With Fire”. It is very slow and the lyrics are whispered. It is placed in the middle of the CD and it jerks you from the blazing pace of the normal sound of the album to a sluggish lull. Aside from these two tracks, the others are all great.

I highly recommend this album as well as their self-titled debut full-length, their E.P. entitled “Knife In The Marathon”, and their split with Race Car Riot and The Appleseed Cast, all of which can be found on Deep Elm Records. Go support this band. Now.

Favorite Songs: Leveless, Hollowpoint and Whiskey, Rhythm Dies, Sicillian Smile, I’ll See You In Hell.

Pros: Great music, exemplary lyrics, very few bad songs.

Cons: Vocals sometimes hard to understand.