Pomegranate is an album by the American band Poi Dog Pondering, released in 1995.[1][2] It was first released in a limited edition by the band's label, with a national release by Bar/None Records.[3] The band supported the album with a North American tour.[4] Pomegranate sold more than 40,000 copies in its first six months of release.[5] "Catacombs" was released as a single.[6] An EP, Electrique Plummagram, contained dance remixes of some Pomegranate tracks.[7]
| Pomegranate | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 1995 | |||
| Label | Pomegranate/Bar/None | |||
| Producer | Frank Orrall, Martin Stebbing, Poi Dog Pondering | |||
| Poi Dog Pondering chronology | ||||
| ||||
Production edit
The album was produced by Frank Orrall, Martin Stebbing, and the band.[8] It was recorded in an empty basketball gym in Chicago over a period of seven months.[3] The band, which raised around $10,000 for the sessions, aimed for a production that would sound good in a dance club.[3] Frontman Orrall used a handheld microphone for many of the songs, recording "Diamonds and Buttermilk" while crawling around the floor.[9] Orrall thought that Pomegranate was a more cohesive album than the band's previous releases.[10] Steve Goulding played drums on Pomegranate.[11] "God's Gallipoli" addresses the leukemic lymphoma of bandmember Brigid Murphy; Orrall, partly in response to criticism of the band's previous albums, tried to write songs about more serious matters.[12][13]
Critical reception edit
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [14] |
| MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide |  [8] |
Trouser Press wrote: "A collection of groovy, danceable numbers propelled by Orrall's dramatic voice and overly poetic lyricism, Pomegranate manages to recapture both the fun-loving spirit and accomplished musicianship that made Poi Dog such a delight at the start."[15] The Austin American-Statesman determined that "what we have is a funk, soul, techno, psychedelic, artsy, hippie, Whole Foods-eating, Zooropa-inspired band with transcendental lyrics and a staggering nine members."[16] CMJ New Music Monthly praised the "Kraftwerk-meets-disco" sound of "Chain".[17]
The Washington Post concluded that, "though impeccably performed and arranged, the resulting sound—frequently folkie, sometimes funky—is seldom anything more than facile."[11] The Chicago Tribune deemed the album "Poi's most infectiously danceable disc, and also its moodiest."[18] Texas Monthly called it "a deep and—believe it or not—dark multigenre piece set amid a bubbling stew of strings, horns, percussion, and odd electro-funk pulsing, plus other weirdly beautiful noises."[19]
AllMusic noted that "they're at their most sublime and inimitable in the pop ballads."[14]
Track listing edit
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Pomegranate" | |
| 2. | "Catacombs" | |
| 3. | "Complicated" | |
| 4. | "The Chain" | |
| 5. | "Big Constellation" | |
| 6. | "Sandra at the Beach" | |
| 7. | "Diamonds and Buttermilk" | |
| 8. | "Shu Zulu Za" | |
| 9. | "God's Gallipoli" | |
| 10. | "The Shake of Big Hands" | |
| 11. | "Al le Luia" |
References edit
- ^ Harris, Paul A. (26 Oct 1995). "A New Pack of Pois". Get Out. St. Louis Post-Dispatch. p. 24.
- ^ DeLuca, Dan (3 Nov 1995). "And Then There's...". Features Weekend. The Philadelphia Inquirer. p. 15.
- ^ a b c McCormick, Moira (Oct 21, 1995). "Poi Dog Pondering proves fruitful on 'Pomegranate'". Billboard. Vol. 107, no. 42. p. 1.
- ^ Kot, Greg (15 Sep 1995). "Poi Dog Pondering Moves to Lush Soundscape at the Vic". Chicagoland. Chicago Tribune. p. 12.
- ^ Wyman, Bill (March 7, 1996). "Poi Dog Days". Music. Chicago Reader.
- ^ Monk, Katherine (7 Dec 1995). "Poi Dog left pondering too few fans". Vancouver Sun. p. C10.
- ^ Roos, John (10 Sep 1996). "Poi Dog Pondering, Unleashed". Los Angeles Times. p. F3.
- ^ a b MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide. Visible Ink Press. 1996. p. 528.
- ^ Renzhofer, Martin (1 Dec 1995). "Poi Dog Pondering Savors Its Tasty New 'Pomegranate'". The Salt Lake Tribune. p. E16.
- ^ Harrison, Tom (5 Dec 1995). "Different folks, different strokes: Poi Dog, EBN both stimulating". The Province. p. B2.
- ^ a b Jenkins, Mark (3 Nov 1995). "Poi's 'Pomegranate' needs some juice". The Washington Post. p. WW16.
- ^ Ferguson, Jon (22 Mar 1996). "Hot horns, dance grooves and other mysteries of life". Happenings. Intelligencer Journal. p. 2.
- ^ McDonald, Sam (5 Apr 1996). "Pondering the Possibilities". InRoads. Daily Press. Newport News. p. 12.
- ^ a b "Pomegranate Review by Tom Schulte". AllMusic. Retrieved 31 December 2023.
- ^ "Poi Dog Pondering". Trouser Press. Retrieved 31 December 2023.
- ^ Riemenschneider, Chris (2 Nov 1995). "Too many years gone to Ponder". Austin American-Statesman. p. 8.
- ^ Dawn, Randee (Dec 1995). "Reviews". CMJ New Music Monthly. No. 28. p. 17.
- ^ Kot, Greg (29 Dec 1995). "You Heard It Here First: Top Local Indie Releases". Friday. Chicago Tribune. p. S.
- ^ Cohen, Jason (Jan 1996). "Hot CDs". Texas Monthly. Vol. 24, no. 1. p. 22.