The wild trill
Molly Siegel
lets loose at the beginning of
"Beg Waves"
lets listeners know that
Ice Cream Spiritual!
is unmistakably a
Ponytail
album, even if it's more neatly groomed than their debut was.
Kamehameha
introduced the band's highly concentrated, highly combustible noise-punk-pop in saturated outbursts; it sounded like someone threw a few mikes into the fray and then got out of the way of the band's blazing onslaughts.
sounds much more produced and premeditated, and its songs are longer and maybe a touch more involved, but none of this halts
's sugar-buzz energy -- if anything, the album's clarity gives a better idea of just how big the band's sound can be than
did.
"Late for School"
's joyous guitar flurries and the noise-surf of
"7 Souls"
breeze by like lost songs from
's first album, but
"G Shock"
-- which features fancy fretwork that sounds like sped-up funk, massive drums, and
Siegel
's vocalizations (which sound a little like an avant-garde cheerleader cheering the rest of the band on to wilder and faster musical feats) -- swells up, explodes, and drifts away like a cloudburst.
's longer tracks push
closer to the expansive territory of bands like
OOIOO
, though
's music is still more rock-based. Once their songs pass the four-minute mark, their energy becomes hypnotic instead of spastic.
"Celebrate the Body Electric"
runs the spectrum of
's prettiest and noisiest sounds, but its shimmering guitars give it a desert rock trippiness;
"Die Allman Bruder"
channels, yes,
the Allman Brothers
via
Sonic Youth
and
Deerhoof
. At times, the album's extended jams get a bit wearing, but
shows that
's music is still equal parts challenging, melodic, and fun. ~ Heather Phares