PONTIAK
''MAKER''
APRIL 7 2009
41:13
1. Laywayed/2:54
2. Bloodpride/1:46
3. Wax Worship/5:40
4. Headless Conference/1:14
5. Wild Knife Night Fight/2:01
6. Heat Pleasure/1:34
7. Aestival/3:35
8. Maker/13:32
9. Seminal Shining/1:58
10. Honey/4:30
11. Aasstteerr/2:31
All Tracks By Pontiak
Van Carney/Lead Vocals, Guitar
Jennings Carney/Bass, Organ, Vocals
Lain Carney/Drums, Vocals
REVIEW
by Jason Lymangrover
The synergy of the three Carney brothers strikes again on their third release in just over a year. Retiring to their small barn studio in Virginia, Van, Jennings, and Lain tested the limits of their amps and recorded the exhausted sighs of their overdriven tubes by themselves while pushing out their earthy brand of stoner rock for Thrill Jockey. It's not quite as rollicking as an outing by, say, Fu Manchu or Kyuss, but it's a little more edgy than some of their contemporaries -- take Dead Meadow's Old Growth, for example. In "Wax Worship," a drum solo downshifts slowly into a drudgingly half-time beat accented by fuzzy guitar drones and warm, airy vocal harmonies. At the best moments, the brothers show off their ability to make dynamic shifts, and seem to take pride in spacing out as hard-rocking songs transition easily into long, liquid instrumental passages. You could blame this on them becoming transfixed and entranced by the solitude of their country surroundings. Or maybe they really are stoned.
BIOGRAPHY
by Eduardo Rivadavia
Pontiak's neo-psychedelic rock is created by three brothers from the Blue Ridge area of Virginia who were separately involved with numerous bands in the U.S. and Europe before reconvening in Baltimore in 2005. Once together, they quickly established common musical ground and began honing a multifaceted sound steeped in '60s psych and acid rock, '70s prog and proto-metal, and '90s stoner and indie rock, with likeminded outfits such as Dead Meadow and Black Mountain providing a few contemporary comparisons. Returning in due time to their isolated Virginia birthplace, the brothers recorded both 2005's White Buffalo EP and 2006's Valley of Cats LP in their home studio. Both albums were subsequently released on the band's own label, Fireproof Records.
Pontiak supported their albums by touring the country, taking advantage of the nightly on-stage jam sessions to write, road-test, and perfect a noticeably heavier batch of new songs. Such new material would help them attain a deal with Thrill Jockey Records, which issued the trio's second album, Sun on Sun, in September 2007. Widespread critical acclaim ensued, and on the first day of 2008, Pontiak began making waves again, having released a split EP of John Cale covers (simply entitled Kale) with labelmates and future touring partners Arbouretum. In 2009, the band hit a creative groove, and recorded the full-lengths Maker and Sea Voids, followed by a steady succession of albums: 2010’s Living, 2011's Comercrudos, and 2012's Echo Ono.
''MAKER''
APRIL 7 2009
41:13
1. Laywayed/2:54
2. Bloodpride/1:46
3. Wax Worship/5:40
4. Headless Conference/1:14
5. Wild Knife Night Fight/2:01
6. Heat Pleasure/1:34
7. Aestival/3:35
8. Maker/13:32
9. Seminal Shining/1:58
10. Honey/4:30
11. Aasstteerr/2:31
All Tracks By Pontiak
Van Carney/Lead Vocals, Guitar
Jennings Carney/Bass, Organ, Vocals
Lain Carney/Drums, Vocals
REVIEW
by Jason Lymangrover
The synergy of the three Carney brothers strikes again on their third release in just over a year. Retiring to their small barn studio in Virginia, Van, Jennings, and Lain tested the limits of their amps and recorded the exhausted sighs of their overdriven tubes by themselves while pushing out their earthy brand of stoner rock for Thrill Jockey. It's not quite as rollicking as an outing by, say, Fu Manchu or Kyuss, but it's a little more edgy than some of their contemporaries -- take Dead Meadow's Old Growth, for example. In "Wax Worship," a drum solo downshifts slowly into a drudgingly half-time beat accented by fuzzy guitar drones and warm, airy vocal harmonies. At the best moments, the brothers show off their ability to make dynamic shifts, and seem to take pride in spacing out as hard-rocking songs transition easily into long, liquid instrumental passages. You could blame this on them becoming transfixed and entranced by the solitude of their country surroundings. Or maybe they really are stoned.
BIOGRAPHY
by Eduardo Rivadavia
Pontiak's neo-psychedelic rock is created by three brothers from the Blue Ridge area of Virginia who were separately involved with numerous bands in the U.S. and Europe before reconvening in Baltimore in 2005. Once together, they quickly established common musical ground and began honing a multifaceted sound steeped in '60s psych and acid rock, '70s prog and proto-metal, and '90s stoner and indie rock, with likeminded outfits such as Dead Meadow and Black Mountain providing a few contemporary comparisons. Returning in due time to their isolated Virginia birthplace, the brothers recorded both 2005's White Buffalo EP and 2006's Valley of Cats LP in their home studio. Both albums were subsequently released on the band's own label, Fireproof Records.
Pontiak supported their albums by touring the country, taking advantage of the nightly on-stage jam sessions to write, road-test, and perfect a noticeably heavier batch of new songs. Such new material would help them attain a deal with Thrill Jockey Records, which issued the trio's second album, Sun on Sun, in September 2007. Widespread critical acclaim ensued, and on the first day of 2008, Pontiak began making waves again, having released a split EP of John Cale covers (simply entitled Kale) with labelmates and future touring partners Arbouretum. In 2009, the band hit a creative groove, and recorded the full-lengths Maker and Sea Voids, followed by a steady succession of albums: 2010’s Living, 2011's Comercrudos, and 2012's Echo Ono.