Dive Deep Into Pond, Stay For The Oberhofer

By Tankboy in Arts & Entertainment on Mar 27, 2012 4:20PM

Tonight Lincoln Hall features a trio of must-see bands; one local, one from Brooklyn and one traveling all the way here from Australia. Opening the evening is YAWN, a band we've covered extensively (and always well worth checking out) so let's move on to the out-of-towners.

Pond isn't a new band but they're new to these shores. Hailing from Australia they're on album number four, Beard Wives Denim, recorded in 2010 but only just released here earlier this month. The band travels along a shambling psychedelic path, adopting a '60s studio aesthetic to put together their songs. It's an approach shared by fellow countrymen Tame Impala, so if you're a fan of that group you'll probably feel an immediate affinity for Pond.

Pond's psychedelia isn't the deep dark sort that folds in on itself in a morass of dark turbulence. Instead the group travels the path forged by bands that wanted to play catchy pop hits but didn't want to sacrifice the weird while doing so. We usually hate such obvious comparison but this is for fans of early Pink Floyd and the Nuggets boxset. We can't tell if people will dance to the band's live show or nod off into a glazed higher existence but we're OK with either way. And hopefully it'll be both!

Headlining the evening is Brooklyn's Oberhofer, led by—surprise—Brad Oberhofer. We were turned onto Oberhoerhofer's o0O0o0O0o 7" a few years ago, and we found it's contents to be catchy enough in a cute lo-fi way, but that didn't prepare us for the excellent contents of the band's new full-length. Time Capsules II. Oberhofer creates instant sing-alongs bursting with youthful energy. It's all chugging guitars and rolling drums and melodies that keep you humming long after the songs have ended.

The basic structures of the group's tunes are pretty simple, and we could see them fitting well in a room with nothing more than an acoustic guitar, Oberhofer and a bunch of sweaty fans. But in the studio they take each song's basic framework and adds layer upon layer of instrumentation.

Take "I Could Go," for instance; it's a simple enough tune but once it gets going Oberhofer throws everything at it including xylophones, tin whistles, synths and what at times sounds like a toy box emptied on the floor and utilized within an inch of its life. We're dying to see how this approach translates to the stage show.

MP3: POND "Fantastic Explosion Of Time"

MP3: Oberhofer "HEART"

Tonight, March 27, at Lincoln Hall, 2424 N Lincoln, 8 p.m. $12, 18+