The Ponys
Laced With Romance (In the Red)Opening to the sound of galloping hooves, Laced With Romance vaults out of the gate on a Ponys metaphor, which is then passed swiftly on the rail by Cure comparisons (a 25-year-old with legs). Clanging guitar flanges into bass drum and bass as a thick, syrupy, Robert Smith type gargles “Let’s Kill Ourselves.” Ringing rejoinder, “Ten Fingers 11 Toes” is more explicit: “Susie’s in black, but that’s how she always dresses; I’m tall and skinny and some people say I look pretty weird. ” The way Jered sings “11 Toes” makes your heart ache for Joey Ramone. Which is appropriate, because this romance couldn’t be more rudimentary – or effective. The uptempo needles and pins of “Sad Eyes” stabs at Interpol, while “Trouble Trouble” jabs early British Invasion. Some bands jangle, this Chicago quartet rings – and rings and rings and rings. The monotone goes opaque long enough for a haunted keyboard solo on “Little Friends” (“They keep peeing all over my floor. … All they want is to eat some more”). Melissa gets vocal on “Fall Inn,” with its “And Then She Kissed Me” intro, reprising the trick on Fifties slick-back “I Love You ‘Cause (You Look Like Me).” Steely, bounding, and finally thundering closer, “The Only One” barrels across the finish line with two strangers that meet on a bus and finish “in bed together for the rest of our lives.” All black, with traces of red, is 11/2 dimensional 46 minutes later, but these Ponys clang the guitar just like ringing a bell. (The Ponys ride into Emo’s Saturday, July 3.)
This article appears in July 2 • 2004.
