Customer Reviews

Lohio

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

From the first warbling, child-like verse of "last night it snowed" through almost an hour of southern-fried, post-modern, twisted, arabesque and sad indie pop-rock this album means business. The Ponys have been churning out music since the late 80's, and their legacy includes a brief stint as major-label-almost-stars thanks to the '94 single "little bastard". Thier last major label disc was the spotty "known universe" in '97.... then, the boys fell of the map for a few years. When they returned, they almost sounded like a different band. When bands return to indie lables (checkered past), it is often sort of a homecoming--- and a liberation for a group of artists previously forced to spend more time negotiating with corporate slicksters than creating music. Such was the case with "Lohio"'s predecessor, "some stupid with a flare gun". The band sounded rough, but totally revitalized, and Chuck Cleaver came through with the best batch of songs of his career.... until "Lohio". Simply put, "Lohio" is a landmark album, a masterpiece. The first song tumbles from a tender, folky ode to a crushing, slash-and-burn guitar blast all in the space of a minute and a half. It's killer, It sounds so fresh, so vital. Better than battle-scarred vets have any right to sound. And it just gets better. The 2nd track, "Kung Fu reference" is arguably the best track the Ponys have ever laid down, and easily the best song of the year. Classic pop song structure, sophisticated lyrics that are achingly poignant due to an arcane pop-culture allusion and a wonderfully sad twist at the end: "Blade Runner's at the part where Rutger Hauer dies/I don't know anything/why do I pretend to?/If I did, I'd be the one? who's living with you know." brilliant. Far too many smart-aleck pop-culture whizzes write songs that are all cleverness and no heart. Masterfully, Chuck Cleaver brings the whole emotional mass of the song crashing down on his listeners with that last sad missive, much like John Prine or Randy Newman. Jokes that break your heart. That and a devastating guitar solo make the track an instant classic.

Over the course of the rest of the record there are punky-bluegrassy sounds, dirgy guitars, wide-eyed pastoral folkiness... it's all great. There isn't anything close to a bad song on the disc.

It's easily the best Ass Ponys album, one of a handful of great albums from '01 and an instant entry into my personal Top 20.

It took a deacde and a half, but the Pony's finally built their masterpiece!

This is a brilliant album filled with melodic songs, rich lyrics, and wonderful performances. The songs are catchy (dare I even say hummable), yet they have depth and complexity created by the band's brilliant instrumental performances. Chuck Cleaver's lyrics investigate a variety of distinctly odd American characters and situations. One of the finest recordings I've heard in some time... highly recommended!

If you purchase only one Ass Ponys record, make it this one. Chuck Cleaver's much-mellowed vocals and excellent writing should win some new fans while still pleasing the die-hards. Expertly played and beautifully recorded, Lohio paints a more cohesive picture than previous releases. From start to finish, it utilizes the rural midwestern landscape as a backdrop for its carefully crafted vignettes. From first snow to late summer longing, the focus glides from one memory to the next until they start to feel remarkably like your own.

More urbane critics like to describe (read: dismiss) the subject matter as "quirky", "dark", "wacky"...i.e. too fantastic, too homespun, too whatever... But maybe I should cut them some slack... Maybe they never grew up in the middle of nowhere, and so Cleaver's personal recollections probably do sound more like fairy tales.

But I don't know... Sweetness, regret, morphine, Jesus. Sounds like a typical day to me. Told with just the right amount of sincerity and humor by four guys who get the joke.

If you like Americana, this is the best it gets. I have been a fan of these guys from Ohio for years and this album is their best album. Every song is a winner. Sick of corporate muscic? Get the real thing and buy this CD. My hat is off to the Ass Ponys. Great album.....great album.

What a wonderful album. The Ass Ponys prove once again that while they aren't afraid of the dark, they don't mind a little sunlight too. "Lohio" burns with lazy summer-day regret, as song after song peels away another layer of depression - the alone-on-Friday-night malaise of "Kung Fu Reference," the aching nostalgia of "Dried Up" and "Calendar Days," the sad sad descent into hospice morphine addiction of "I Love You." But the Ponys tackle their subjects with clear-eyed honesty and humor, and song after song comes alive with exuberance and poignancy.

It sounds great, too. The Ponys write with incredible economy (their favorite progression is I-IV), which allows them to have all kinds of fun with goofy arrangements and offbeat instrumentation. They haven't forgotten how to rock hard, either - check out "Last Night it Snowed," the song Wilco has been trying to write for years. But it's their tender and wise take on depression that keeps me coming back to "Lohio." When you're having one of those days where you wake up and just know nothing's going to happen, play the Ass Ponys. It's good to know they're out there, and they're on your side.

CD discoveries like this one from the "Ass Ponys" makes me happy. Never heard them before. Bought it out of sheer curiosity. It was (it is) worth the discovery. Their music is a blend of rock, blues and country music (but not so country for my taste). Nice rowdy falsetto vocals. Sometimes their music remembers me of bands like 'Grandaddy', although they're quite different. I don't know, I'm exploring them yet. But what I've found is that this is good great music, made for people like you (come on, if you got here is because you're way out of the mainstream muzak) who love to listen TO music, whichever style you prefer it. So, if you're exploring what to hear in a couple of days, buy this. I sincerely recommend it. Cheers.

Great production, fantastic songwriting, terrific variety of songs, excellent musicianship by the band. This is by far the Ass Ponys best, did they really have it in 'em all this time, to be this good?!? I agree with a previous reviewer, though - shame about the cover. When I listen to it in my cube at work, I always make sure I have the back of the CD case facing up. Buy it for the music!

What a wonderful album. The Ass Ponys prove once again that while they aren't afraid of the dark, they don't mind a little sunlight too. "Lohio" burns with lazy summer-day regret, as song after song peels away another layer of depression - the alone-on-Friday-night malaise of "Kung Fu Reference," the aching nostalgia of "Dried Up" and "Calendar Days," the sad sad descent into hospice morphine addiction of "I Love You." But the Ponys tackle their subjects with clear-eyed honesty and humor, and song after song comes alive with exuberance and poignancy.

It sounds great, too. The Ponys write with incredible economy (their favorite progression is I-IV), which allows them to have all kinds of fun with goofy arrangements and offbeat instrumentation. They haven't forgotten how to rock hard, either - check out "Last Night it Snowed," the song Wilco has been trying to write for years. But it's their tender and wise take on depression that keeps me coming back to "Lohio." When you're having one of those days where you wake up and just know nothing's going to happen, play the Ass Ponys. It's good to know they're out there, and they're on your side.

Last Night it Snowed, which kicks this [album] off, has the title of the Stroke's first big hit in it. The former is about eight times better than the latter, and should have been a huge radio hit. While the second song sounds like New York punk from the late seventies, the first sounds like AOR from the early seventies. The song is about waking up after what may be the best night of your life and realizing it may not happen again and your going to have to get back on your feet again. The music that backs it up; mandolins, violins, banjos, and harps, is gorgeous. The song bridge turns it into a fistpumping anthem like something from Who's Next but much more harsh and punkish.
The rest of the album follows suit, quiet folky passages are interupted by Crazy Horse electric guitar. The Ponys never take themselves seriously, Chuck Cleaver sings about B-movie stars, Buffet busters, and ten year old pyromaniacs. This album is twelve times as big hearted as anything by the pixies or pavement.

This is a great album. From the first time I heard it, I've needed to listen to it several times a day.