Review: Shudder to Think, Pony Express Album

September 16, 1994
by Sean G. Thomas

The Black Cat's bar room played host to the record release party of Shudder to Think's new Pony Express Record on September 12, and the music on display mirrored the space's subdued, dark but inviting vibe.

Following the major label leap from Dischord to Sony, Shudder has crafted a sparse, at times delicate record that slowly unraveled throughout an evening's listening. Even at its loudest, Pony Express Record has a late-night quality, which left some disoriented when the evening's first band hit the stage in the main room.

Without song titles or lyrics, impressions emerged gradually: at their hardest, Shudder can twist like a tamer Jesus Lizard with their menacing, hyper-blues dynamics; at quieter times, the music's fragility coupled with the high, reaching vocals eerily recalled, of all things, Art Garfunkel.

Despite the tricky rhythmic changes of its faster songs, Pony Express Record generally feels organic and natural. It is most compelling when quietly stripped-down, and can sound painfully personal. The more extroverted tracks occasionally overplay their sense of tension: would-be anthems collapse in on themselves, swallowing their choruses, and some potentially storming tunes are perversely denied a full head of steam.

The sound is inevitably more polished than an indie release, but nothing suggests Shudder's sights are set on megastardom. In fact, the restrained but spacious nature of a few songs left room on Monday for the mind to wander. With a little luck, Pony Express Record 's wider distribution will lead an audience of broad-minded listeners to a band clearly ready to receive them. Judging from the Black Cat's turnout, the process may have already begun.

Sean G. Thomas, Sean Thomas, Sean Garrett Thomas