PonytailIce Cream Spiritual
(06.2008, WE ARE FREE)
Verdict = a blazingly delicious rock spiritual, indeed!
Before listening to Ice Cream Spiritual I was given a little preface/warning from a friend that I shouldn’t expect to hear anything substantial from the vocals apart from high pitched female screams. The air of the comment had me worried about the vocals, kind of expecting that I would have to get used to them or get over them or something. Now, this isn’t a particularly literate album or one with catchy pop sing-a-longs, but that doesn’t mean that vocal excursions on Ice Cream Spiritual are the novelty I was lead to believe. On lead vocals Molly Siegel uses her voice the same way Brian Chippendale does in Lightning Bolt or Eye does with Boredoms - which is to say, she uses is it as another ecstatic instrument among the heaps of guitar, bass and drum ballistics on the record. So, if you hear something awry about the vocals, pay it no mind because Ponytail is simply a wondrous bunch of ballistic punk rock pranksters. The band is really all about exercising demons and after listening to Ice Cream Spiritual I’m convinced that the band manages a Gold’s Gym somewhere in the lower levels of hell ‘cause this stuff is nuts. I love it quite honestly. This stuff is simply rocking to the most rockingest extent. Full on blessed out jams teetering on explosion but retaining just enough control to be easily and enjoyably deciphered and translated to all out boneless, Gumby-style dance freak-outs. Musically, I want to pin them somewhere between Deerhoof and OOIOO, which, if I might say so myself, is pretty good company to be leveled against. Seems I can’t do much more but compare musicians to other musicians nowadays, but rest assured, Ponytail’s Ice Cream Spiritual is worth every second you lend to it.
2 comments:
"I was given a little preface/warning from a friend that I shouldn’t expect to hear anything substantial from the vocals apart from high pitched female screams"
If that was referring to what I said about the vocals I believe I said the vocals sound like... than I attempted to recreate the high pitched female screams for you. Geez.
But if that wasnt I referrence to me, nevermind.
I still havent listened to more than a song or two anyways, so what do I know.
I've had it for a couple months and i love the album. it is for sure going on my arbitrary year end list.
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