The Ponys: Celebration Castle : Music Reviews : Rolling Stone

Album Reviews

The Ponys do what they do so brilliantly, and yet so casually, they make it seem simple. After an excellent debut album, last year's Laced With Romance, the Chicago band sounds even more confident on Celebration Castle, getting artier as well as noisier with producer Steve Albini on board. The Ponys rock out wildly on "Get Black" and "Discoteca," showcasing Jered Gummere's wiry guitar and vocals, and bassist Melissa Elias snarls her own personal anthem, "She's Broken." They blend their voices in the power dirge "We Shot the World." It's inspiring to hear the Ponys rev up the manic guitar buzz of "Another Wound." While other American indie bands fuss themselves into a lather straining to redefine the templates of "garage rock" or "post-punk," the Ponys just get it the hell done.