the granite countertops - Planets Don’t Twinkle

The Granite Countertops

Planets Don’t Twinkle 
self-released; 2014

3.8 out of 5

By Ethan Skelton

The Granite Countertops is a different breed of musical knowledge and articulation. The songs on Planets Don’t Twinkle are predominately dictated via the very conscious monologues of their male and female vocal counterparts, spoken in lecture format and, most importantly, engaging with poignant lyrics and hypnotizing, cool beats. And that’s only half the equation as quite a few of the songs thrive in a lower level of intensity using repetition and powerful meaning to do the work rather than any strong danceability. A sense of linguistic and modern art lingers throughout the album like def jam poetry or open mic intellectualism. It follows an educational and entertaining path all the way until it’s climax and my personal favorite “High Definition.”

This is a track you have to hear to believe. Truly some of the most hip and conscious language I’ve heard in a pop effort. The ideas and content that spill forth with compete confidence and collected delivery range from the way we misinterpret musical nuance as a society to how musical genres have grown and changed along with the expanding of our minds on things like the acceptance of cultural elements and influence into popular Western music. 

The conflicts of race, oppression, class and love are introduced as our narrator brings us up to speed with the cause and effect of style reinvention and pioneering. The message seems to be to find deeper meaning in our surface knowledge on musical terms and find continued richness in the musical renaissance that transcended social norms and created substantial equality amongst the populations.

I think what we have on Planets Don’t Twinkle is a gradual excitement in the beginning that builds like a valley does a peak. That peak being halfway through, subsequently gradually losing it’s reign and falling back toward the valley as the album reaches its end. Quirky and random, informed and controversial; The Granite Countertops will take hold of your life’s view and throw it in new light. They have a keen sense of this world and simply have chosen their music to reflect it upon us. So keep your eyes and ears open for their call. Again, “High Definition” is something like a post-modern gem. Start with that and let the immersion begin.

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