A while back, like less than three months ago, my son suffered a ruptured appendix, which led to a really bad set of infections that landed him in the hospital for 21 days.
Why am I sharing this?
We are back in the hospital as I am writing this! But this time, fortunately, that damned useless, vestigial organ is out of my young progeny’s body for good. Needless to say, I am an extremely happy person/Daddy today, and I feel like writing a review!
My latest band to review is Pontiak, another of the outstanding North American Neo-Psychedelic Stoner-ific bands that occupy the same headspace as White Hills (another fave of mine, and one I have reviewed this past year, (Pontiak and in fact labelmates on Thrill Jockey Records, and I highly recommend that you check out just about any Thrill Jockey act.) and US Christmas.
Now, don’t get me wrong: I am not being crass or insulting when I call this group Neo-Psychedelic or Stoner Rock. Pontiak is definitely making rock that pays homage to the forefathers of stoner rock, but it’s not a copy or knock-off in any way or shape. Yes, there is heavy soloing, lead guitar over a driving and hard-charging rhythm section, and there are even shades (just momentary glimpses) of Doors-ian croon, but Pontiak hold their own and deliver an enjoyable melodic experience on ‘Echo Ono’, the latest in a pretty long line of EP-and-full-length albums.
Starting out, strong I might add, is ‘Lions of Least’, belting and distorted, but at just over two minutes, is too short for me. Listen for the Hammond Organ in the middle portions of the song, it is understated and just enough, adding a nostalgic touch (Hammond was seriously overused for my taste by folks like Deep Purple, since a little goes a long way!). My only criticism, again, is that the song ends too soon, but since there is plenty more to love and listen to on the album, that’s minor.
Track two ‘The North Coast’ starts out slower, almost bluesy, and with those Ghost of Jim Morrison vocals I alluded to before. This song showcases all that is best with Pontiak, meaning a soaring lead voice, a catchy and addictive lead guitar riffing away, heavy hard-rock drumming punctuated with almost marching-band-precision tom beats, and a double-dose of distortion. This track leads almost seamlessly into number 3, ‘Left with Lights’. These two songs could easily be one, and they both rock out pretty damn hard.
The next two tracks are the almost Dylan-esque, ‘The Expanding Sky’ and ‘Silver Shadow’, which slow the tempo a bit, and take out the fuzz and feedback of the first half of the album. Shades of Country-Folk make an appearance, and a bit of Jerry Garcia-like harmonizing is also there, under the omnipresent twang of the lead guitar’s riff. These are definitely tracks that sounds to me most like tributes to ‘60s tunes, but these tracks are original and Garage Band or rough enough to still be fun, and stand up on their own. There are plenty of highlights left on the rest of this album, including some late-60’s Santana keys and organ for you Psychedelics out there.
I have to emphasize that I am enjoying the hell out of this album, and it is a fun and melodic rock record, but its strength is in the fact that Pontiak play this music really well, and add their unique flavor to it. It’s not the most original music of the year, and that’s okay in this case. It rocks, I recommend it, and I am hoping to see Pontiak live, since I can tell that they like to improvise and jam when not constrained by album track lengths and such. Ideally, I would love to see White Hills and Pontiak together, since they have a complementary sound and style, and both like to jam.
As always, if you like this music by Pontiak (or any of the music reviewed here), please buy it so that these artists can keep making music that matters!
Released February 06 2012 onThrill Jockey
Echo Rating (((???•)))
Posted by Jake Gillen
