Pomegranates Want Everybody to Come Outside

Hailing from that hotbed of rock and roll that is Cincinnati, Ohio, Pomegranates are preparing to issue their second album in as many years. Everybody Come Outsideis a concept album of sorts, weaving an interesting tale of a man who leaves home, only to be abducted by a time traveler. No, it's not an episode of Dr. Who or Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy but it is one heck of an indie pop record.

Everybody Come Outsideis an impressive shimmery, jaunty, jangly, spacey and artful pop record. Pomegranates are clearly a band ahead of their career trajectory as you hear that this band has matured by leaps and bounds from their debut Everything Is Alive. The songs here are stronger, better written, and so much catchier that I think I need a flu shot. While I'm not to sure about the concept portion of the record, as a group of eleven songs, Everybody Come Outsideis a brilliant sophomore effort that sounds something like the Talking Heads duking it out with the B-52's (old) and some strange collective of New York bands.

Sounding a bit lo-fi at times Pomegranates sound as though they are telling you the tale of this time traveler to you directly while you sit in your Lazyboy. It's an intimate record that still manages to create enough energy to rip the space time continuum when needed. Check out the ethereal epic, "I Feel Like I'm a Million years Old," for an example of how they do this. Starting out as a pop song the tune then transports itself into another galaxy utilizing wave upon wave of guitar based bliss that will leave you thinking Brian Eno returned from the Moon with this record in his hand.

Pomegranates are easily the best thing to come out of Cincinnati since Pete Rose (pre-gambling). Whether it's jumpy artpop or intergalactic space epics Pomegranates are an absorbing band that create dramatic awe-inspiring pop. Everybody Come Outside is a stunning second effort that's both intimate and epic and is continually striking in its combination of both the small tune and the big tune. A truly impressive effort.