Review:

on 2011-09-08 CharlesMartel Said:

Never let it be said that the Ponys dared to try and conceal their influences. I have heard them described as influenced by everyone from Blur (quite how I dont know), Ride (again, pretty inexplicably), Joy Division and the Cure. I have not heard their earlier albums, but this one wears its influence openly. This is an updated version of Sonic Youth. This is Sonic Youth minus the occasional unnecessary noise-fest and without occasional bouts of Kim Gordon's off-putting, off-key vocal efforts. If you doubt me, just listen to "Poser Psychotic" and you will get the references. This is, if you like, Sonic Youth-lite.

Now I have not been that impressed with what I have heard of Sonic Youth, though admittedly that is not much - just "Goo" and most of the tracks from "Daydream Nation". Would a band which seems, on this album, to want to be a caffeine-free version of Sonic Youth fare any better with me?

In truth, I would say not. The album is reasonably enjoyable, more so than anything I have heard of Sonic Youth, and certainly has its highlights, "1209 Seminary" being the obvious one, but it is not a great album by any means. At times it is almost pedestrian in its execution and seems to have been over-produced in some places. The main reason for its failure to make any great impact on me, I would have to say, is largely due to the fact that the band seem to be struggling to find an identity of their own. Even if you ignore what I said about Sonic Youth earlier, there is plenty of diversity on the album, but too much to make it seem coincidental. The vocals and the musical style seem to fall into two distinct patterns.

Vocally, there are tracks like "Double Vision" and "Everyday Weapon" where the vocals seem to be shouted into a tube and have this combination of distance and noise reminiscent of bands as far back as Wire. Then, on other tracks, such as "1209 Seminary" and "Small Talk" the vocals are smoother and delivered in a less assertive/aggressive manner. The same falls true for the musical style. The two opening tracks are very jerky and attempt to convey a kind of Gang of Four jaggedness combined with distorted guitars. Yet on other tracks, especially "Kingdom of Hearts", there is a much kinder melody buried in the track. Could it be that the diversity of songwriting credits within the band has something to do with it?

The combination of these effects, and the clear influences on the band - diversity and derivation at the same time, if you like - ultimately leave the listener with something of a cold feel which you are unable to overcome. You get the impression that somewhere inside the Ponys is a great album struggling to get out. Unfortunately, "Turn the Lights Out" is not that album. Unless the band can make their own musical personalities take the lead, and offer something more than the sum of their influences, I have a feeling that the nascent great album is not going to break out either. It lacks direction and it lacks some really stand out features. It comes across as another run-of-the-mill rock band who have struggled for a long time to get noticed without actually becoming aware of why. I doubt I will explore much more of the Ponys catalogue after this. Perhaps the best part of it is the cover, which features a really creepy photograph of kids dressed up seemingly for Halloween, though what this has to do with the album, I have been unable to figure out.
Rating: 6/10