Ponytail

Baltimore, MD’s brash pack follow-up their 2006 debut, Kamehameha, with their first for new label We Are Free (Yeasayer, Indian Jewelry). The new label seems to have improved their tonality and beefed up the production, removing the tinny treble that made the debut so defiant and raw, no doubt the work of bringing in producer extraordinaire J Robbins (Jawbox). And while Ponytail have tightened up how you hear their music, Ice Cream Spiritual’s execution is just as innocently disruptive as their debut. Vocalist Molly Siegel is still ambiguous about her lyrics, screaming into the mic like long fingernails going to town on a blackboard, but by doing so she fully embodies the spirit of the band’s frenetic energy in her cadence. Perhaps the greatest trait of the band, however, is in how guitarists Ken Seeno and Dustin Wong play off each other, be it by building up and tearing down the tangent-heavy opus "Celebrate The Body Electric (It Came From An Angel)” or testing their speed limits on the melodious "Small Wevs.” This band should be grating but somehow they take the noise concept and turn it upside down for one sweet listening experience.