Customer Reviews

Ice Cream Spiritual

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

So far it seems like a lot of what I've read online about this group doesn't really describe their music very well. Even in the press it seems like everyone is using off the mark phrases like "sugar high" and "spaz rock" to talk about this. I think both these phrases and online reviews (including the other reviews here) written about this album have some truth in them but they don't really do justice. By going over what I think are the shortcomings with these things I can hopefully give you a clear idea of what the merits of the music are and why I love it so much.

First I'll talk about one of the two other reviews. The reviewer that calls this album "atrocious" says that this album is cacophonous mess, and then goes on to say that the guitarist and drummer are talented (which they are). This right there is a contradiction, although based partly on the truth. The music is wild and abstract and the singing is basically wordless shouts and occasional chants, but it's about the energy and feeling which are part of what makes this such a special album.

Phrases like "sugar high" and "spaz rock" are not totally off the mark, but those kind of words kept me from checking out this band for a while. They give you the impression that the music is directionless and annoyingly over-excited. The music is anything but those two things. It is some of the most ecstatically happy music I've heard and it is excited but it's not exactly what it would sound like if a bunch of twitching spazzers formed a band. It's crazy and kind of out of control, but these guys have a vision and are flying like a rocket head-first strait towards it.

Check out the samples, download the free track on their label's (Now We Are Free) website. It's not for everyone, but if you like what you hear get this album, it'll reward you.

This band has talent gushing out in terms of musical ability except for one member really... yes you guessed right: Molly, the vocalist, has zero talent BUT this is ok. in fact it is more than ok it is AMAZING how much of an asset she actually is! When her mouth opens wide to let out the joyful spirit within it just overwhelms me. The music already reaches amazing heights of joyful excitement but her voice to me really vocalizes the emotions that the music creates. Sometimes she can sound right out of some tribal ritual(7 Souls) and other times she sounds like a mother cooing lovingly to her child(the quiet bridge of Celebrate the Body Electric). Overall I feel that Molly really makes this band as great as it is. In a very real way Molly is the cherry on top whereas the band makes up the bulk of why Ponytail is so great. Ponytail has very quickly become one of my most watched bands and I highly anticipate their next release! ALRIGHT WE GO NOW!

I just heard this record for the first time within the last hour and I'm sure glad I picked this up on impulse at the public library. The energy and creative joy in this is VERY remeniscent of Captain Beefheart's Trout Mask Replica. Unrestrainrd by narrative it is free to go where it will and it DOES. I love this band !!!!

Ponytail, highly praised on blogs, mentioned often on Pitchfork.com, featured in the NYTimes Art section about CMJ with a photo of Mollie on the cover, and a recent photo-spread in Spin Magazine (the one with Beck pimping Modern Guilt on the cover) has just had this album, Ice Cream Spiritual, rated #18 by Blender.com. Paradoxically, the same blogs that praise Poytail's music often offer it for free downloads on their sites. The people that download? True music lovers. I must not be a true music lover, because I'm buying a CD. Right now.