Pontiak
http://www.pontiak.net

styles: indie rock, guitar rock
others: The Constantines, The Walkmen

Valley of Cats
Fireproof, 2006
rating: 4.5/5
reviewer: tamec

RIFFS. Yeah, son. Big fuckin' riffs. Where before I had described Pontiak as "loungey" without really knowing what it meant, the band has officially evolved from the smoky grooves of their first recordings into classic rock shredding. Here's their first full-length, Valley of Cats, that I, anyway, had eagerly anticipated. I will get the TMT newswriters to cover their tour. I will make listeners of you. Witness "Eyes" and the title track, slabs of rock 'n' roll larger than anything else on the scene. Less Dead Meadow than Constantines, the Carney brothers still make room for the quieter tunes, but these numbers' niche has shifted from the croony sex jam to the shambolic (and perhaps even more Walkmen-esque), as in album closer "Moveable Flea Circus."

"How Tall Are You?" is the closest thing here to the material heard on the band's prior White Buffalo EP, but even this song benefits from the improved production here. The album is produced (by the band themselves, I believe) with a remarkably live texture that suits the crackle of distortion on the leads, piled atop another, one might say, to excess. But that may be the whole point here – unlike The Constantines, Pontiak don't need to cater to a Sub Pop audience unwilling to headbang. Quite frankly, after hearing the maturity and restraint of the former band's Tournament of Hearts, I have to admit that I prefer these (so far) unknowns.

"We'll be ready," Van Carney repeats on "Movable Flea Circus," and though it's not clear just for what the brothers are steeling themselves, I have my answer. I am ready to smoke weed and turn it up. If only I had a car.

1. Crows on the Move
2. Ask for Attention
3. Difficult Music
4. Transatlantic
5. How Tall Are You?
6. Hydrogen Fires
7. Doors to Haiti
8. Eyes
9. They are Supreme
10. Valley of Cats
11. Salt Flats
12. Made for the Luxury
13. Movable Flea Circus

White Buffalo EP
Organ Grinder, 2005
rating: 4/5
reviewer: tamec


When we last heard from Pontiak, the Baltimore band of brothers Lain, Jennings, and Van Carney had just completed their debut recording, a self-titled EP that managed to do the Radiohead-Walkmen croony-lounge thing competently and was even arresting in places, despite being bogged down by a certain degree of sameness and a few lyrical faux pas. The band has returned with a batch of six new tunes released this time on the tiny UK/US label Organ Grinder, but most readily available from the band itself. So what's different this time, and why should you care?

First off, White Buffalo packs a lot of musical variety into its small package. Pontiak put their softest feet forward by leading off with "Aztec Blood" and "It Takes One," the two songs that sound most similar to the coffeehouse stylings on their debut EP. "Aztec Blood" doesn't really start working until Lain and Jennings come into back up Van's lead vocal, but when they do, the song turns into a real beauty, sounding (for lack of a more informed comparison) something like an inspired Radiohead b-side. But, interestingly enough, it's the middle chunk of songs here that make the best case for Pontiak's future. "Strings Dancing" is a nervy nighttime piece of lounge-rock that rides its thick bassline and Lain's much-improved drumming, and "Night's Daughter" is similar but faster, louder, and more menacing. "Doors to Haiti," meanwhile, introduces Tom Waits to Thom Yorke and sets it all in a New Orleans piano bar.

Pontiak are currently setting up their first national tour and are quickly improving as both songwriters and musicians. Do yourself a favor and check ‘em out.

1. Aztec Blood
2. It Takes One
3. Strings Dancing
4. Night's Daughter
5. Doors to Haiti
6. Ophelia

Pontiak
Fireproof, 2003
rating: 3/5
reviewer: tamec


ASK AN ARROGANT MUSIC REVIEWER  (Vol. 1)

Dear A.M.R.,
I'm in a three-piece band with my two brothers. We've got this loungy thing down pat, and we threw together a basement demo that sounds a hell of a lot better than many "produced" things that get tossed off these days. I think we've got some nice lyrical forays, and two of us have the sort of ethereal falsettos that carry Pontiak well into croonin' country. Our instrumentation is pretty simple, but I think it's appropriate and cohesive.  How can we hit it big?
 
Sincerely,
Pontiak

Dear Pontiak,
It's true, you do have something there. The current canonization of mellow, croony pioneers like the Smiths and easy touchstones like Thom Yorke has birthed a pleasant little coffeehouse subgenre of wailey male singers (see the Walkmen or the Dears).  Fortunately for you, there are enough interesting elements in place on the majority of tracks here to keep things more than just moody.  The obvious highlight is "Where Are the Outlaws," which is a breakdown away from being a perfect candidate for anyone's "haunting/mellow" mixtape.  Van and Lain Carney sing in close harmony for the song's chorus, rescuing its trite "It's my time to see you / and it's my time to leave you" by sheer quality of singing.  The thick basslines on "My Own" and "Communication" prove that the only real chink in your instrumentation is the drumming, which rarely surprises. And while the lyrics occasionally fall flat, they hit dead-on in the closer "The Rats Keep Me Awake," which drops the very Will Oldham "I've been drunk for 13 hours / The demons are with me again" and, although hardly a drinking song, is a perfect morning-after soundtrack. Get that rhythm section up to snuff, try some new tempos, write some more songs, of course, but for now you've got one of the best first steps I've heard in some time.