Eccentric and youthful Australian psychedelic astronauts Pond continue to invite their listeners on comic journeys on their sixth album but this time there's a vunreble and inward self-reflective shade of blue added to their already colourful personalities resulting in their most rounded and diverse effort to date.

 

Proof of this new found fragility is found on the addictive Sitting Up On Our Crane, a song which effectively uses alteration of mood and effects to reflect acrophobia. Cautious drums and shy guitar notes illustrate nervousness on top of the aforementioned crane (depicted in the static-coloured 3D music video) whilst surreal and whimsical synths flow aimlessly through the air along with vacuumed vocals painting the uncontrollable motion of falling as the lyrics narrate: "just tell yourself it's coming as you're spreeing towards the ground.". It successfully draws the listener into a state of nausea that true psychedelic should always aim to achieve.

 

Although lead singer Nick Allbrock left compatriots Tame Impala in 2013, their appears to be an unusual feeling of sentimental emptiness within his mind and room for pondering is found on ballad-bound tracks Holding Out For You, simplistic acoustic folk Medicine Hat and underwhelming slow burner Waiting Around For Grace which is unsually slow and unexitable start from Pond, It is also notable that even though Allbrock's voice is still distance, it's much calmer, clearer with straight forward production on this album compared to the occasionally echoey, screamish, triggy-happy and rippling reverb on other efforts.

 

However, Pond are most admired for their fun characteristics and child-like yet free spirited creativity and there is still plenty of that in abundance. 

 

Psychedelic pastime backward looping is used to connect track one to Elvis Flaming Star, which is a quirky fanaticism to the king of rock and roll. Like their idol's music, it easily provokes impulsive hip movement, which is surprising for a Pond record. Featuring a drum beat resembling The Strangelove's I Want Candy (a common occurence in their albums), Allbrock's voice takes a deeper tone and at one point is given the mono recording treatment, all of which helps support their wishful request: "I hope they bring back Elvis." Whilst, Outside is the Right Side is the first time they have fused wah-wah sprinkled blaxpoitation funk with complex psychedelic Jimi Hendrix guitar traits consequenting in fun results.

 

The Dr Zeuss-rhyming technique of Zond is another example of how their playfulness extends all the way to their dictionary-excluded song titles (in the past there's been aloneaflameaflower and Xanman for instance) and it's energetic and hurried presentation is a unique form of space-age psychedelica. It also reintroduces the Elvis theme with it's groove and adrenalin.

 

However, the most spirtual and epic cosmic journey is left to the climax. The titular track Man It Feels Like Space Again is an astonishing planet-hopping blend of everything that makes Pond special and is the perfect farewell to album six. From the patient progressive rock crescendo-building, experimental electronic blips and importantly the articulated transportation of stereophonic sound spheres from ear to ear.

 

Pond have added new arsenal to their spaceship but it's still not the masterpiece that they capable of but they are rocketing further into the vicinity of perfection that this suggests that their next adventure will be the time they take over the galaxy. MTH

 

Best Tracks: Zond, Sitting Up On Our Crane and Man It Feels Like Space Again