Pom Poko - Birthday Review

STEAM OUT THE EARS, RAINBOW OUT THE MOUTH

Music as delightful as this comes around in but a blue moon. The Go! Team, Crying, Sweet Trip. There's this unbridled energy that carries through these artists, elevating them above pure amusement into the stratosphere of ecstasy. And it's all through the concept of Noise, something Pom Poko revel in throughout their debut Birthday. Right from the get-go on the madcap 'Theme #1,' their zonked-out injection is made clear: Math Rock with a mind-bending spoonful of Zolo. Yet, despite these outdated genres, Pom Poko remain an intrepid bunch of Pop purists. I'm reminded, time and again, of Crying's Beyond The Fleeting Gales, a similar album with toothsome vocals and a resplendent array of schizoid compositions. If that album set flight for the clouds, Birthday's content sprinting down main avenue like Sonic The Hedgehog mid montage. Bombastic, buoyant, a balderdash of sensational hooks and crescendoing riffs.

Across these 43 minutes the only track that breaches mediocrity is 'Day Tripper,' with its discordant Surf Punk that flows errantly amidst the collection of pleasant melodies. It's psychedelic deviation - commonplace for any Birthday song - is short and unfulfilling, something that can't be said for the likes of 'My Blood,' 'Follow The Lights,' or 'Birthday.' These songs embrace the unexpected, as Ragnhild Fangel jumps the gamut with her unsullied vocals capable of match Sarah Bonito in terms of Twee Pop gooeyness ('My Blood') before circumventing herself into Dream Pop phantasy akin to Molly Rankin of Alvvays ('Peachy'). She steals the spotlight even when epileptic strobes of inanity constantly squelch for attention in the background. Her hooks are commanding, booming, and infinitely-replayable. See: 'My Work Is Full Of Art,' 'Blue,' 'Crazy Energy Night,' 'Milk Trust.' Really, the list is endless.

No song exudes Pom Poko's tendencies better than 'If U Want Me 2 Stay' though. It exceeds five minutes, bounces vicariously through a regurgitative hook, chorus, bridge trifecta, yet Fangel's word count never even reach double digits. "If you want me to stay, I'll be happy to go" she hollers incessantly when not content, with her fingers in her ears, frisking about singing "la la la la la la." It's the longest song here, least substantial, yet begs to go on forever. An excellent encapsulation of Birthday's style, 'If U Want Me 2 Stay' dares to achieve what every Pop enthusiast jostles with: The compete removal of verse. And while Pop's necessary evil is featured elsewhere on Birthday, Fangel does her best to make sure you never even notice.