One might be hard pressed to envision a band that seems to exemplify a road warrior type touring ethic than that of the hard working group, Planes Mistaken for Stars. It is a sad day to see these stalwarts finally calling it a day after three albums and numerous EPs, particularly after the release of Mercy, which I still think is one of my favorite records from the band. Thinking back, I vividly remember getting that first self-titled record and not being all that genuinely taken by it. To be honest, the record that ingratiated the band to me is the single, Spearheading the Sin Movement which to this day holds a special place for me amongst their records and gave me an appreciation for almost everything that the band has produced over their existence. Still, all good things must come to an end, and Planes Mistaken for Stars is leaving us all with quite the inspirational body of work as a memento. We Ride to Fight: The First Four Years is just simply the parting shot for this crew.
The collection is sequenced fairly chronologically, which is nice as it aurally provides documentation to the band's evolving sound over the years. It is rather shocking to hear the difference right from the initial strains of Gared's vocals in "Copper and Stars," and the almost syrupy backing vocals present in the song (it had been so long since I took the time to listen to Planes' earliest material) are quite a shock. "The Time it Took" will surely force quite a few double takes from listeners that while pretty short at just over a minute bears an uncanny resemblance to Diary-era Sunny Day Real Estate. Actually, when rethinking it, the self-titled has that stamp all over it with the influence being subtler or more blatant depending on the song.
When the Knife in the Marathon record comes up on We Ride to Fight: The First Four Years, it is completely obvious as the band did make big strides in establishing an increasingly unique sound. "Knuckle Hungry" and "Where the Arrow Went Out" both have an increased dynamic and tempo range when comparing them next to the tracks on the band's earlier material; Gared's vocal performances also have glimpses of the future qualities that his voice would have on the later material of Planes Mistaken for Stars.
"Fucking Fight" demonstrates a dirtier more distorted overall sound quality that mixes with shorter songs on average and bit more of a dynamic range while the screeched vocals of "The Part You Left Out" is a stark contrast to the "cleaner" vocal performance. While listening to it, I find that "Scratching Rounds" is quickly rising in my overall list of favorite songs from Planes Mistaken for Stars with its quick tempo and emotive vocal performances. The song really packs a particularly strong visceral punch. "Anthem" is another track that I previously underrated from the band and find it rising in stature within the pantheon of Planes' oeuvre; its tension building effect and strong evocation of feeling is rather striking particularly from such a short song.
One sticking point I have with Planes Mistaken for Stars is that they cover Unbroken's (one of my favorite hardcore bands ever) "Fall on Proverb" (one of my favorite songs by said hardcore band ever). Musically the cover is fairly faithful, but Gared does not have the vocal power that the Unbroken version has, but some people may be into it. On the other hand, Planes' versions of the Black Flag songs "Wasted," "Police Story," "Gimmie Gimmie Gimmie," and "Depression" are more fun to listen to for some reason; their version of "Depression" especially seems to strike a chord with my ears.
The last chronological section of We Ride to Fight: The First Four Years is that of the previously mentioned Spearheading the Sin Movement single, and I can only reiterate how much I enjoy the three songs from in what in my mind is a pivotal point in the Planes' body of work. "Thunder in the Night Forever! (We Ride to Fight)" is roughly four and a half minutes of pure punk abandon in all the right senses and ways; the musical arrangement is powerfully delivered and the vocals almost perfectly serve as the foil to delivering the maximum amount of oomph necessary. It is without a doubt my absolute favorite song from Planes Mistaken for Stars and the people in my office must think I am nuts when I yell along with the band "We Ride to / We Ride to Fight." "Earning Ire" continues this inspired piece of musical composition with an anxious mood in the timbre of the sound, and "Bastards" is a great way to close not only this era of the band (the first four years, duh) but also this collection as a whole with its frenzied and powerful sound.
We Ride to Fight: The First Four Years is a great compendium of the early material of Planes Mistaken for Stars as well as a convenient gathering of their much more elusive compilation and vinyl single material; this is an essential addition to a late coming collector of the band's discography, but long time collectors probably already have this material in their collection. There is a wealth of music in this collection culled from Planes Mistaken for Stars' self-titled EP, the Knife in the Marathon EP, the Fucking Fight single, the aforementioned Spearheading the Sin Movement.
