Pomegranates
Everybody, Come Outside!
Release Date: Apr 14, 2009
Genre(s): Indie, Rock, Pop
Record label: Lujo
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Album Review: Everybody, Come Outside! by Pomegranates
Fairly Good, Based on 4 Critics
Based on rating 7/10
I guess it takes some cojones to name your band after a second-class fruit, and then to leave off the ‘The’, but I’m not holding it against Pomegranates, or for that matter, pomegranates. They (the band) are unashamed and come out swinging on their second disc on the Lujo label, looking to make their mark in a kind of Clap Your Hands, Vampire Weekend-ish kind of way. This means that the tinkling guitars are prominent and the mood is celebratory though not a little bit experimental.
Based on rating 6/10
Pomegranates create an offbeat, arty brand of indie rock that relies heavily on atmosphere, presentation, and -- in the case of this sophomore album, which follows the band's debut by less than one year -- a conceptual story arc involving a boy's swim across the ocean and subsequent abduction by a time traveler. An odd premise, perhaps, but Everybody, Come Outside! revels in such a whimsical narrative, which the band supports with an equally quirky blend of pop-minded guitars and androgynous vocals. Pomegranates aren't fantastic musicians; rather, they're solid storytellers with a knack for delivery, adding little flourishes (including squawking seagulls, crashing waves, gang vocals, and a stomp-clap intro) whenever the plot calls for it.
Based on rating 5/10
Recently, at a particularly informal job interview, a friend somehow found herself discussing music with her prospective employer. The interviewer was middle-aged, and despite hearing numerous references to indie music on NPR, he had no idea what the hell it meant. My friend readily explained the word initially referred to bands on independent labels but had slowly became an umbrella term for all alternative music.
Opinion: Excellent
Your first thought upon learning of the band Pomegranates might be “Does the world need another indie-pop band?” So many have come and gone that it’s hard to get excited about yet another. Everybody, Come Outside! just might surprise you. Every so often a band comes along that does this kind of music just right: effortlessly pulling the pieces together and creating something you can’t help but enjoy.
'Everybody, Come Outside!'
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