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The more I think about it, the more I’m convinced that I’ve been underrating Plankeye’s last album, Relocation. It doesn’t sound forced--the songs come out of honest emotion, and with the personnel changes the band suffered, they had plenty. So, for the last couple of months, I’ve had a really good feeling about Strange Exchange--I was expecting a masterpiece. Does the album deliver? Not exactly.

The songs on Strange Exchange are not bad songs, especially for a band that has in the past so catered to youth groups. None of the tracks have the emotional impact of "Goodbye" or the pure melodic catchiness of "I Can’t Complain," but overall the music is comparable to that of Relocation. It’s certainly not the punk rock/power pop that the band churned out under ex-lead singer Scott Siletta; rather, it is darker, slower and more layered–almost entering into Jimmy Eat World’s emo pop territory at some points, and Newsboys-esque pop rock at others.

Frontman Eric Balmer does a fine job inserting some attractive, noisy guitar solos into several songs, and his voice is getting better, if more than a little melodramatic in places. That’s part of the problem: Strange Exchange is the sound of a good band trying too hard to be a great band. When the music is less forced, as on the acoustic "My Wife," the album reaches its peak, but the labored, overemotional pieces keep this one from being Plankeye’s magnum opus.

Michial Farmer 4/9/2001

After a year of re-invention and life experiences, Plankeye responds to those experiences and invention with their answer: Strange Exchange. This new collection of maturity-inspired works incorporates the talent of new members as well as the musical contributions of Eric Balmer's wife, Beth. This newest offering brings out the best in the band.

The album opens with the invigorating "This Is," a driving rock ballad featuring pulsing guitar riffs and tight vocals. The song draws the listener in with each pounding rhythm, bursting with intensity as the track continues.

"The Meaning of It All," follows immediately with a simple bass line interspersed with electronic sounds, suddenly exploding into the full band. The song has a definite Oasis or U2 impression but still retains the sound for which Plankeye is best known. This track speaks of the purpose of life and captures the growth of the band. "With age comes time, And leaves to the earth must fall and die, Before they can find the meaning of it all."

"Chemicals and Sleep" is a song about taking responsibility for one's actions. "My Wife" is a sweet, slow song about the singer's wife. "I can feel right when you are down, it troubles the mind. And I can't see right with those sleepy eyes, you are my wife." The guitar work on this song is intricate, matching the emotion obviously felt by the singer.

The last few songs on the album mellow considerably from the first tracks, but still retain the same intensity. "Bring it Down" has the qualities of some of the Psalms, calling for a complete re-building of our lives into what God wants us to be.

"My Daughter," a sad ballad which speaks of the loss of a child, is mild but emotionally charged. The song bleeds with the pain of missing a loved one.

Overall, Strange Exchange represents the collective maturity and growth of the band, as well as their musical and lyrical growth.

Kerry Maffeo  4/21/2001

Little remains of the Plankeye who were among the earlier modern rock bands to reach the Christian music mainstream with albums like The Spark and Commonwealth. Last year's Relocation proved an apropos title, moving band leaders Luis Garcia and Eric Balmer on to more progressive, modern rock territory, achieving an admirable sound and doing the almost impossible: resurrecting an established band with new members, and bringing it beyond its point of origin. The progress achieved with the band's latest offering, Strange Exchange, however, isn't as marked. The album is more a continuation of the musical ideas from the previous record, with a few experimental moments thanks to veteran producer Chris Colbert, but mostly contains clean performances, solid songwriting, and isn't enough out of the ordinary to warrant significant attention.

Most of the album is composed of straightforward streamlined power-pop with a little bit of punk thrown in for good measure. The album opener, "This Is," is a strong one, with nice flowing melodic lines and clean guitars, in the vein of fellow modern rock act Vertical Horizon. Other tracks along the same lines are "The Meaning of it All," and "Chemicals and Sleep," which uses a nice reverb effect on rhythm guitar to set off the yearning vocals. These sort of tracks, which dominate the album, show that the band has matured, with a greater depth in both the writing and in treatment of the songs. They succeed at wringing the most from their various components, and pulling the maximum of expression out of the mix.

Although the majority of the album runs along these lines, the most evocative and compelling elements of Strange Exchange lie in the album's final two tracks, where the crunching guitars are set aside for more sparse work, and the pieces come together more slowly. When the passion and intensity catch up with the frenetic pop exuberance of the album's early moments, the result is mature rock, which fans of Switchfoot or more clearly The Prayer Chain will appreciate. On "The Way of the Earth," the dark bassline and melancholy cello touches bring the album together. The song develops slowly, gaining momentum as it progresses, which continues into the wrenching, eight-minute masterpiece "My Daughter." Balmer's tortured vocals show the same quietly expressive power as on The Prayer Chain's Mercury or other emotive offerings.

Unfortunately, there simply aren't enough moments like these, where each touch is a solid statement and the artistry of the lyrics are given chance to blend with the passion of the band's combined force. Strange Exchange is strange indeed, ending with this intense closer, guitars and vocals strung out over a pounding rhythm section, yet juxtaposed against more compact musical ideas on the rest of the disc. The experimentation is much appreciated, but still too few and far between to be truly effective. 

Glenn McCarty 4/21/2001