Ponytail - "Beg Waves"

via SPIN
Molly was the Kool-Aid man for Halloween and, yes, she broke through a brick wall drawn on brown paper

Things have been a bit quiet post-CMJ, and I miss the music-craziness of October. I've had the election to distract me for a few days, and I've never been prouder to hold an Illinois ID, to be an alum of my alma mater (I'm still waiting for that email, PrezBo), and to be an American. It's been an exciting week, but it's time for me to pick up where I left off.

During the BrooklynVegan CMJ Showcase, I saw a certain band named Ponytail that has a band website that appears to be very circa 1990s. I should warn you that you may find yourself clicking around for awhile. Anyway, let's be honest. When I first saw this band, I thought, "What the hell is going on..." Molly Siegel, the lead singer (if you can call her that), bounced around and made a lot of cat-like noises. Screeches, purrs, she had them all. This guy in front of me was rocking out while everyone looked on with their arms crossed in an appropriate CMJ-like manner.

Regardless, I kinda liked them. I couldn't really explain why they intrigued me that night, but I have been listening to Ponytail ever since the MHOW show. I put Ice Cream Spiritual on my iPod, which turned out to be a dangerous move. Now, I've been finding myself moving to the beat while walking, waiting in front of restaurants, and riding the elevator at work. Uh oh, I guess Ponytail is a little infectious.

While I'm still confused by the "vocals" of Molly Siegel and Dustin Wong, they entertain me at times. I especially enjoy Dustin's monkey sounds in "7 Souls," in all seriousness. I've seen him do the bit live twice, and I may be a little obsessed. But, the track that I've had on repeat for awhile is "Beg Waves," my current favorite. When I saw them perform the song live, the guitarists and drummer managed to make the complicated sequences look so easy to perform (damn them). Up until about time 2:26, the guitars and percussion become increasingly layered on top of each other, making the song seem almost chaotic as the different sounds attempt to fight each other for domination. Then, a melodic guitar riff emerges suddenly, and it's a surprise that manages to put a smile on my face. While I'm the elevator with people in suits. Oh, if they only knew what I was listening to.

Ponytail will be performing with Yeasayer on November 15 at NYU's Skirtball Center. Details here.

Beg Waves - Ponytail