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Avg: 4.0 (116 ratings)
- Date Released: September 13, 1994
- Genre: Rock/Pop
- Style: Rock
- Label: Epic
- Copyright: (P) 1994 Sony Music Entertainment Inc.
Coming-out parties have rarely sounded stranger than this
-
We Say...
Any major-label debut from a band long signed to indie stalwarts Dischord was bound to raise eyebrows; Shudder to Think arched them sky-high with 1994's Pony Express Record. Coming-out parties have rarely sounded stranger than this, between the band's sidewinding, chromatic changes and singer Craig Wedren's unironic operatics; the package pulled together cock rock, prog and post-hardcore in ways at once shocking and beautiful, like some weird middle ground between Faith No More and Gastr Del Sol.
The D.C. band had to know that the album would be scrutinized under an indie-rock microscope: this was, after all, the era of Steve Albini's infamous "The Truth About Major Labels" article, which established the underground party-line for a generation to come. (Lest there be any confusion about things, the cover of the issue of Maximum Rock'n'Roll in which it was published featured a young punk sticking a handgun in his own mouth.) Pony Express Record, accordingly, almost trips over itself in its race to distance itself from the hardcore scene. It's not just Wedren's ambiguously gendered wails or the band's garish songwriting, which seems to marry the spookiest elements of old-timey carnival music to the swaggering hard rock actual carnies listen to in their trailers at the end of the day. The sound of the record itself screamed "modern rock" at its beefiest, swollen with multitracked guitar leads and pneumatic, precision-miked drums.
Oddly, given that emo was one of punk's major stepping stones to the mainstream, Shudder to Think's emo tendencies are precisely what they shed on Pony Express. Where their Dischord albums had featured ringing open harmonies and the kind of soaring, unresolving chord progressions that would have you tearing at your breast in agonized desire, Pony Express felt tilted at an awkward incline, with dissonant chords joining at odd angles and all the syrup running out from beneath them. The band's playing is tighter than before, their attacks sharper and more meticulous. But thanks to Wedren's over-the-top wail, it never comes off as bloodlessly calculated. Quite the opposite: the beefed-up technique makes all the difference in these thrillingly jarring, jarringly sweet songs. -
They Say...
Shudder to Think's major-label debut, Pony Express Record, boasted a better sound/production than past releases (courtesy of producer Ted Nicely and mixer Andy Wallace), and signaled more focused songwriting on the group's part. It was by no means a sellout, because even on earlier releases the group's ambitious songwriting was in full effect. And "focused" songwriting from Shudder to Think does not mean three-chord, predictable verse-chorus-verse compositions, either. Pony Express Record challenges the listener in many ways: stop/start riffing ("X-French Tee Shirt"), oblique lyrics ("Earthquakes Come Home"), often dramatic, Freddie Mercury-like vocals ("Gang of $"), and everything-but-the-kitchen-sink song structures ("No Rm. 9, Kentucky"). The music is consistently unpredictable, mixing jazz, metal, art rock, folk, experimental, and alternative in the band's melting pot. And all of the songs boast strong melodies, which initially draw the listener in until you realize that there's more than meets the ear. Pony Express Record also marked the studio debut of guitar whiz Nathan Larson and drummer Adam Wade (Larson became an integral member of the group, helping to write five tracks, while Wade left after the supporting tour). One of the most underrated rock records of the '90s.
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| 01. |  |
Hit Liquor |
4:07 |
|
| 02. | |
GANG OF $ |
3:43 |
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| 03. | |
9 FINGERS ON YOU |
2:39 |
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| 04. | |
SWEET YEAR OLD |
4:52 |
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| 05. | |
Earthquakes Come Home |
3:44 |
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| 06. | |
Kissi Penny |
3:05 |
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| 07. | |
X-French Tee Shirt |
4:04 |
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| 08. | |
No Rm. 9, kentucky |
5:33 |
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| 09. | |
Chakka |
4:46 |
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| 10. | |
Own Me |
4:47 |
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| 11. | |
So Into You |
3:42 |
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| 12. | |
Trackstar |
6:41 |
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| 13. | |
Full Body Anchor |
1:50 |
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13 Total Tracks, 53:33 Total Length
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Credits
- Shudder to Think - Main Performer // Bob Ludwig - Mastering // Ted Nicely - Producer // Steve Palmieri - Engineer // Andy Wallace - Mixing // Stuart Hill - Bass // Nathan Larson - Guitar // Craig Wedren - Guitar // Craig Wedren - Vocals // Mike Rippe - Engineer // Adam Wade - Drums // Steve Cisco - Engineer // Steve Cisco - Mixing
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