Ponytail

Baltimore, MD noisemakers Ponytail have a knack for creating jam-y tunes that never feel like actual jams. Third time out, the group more or less stick with the script they perfected on previous release Ice Cream Spiritual: math-y guitars, pulsing rhythms and singer Molly Siegel's unintelligible vocals are still present. What have changed are the raw production values that Jawbox's J. Robbins brought to that record. In their place, Robbins (who again produces) gives the band a much more measured sound. The blunted visceral blows of Ice Cream Spiritual are replaced with more textured tones and even space. While all this is likely to turn off fans that enjoyed the immediacy of the quartet's previous work, those who like the band's ability to build to a joyous climax, filled with uplifting chants and rhythms, won't be disappointed.