Ariel Pink – Pom Pom
Review by, Alex McCullough
Rating: 9/10
I’m listening to pom pom as I’m writing this and I’m still just astounded at how much I love this record. Ariel Pink’s band, Ariel Pink’s Haunted Graffiti, has put out some great music in the past, but in my opinion, nothing they’ve done can touch pom pom. This album is chock full of everything that makes Ariel Pink great: it’s goofy, it’s bizarre, it’s experimental, but there are songs that are just incredibly beautiful as well.
The album starts out with “Plastic Raincoats in the Pig Parade” which falls heavily in the aforementioned bizarre category. The insane lyrics and zany instrumentals and noises are everything I want from an Ariel Pink record. I love every single track on this album, from the craziness of “Dinosaur Care Bears” to “Nude Beach A Go-Go” (which heavily reminds me of The Mothers of Invention’s early parodies of 60s music) to the beautiful melodies of “Not Enough Violence” and “Dayzed Inn Daydreams”. Ariel conveys some heavy feelings on this record, especially with “Dayzed Inn” which has some really hopelessly sad lyrics. It’s amazing to hear both sides of Ariel, and this album showcases his personality beautifully.
This album feels timeless to me. It’s full of 60s, 70s, and 80s influence, and I feel like it’s a tribute to all the weirdos and freaks of the last 50 years. I love every song on pom pom. It goes for over an hour without a dull moment despite the wide range of themes and sounds we get. I haven’t been able to get enough of this album, and it’s definitely one I’m going to keep coming back to. Ariel Pink finally made his masterpiece.
FCC Violations: Tracks 11, 12, 14
Favorite tracks: Not Enough Violence (#5), White Freckles (#2), Dayzed Inn Daydreams (#17)
RIYL: Frank Zappa, Animal Collective, wacky stuff
