Cincinatti’s Pomegranates produce bright, melodic pop with more than a hint of 1960’s psychedelia about it. ‘Everybody, Come Outside!’, their second album, is a record which showcases a group confident enough to experiment wildly and usually with some weird but rewarding results.
The title track gets events underway with an explosion of jangly guitars, thunderous drums and helium vocals whilst ‘Beachcomber’ sees the guitars fade in and out not unlike former touring partners French Kicks. After this burst of colourful pop, though, the group let their creative juices really flow with some ambitious arrangements.
‘This Land Used to Be My Land, But Now I Hate This Land’ veers off into several different directions but it’s the core of aching guitar melodies and heartfelt vocals that keep the complexities of the song together. Amongst the other notable moments, ‘Piano’ incorporates wildlife noises, the single ‘Corriander’ is a sun-kissed delight and ‘Jerusalem Had A Bad Day’ sounds like dreampop twenty years before it was invented. Only the acoustic-based final act ‘I Feel Like I’m A Million Years Old’ boress but then any song that ends with ten minutes of a repeated chord sequence is unlikely to set the pulse racing.
Pomegranates should be applauded for mixing up so many styles and song stuctures at a time when it’s becoming more and more difficult to define your own sound. My only problem with the record is that it almost has too many ideas and lacks cohesion as a result.
Web Sites:
Pomegranates MySpace
Pomegranates Blog
Further Listening:
French Kicks, Peter Bjorn And John
Leonard's Lair Music Reviews 
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