steering clear of the mainstream
since 2001

june 2010

review
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info opinion

Ponies in the Surf

"A Demonstration" CD

Early Morning Late Night

Genres: folk-pop, acoustic pop

Mar 28 - Apr 3 2005

Ponies in the Surf was created as a response to inaccessible noise acts targeted at tiny hipster niche audiences; sibling bandmates Camille and Alexander McGregor wanted to create music everyone (including, particularly, their grandmother) could enjoy.  The resulting sound is an inoffensive brand of folky acoustic guitar pop, with hushed male/female vocals and lots of lush guitar plucking - Mojave 3 and Nick Drake seem like inevitable points of comparison.  The songs are actually pretty catchy; winners like "See You Happy" and "Je T'aime" are blessed with charming, laidback melodies that can be soundtracks for elegant dinners or lullabies for midsummer nights.  Ultimately, this mini-album is a tad light on content and creativity (don't expect any colon-squeezing twist-turns) - however, as far as slow, acoustic folk-pop is concerned, this one's sure to bring a toothy smile to your face.

78%

Matt Shimmer

[Vitals: 7 tracks, distributed by the band, released 2004]