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May 04, 2017 Issue #60 - Father John Misty By Scott Dransfield

Australian psych-rockers POND have often been seen as Tame Impala’s slightly weirder, more unruly younger brother. Their sense of humor, compounded with the almost unhinged performances that popped up on albums like 2015’s Man, It Feels Like Space Again, ensured that POND had a personality that set them apart. With The Weather, Tame Impala’s Kevin Parker no longer plays in the band, but is still on as producer, and it results in POND’s tightest and most unified release yet, at the expense of some of that personality.

The Weather comes with a concept loosely based around colonial cities around the world and the dark undercurrents that flow beneath their gleaming exteriors. And lyrically, the songs here seem to foretell apocalyptic misfortunes, with titles like “30000 Megatons” (the epic opener), parts one and two of “End of the World,” and “Colder Than Ice.” Sonically, there’s not much darkness here; instead POND’s usual colorfulness comes across stronger than anything. The best songs ride catchy layered melodies to their endpoint, as on “Paint Me Silver” and beautiful closer “The Weather.” And some tracks contain more interesting instrumental excursions: “Zen Automaton” busts out a sultry saxophone solo amongst lonely, icy piano stabs; while “A/B” is an extreme Jekyll-and-Hyde tune with a one-minute psychedelic freakout giving way to a downer of a piano ballad.

No, there may not be an “Elvis’ Flaming Star” or “Heroic Shart” on this album, as POND take things relatively straight-faced. But The Weather still ends up being a satisfying psych-rock listen, mostly because the band successfully plays with so many different flavors. The Australian psychedelic scene may be a touch crowded right now, but for those bored by the more conventional charms of, say, Cut Copy, POND is your next step. (http://www.pondband.net)

Author rating: 7/10