There are few times in the day when we experience the true feeling of repose. It lasts but a few seconds, between waking up and rubbing the sleep from your eyes (and conversely, between closing your eyes and falling asleep). Pomegranate manages to capture just that – a dreamy, half-conscious state of mind – in One of Us, its third album to date. With its unusual blend of trancelike strings, delicate vocals and indie-rock instrumentals, this album will soothe you to sleep before snapping you back up to attention.
One of Us starts off slow, as if still in a comatose state, but then builds into the uptempo “50’s” before calming back down for the ethereal “White Fawn.” This “organic ebb and flow,” as noted in a press release, continues throughout the album; my favorite example of this is the instrumental interlude “Perception” that segues into the dance-worthy “Create Your Own Reality.” Fans of MGMT may note some musical similarities to the two bands (I did toward the end of “The Positive Light”); this is, in part, thanks to co-producer TJ Lipple of Aloha, who has also mixed for MGMT. My favorite song has to be “Skull Cakin’”, an all-out rock track that could inspire mosh pits as easily as it’d leave one wondering what it meant to truly “skull cake.” And just as soon as it began, the album ends with “Into the Water, Into the Air,” which winds you down, through choirlike vocals and a steady drum beat, and leaves you as relaxed and bright-eyed as a nap would.
One of Us starts off slow, as if still in a comatose state, but then builds into the uptempo “50’s” before calming back down for the ethereal “White Fawn.” This “organic ebb and flow,” as noted in a press release, continues throughout the album; my favorite example of this is the instrumental interlude “Perception” that segues into the dance-worthy “Create Your Own Reality.” Fans of MGMT may note some musical similarities to the two bands (I did toward the end of “The Positive Light”); this is, in part, thanks to co-producer TJ Lipple of Aloha, who has also mixed for MGMT. My favorite song has to be “Skull Cakin’”, an all-out rock track that could inspire mosh pits as easily as it’d leave one wondering what it meant to truly “skull cake.” And just as soon as it began, the album ends with “Into the Water, Into the Air,” which winds you down, through choirlike vocals and a steady drum beat, and leaves you as relaxed and bright-eyed as a nap would.
Pomegranates will continue on the last part of its three-month tour next Monday, Nov. 1 at the The Empty Bottle in Chicago, IL. One of Us is available in mp3 format on Amazon and iTunes, as well as on 12” vinyl through Afternoon Records.
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