Filed under: reviews | Tags: baltimore, best of 2008, ponytail, we are free, yeasayer
ponytail- Ice Cream Spiritual
Next up is a record that has made me look at music in a completely new light. That may sound like a gross exaggeration and awful use of a literary cliché, but take notice of the name of this blog. “Celebrate the Body Electric (It Came From an Angel)” was the first single released from Ponytail’s sophomore album Ice Cream Spiritual, which arrived mid-June from We Are Free Records, home of fellow musical shamans, Yeasayer. And I couldn’t think of a better title for either the track or the album. The band’s sound can best be described as a channeling of some sort of animalistic, tribal spirit, expressing exuberance for love and life through their wild energy that blasts past conventional ideas of how instruments and singing should sound. A lofty description, right? Take one listen to the single and try to disagree.
And while individual songs may be self contained packages of sonic explosions, this album is best experienced as a whole. After repeated listenings, you begin to understand how much of an uplifting experience this record is. The positive feeling and aura that these songs give off shines through the band’s use of inventive guitar work and vocals. Two lead guitars take you on an exhilarating ride on rolling surf-rock waves. And lead singer Molly Siegel’s banshee vocals seem to combine Yoko Ono with a screeching owl. But somehow it all fits together; Ponytail wouldn’t work with typical lyric structures. Their goal is to show us the true beauty in the world we live in through the layers and layers of positive energy seeping out of each track. And these crazy kids from Baltimore come damn close to succeeding.
Ponytail- Celebrate the Body Electric (It Came From an Angel)
Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: baltimore, best of 2008, ecstatic sunshine, ponytail
I figure that since we’re a bit more than halfway through 2008 and there have been a TON of great albums released so far, we’re long overdue for a recap. First though, I’ll lay down a few rules.
1. No leaks. Even if they are scheduled for later on in the year, I don’t think it’s fair to slap a number on them yet. Changes still can occur between the leak and street dates. Besides that, I’ll get to write about more albums overall.
2. No Re-Releases. Who wants to read about old stuff?
3. Even though today is technically more than halfway through the year, everything released up to last Tuesday counts.
ecstatic sunshine- WAY
The path that Ecstatic Sunshine has taken is certainly a unique one. Starting off as a minimalist artsy surf-rock duo, the band released Freckle Wars in their native Baltimore to complement many of the other art-rock groups coming out of that region. We heard dueling guitars squash riff upon riff into each of the 12 compact songs on the disc. The result was an enjoyable listen, something that, while extremely catchy, you could listen to over and over and seemingly discover something new each time. That continues to be the appeal of Ecstatic Sunshine in 2008. After their transitional EP Living, their latest album has seemingly made a 180 degree turn in direction.
Off the bat, the track number is a bit deceiving. Only 3 songs? This must be another EP right?
Well it’s not. With each track ranging from 7 to 12 plus minutes long, we have a full album’s worth of material, even if the movements aren’t exactly separated from one another. And instead of quick and dirty guitar jamz, we have heavily effected-guitars, blissfully droning away. This now-3-piece-collective has taken the soul of Ecstatic Sunshine’s previous works and embedded this love of melodies that are equally uplifting and wild into a tangled nest of amplifier static and processed loops.
So check out these dudes from Baltimore. Dustin Wong founded the band with his pal Matt Papich back in 2004, and while he has since traveled on to focus full time on another group of Baltimore natives, Ponytail (who are soon to be the focus of another Best of 2008).
