Frond

Pond's Frond Goes Beyond

     

I was relatively late in climbing aboard the Pond train, having heard a lot about the exploits of the Perth-based psychedelic-fuzz supergroup without ever having seen or heard them play. That all changed one warm summer's eve, when I happened to see the 10-piece assemble upon the stage at Mojo's, and instantly stupefy the whole room with their sublime grooves. From that point onward, I was hooked.

The musical talents of each of the band members is immediately obvious, with every track on Frond interweaving a number of melodies, riffs and ideas to a level usually found on an album such as this. From a songwriting perspective, Frond is miles ahead of Pond's previous releases, which in this humble reviewer's opinion came across more as recorded jams rather than songs. Here, every track is meticulously crafted and ordered appropriately, from the foot-stomping "Betty Davis (Will Come Down from the Heavens to Save Us)" to the epic finale album-namesake "Frond".

The highlight of this album, for me, is undoubtedly "Sunlight Cardigan". It rings of David Bowie-style weirdness, but with fuzz and rock sensibilities that Pond are quickly making themselves known for.

Frond is one of my favourite releases of 2010. This statement is not confined to local releases.