Ponys - Celebration Castle

  by Mark Rowland

published: 25 / 6 / 2005

Label: In Thered
Format: CD

intro

Innovative Steve Albini-produced rock on second album from the Ponys, who have decidely their own take on post-punk

The Ponys got plenty of acclaim for their first record, ‘Laced With Romance’, a driving, noisy post-punk/garage rock record with a distinctive sound and great tunes. On their new album, the Steve Albini-produced ‘Celebration Castle’, their sound has become tighter and more restrained. This has caused disappointment among some critics and fans who loved their first album, but although ‘Celebration Castle’ is less immediate, it is a very good album in its own right. The Ponys’ sound takes its cues from bands like Television, the Velvet Underground, the Stooges, Echo and the Bunnymen and the Cure, but unlike other recent bands that have blatantly stolen these bands’ riffs, the Ponys have their own take on post-punk. ‘Celebration Castle’ is a varied album, shifting between simmering indie pop numbers like ‘I’m With You’ and driving rockers like ‘Ferocious’. The Ponys’ strength is in their melodies, and all tracks on the album have great hooks; ‘Another Wound’ has an early REM feel to it, while ‘Today’ is slightly reminiscent of the best Britpop. Of the band’s three vocalists, it is Jered Gummere who sings on most of the songs, but the songs with Ian Adams or Melissa Elias singing on them are real stand-out tracks. Adams’ two – ‘Shadow Box’ and the aforementioned ‘I’m With you’, are probably the most immediate and poppy tracks on the record, while Elias’ ‘She’s Broken’ sounds like a great lost Sleater-Kinney track. The Ponys are one of a handful of underground acts that are keeping post-punk and garage rock fresh and modern rather than just recreating old sounds. Let’s hope they keep it up.

Track Listing:-