Who hasn’t heard of Pontiak? The Virginia based band consisting of the three Carney brothers, Jennings on bass, Van on guitar and lead vocals and Lain on drums? If you haven’t you have some catching up to do as they have put out at least one release each year since 2005, and their latest album INNOCENCE will be number 10, their 8th release for Thrill Jockey.
What they have created here is probably some of their heavier stuff, especially when compared to Echo Ono, which has a more psychedelic indie rock sound compared to this newest offering. From the opening 2 tracks ‘Innocence’ and ‘Lack Lustre Rush’ it is clear that the band has dived deep into the heavy fuzz effects, creating a heavier, dirtier and more stoner rock sound. In fact, everything sounds a lot heavier and a lot warmer. The bass is a lot more present, the guitars are more distorted and fuzzier, and they sound very warm especially during the solo in ‘Noble Heads’, and the drums sound slightly better produced, creating a more in your face effect.
But don’t get me wrong, as it is still indisputable Pontiak we’re dealing with here. There is a lot of psychedelica going on here, and at times you get warped back to the 70’s heavy rock scene, during ‘Ghosts’ and ‘It’s the Greatest’ for example. Other songs have that Pontiak classic psychedelic folk sound, like the beautiful ‘Darkness is Coming’ or ‘Wildfires’, that has a huge Neil Young, or even Scottish singer songwriter Withered Hand stamp on it. Or close your eyes while you listen to the dirty near doom rock sounding fuzz riff of ‘Surrounded by Diamonds’ and you’ll easily mistake it for a Black Sabbath song. But then again it is not as it is clearly Pontiak. It is just that typical melting pot of various psychedelic rock influences Pontiak is known for that they’ve pulled out of the hat again. It's almost like a heavier and fuzzier modern Pink Floyd we're listening to here.
Compared to their previous work, INNOCENCE shows a Pontiak on the top of their game with a heavier, more melodic, and more engaging album that easily sits on top of my list as an early favourite for 2014.
