Review Summary: Under the Weight of Guitars.
It's difficult to discuss Pond without doing so in comparison to Tame Impala, which is a rather unfair undersell of Nick Allbrook's capabilities as a songwriter and producer. Where Kevin Parker's production and songwriting incorporates luscious perfection conventional of hip-hop and electronic standards, Allbrook remains unashamed in his employment of vintage '70s hard rock and metal chic. Something of a middle ground between their eclectic major label debut
Beard, Wives, Denim and the rocking brevity of follow-up
Hobo Rocket,
Man, it Feels Like Space Again offers up a kaleidoscopic display of styles run through Pond's distorted weight of guitars, guitars, and more guitars. Fuzzy freak-outs "Elvis' Flaming Star" and "Zond" define the majority of material, with alternatives available in the spacey float on of "Heroic Shart" and the title track. No song here gets particularly far-fetched with its experimentation and so it doesn't feel as truly fulfilled as
Beard, Wives, Denim; thankfully though it makes for primal listening when the guitars are turned to 11 and the melodies are pumped out with such vibrancy. Taken as a diametric opposition to
Lonerism- same nostalgic ethos, different execution- Pond's affinity for the heavier and ballsier spectrum compliments Tame Impala to a point where it seems absolutely necessary for the 2 to coexist. They're nowhere near as precious as Parker's critical darlings, but Pond at their very worst are straightforward and with aplomb. As it stands,
Man, it Feels Like Space Again is only another chapter in a staggeringly consistent run.
