We're working on some new stuff in the studio. Should be ready by summer's end. In the meantime here's a poem. (UPDATE: OK, so I lied. Should be ready by year's end. Oh, and this time we'll be ...)
Dish Sponge
Dish sponge doin the dead man's float
In my dirty sink
Guess I should unplug the moat
And spray off all the zinc.
REVIEWS
Understated, quiet, quirky, and dark, The Pom Poms present themselves to the world without much fanfare in this remarkable debut album. Conjuring up the melancholy spirit of Nick Drake, they skillfully combine it with the folk rock stylings of Iron & Wine.
The tunes are immediately catchy, each one coming across like a quiet little pop masterpiece that sneaks up on you. Singer/songwriter Rob Kuznia allows his voice to drift in on a smoky haze, keeping it soft and almost inaudible most of the time. Even when he brings up the volume, you feel like he's holding back, creating an inward tension that's almost tangible, an air of angst that belies the quiet exterior. All this anxiety creates the perfect storm in the track See More Things, where Kuznia's vocals ride the slow downward chord progression into woefully happy pop oblivion.
Already I like this music. I know it’s only a few bars of “Testing II” from The Pom Poms (unsigned) but this tune is the sort of understated effort I enjoy. Good voices, interesting choice of “words.” The tune, “Buggin” is pretty good too, with that childish but important sound that we oldsters heard on songs such as “Winchester Cathedral” and some of the ’60s guys like Donovan. But the horns on this song bring it to a different level.
For now, you will find this group on MySpace, because, as their marketing information states, the band Web site is “not ready yet.”
The Pom Poms, from Santa Barbara, California, consists of: Rob Kuznia: vocals, acoustic guitar, electric guitar, electric bass, trumpet, production; Edgar Oliveira: drums, backing vocals, production; Shane McKillop, bass (live); Per Danzl, lead guitar (live); Justin Dullum: backing vocals (on recording), electric guitar on Mephastophiles, CD mastering; Alta Peterson: backing vocals, half-lead on “Fool,” cover art.
Here’s a nice description from the The Santa Barbara Independent, “Despite its rather rough conception (the album was recorded in a series of garages and dining rooms) and quaint, all-in-the-family backstory (Kuznia’s girlfriend and The Sympathetics band mates all provided backing vocals and instrumentation), the end result is a splendid, whimsical record that could easily replace all those Belle and Sebastian CDs I’ve long outplayed.”
After all, if you list among your influences Mozart, Modest Mouse and Willie Nelson, how bad can it be?
The brainchild of Rob Kuznia (bassist for Santa Barbara staples
The Sympathetics ), The Pom Poms’ sound brings to mind the melodic, lo-fi sounds of Iron and Wine and the quirky twee pop of The Boy Least Likely To. Despite its rather rough conception (the album was recorded in a series of garages and dining rooms) and quaint, all-in-the-family backstory (Kuznia’s girlfriend and The Sympathetics band mates all provided backing vocals and instrumentation), the end result is a splendid, whimsical record that could easily replace all those Belle and Sebastian CDs I’ve long outplayed. The alternating vocals and quiet arrangements on “Fool” are as dreamy in orchestration as they are melancholy in delivery. Meanwhile, the quirky “Testing I” and “Testing II” are straightforward, folk-inspired gems swathed in dreamy backup cooing and subtle trumpets. Hopefully, with the proper coaxing, Kuznia will step outside the garage — and in front of an audience — in the near future.
so can we be best friends? want to play shows? i put on shows. i have one in mind right now that you would be great on. and play on my radio show someday.
on my space u can found more songs and remixes on my virtual player and the "syntax error" a dj pio & buubba's radio program!!check it!! p.s.:vote me and listen my radiohead's remix on:
![The Love Willows [ALBUM OUT NOW!!]](http://c2.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images02/27/s_2a06c41a89d143cd8eeb12e8389da315.jpg)
