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Avg: 3.5 (188 ratings)
- Date Released: March 20, 2007
- Genre: Alternative/Punk
- Label: Matador
A third album that finds this Chicago group’s dark muscularity turned up to max-plus-one along with the amps.
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We Say...
This may be one of the most kick-ass decades since rock’s 60’s-70’s golden age, but even today, when band proliferation means that every taste is catered for, it’s still not easy to unearth a sun-dodging, beneath-the-pavement punk group that’s inspired and golden-of-riff but not over-cooked, worthy of the blindest devotion and yet seemingly unloved the world over. The Ponys, to an almost messianic degree, are that band.
From Chicago, the original quartet released two records for LA’s lo-fi indie hold-out, In The Red, each of which showcased an intense splatter of styles, from raw Keef-isms to Postcard-esque arty pop, to doomscapes worthy of the Cure. One small cabinet re-shuffle later, this third album finds the dark muscularity turned up to max-plus-one along with the amps — just as their merrily eardrum-puncturing leader Jered Gummere doubtless always intended it.
Here, you’re just as liable to brush past a ghostly vision of New York Dolls riffage (see "Everyday Weapon"), as you are to crunch into the thundering juggernaut of Sonic Youth circa Daydream Nation ("Poser Psychotic"). Gummere’s songs, mind, have acquired a surging logic all their own, and the Ponys now sound like one band, totally kickin’ it. -
They Say...
On their third album (and first for Matador), Chicago noise-pop titans the Ponys offer up a few small but noticeable changes from the approach of their first two albums, Laced with Romance and Celebration Castle. Ian Adams left the band shortly after Celebration Castle was completed, and Turn the Lights Out marks the recorded debut of new guitarist Brian Case, who brings a more controlled and less frantic style to these new songs. Also, while the first two albums were respectively produced by the relatively hands-off Jim Diamond and Steve Albini, Turn the Lights Out was produced by the band with the assistance of John Agnello, and he seems to have imposed a greater degree of discipline on the Ponys -- this is a decidedly cleaner and more disciplined disc than their earlier efforts, though Agnello still honors the deep and echoey sound that's been the band's trademark in the studio. Despite it all, this still sounds like the Ponys, and the changes have done them much more good than harm. Having spent plenty of time on the road with the band before recording Turn the Lights Out, Case has seamlessly integrated with his bandmates, especially Jered Gummere, with whom he's become half of an impressive guitar team. Bassist Melissa Elias and drummer Nathan Jerde back them up with a faultless sense of purposefully woozy swing, and the results are as powerful as anything these folks have put to tape, capturing a juicy, organic give-and-take between the players without squeezing the life out of the music. Agnello's production and engineering offers a wealth of aural detail while creating a strong, unified aural presence. And quite simply, the Ponys sound like champs on this set -- they play with both precision and dark fire, the songs are top-notch, and the epochal closer, "Pickpocket Song," is a masterpiece. Turn the Lights Out is the most mature and technically accomplished album the Ponys have made to date, but it doesn't lack the excitement and edge of the fine music that preceded it, and they've quietly grown into one of the best young bands currently at work.
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| 01. |  |
Double Vision |
3:37 |
|
| 02. | |
Everyday Weapon |
2:16 |
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| 03. | |
Small Talk |
4:13 |
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| 04. | |
Turn The Lights Out |
2:36 |
|
| 05. | |
1209 Seminary |
3:06 |
|
| 06. | |
Shine |
4:21 |
|
| 07. | |
Kingdom Of Hearts |
2:03 |
|
| 08. | |
Poser Psychotic |
3:44 |
|
| 09. | |
Exile On My Street |
2:20 |
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| 10. | |
Harakiri |
3:28 |
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| 11. | |
Maybe I’ll Try |
2:56 |
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| 12. | |
Pickpocket Song |
6:24 |
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12 Total Tracks, 41:04 Total Length
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Credits
- John Agnello - Producer // John Agnello - Engineer // John Agnello - Mixing // Greg Calbi - Mastering // Jim Newberry - Photography // The Ponys - Producer
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