The Pons

Anyone who has ever heard songs written by The Pons' Tommy Mazzi knows to expect infectious melodies complete with a little late 90s indie guitar rock and tight, witty lyrics. Beginning with Lalaland, the previous incarnation of The Pons, and 2004's single ?Let's War?, Mazzi has always cocked a curious eyebrow towards our society's ongoing emptiness ? empty wars, empty consumerism, empty hearts. ?Wherever You Are?, the lead off track from In the Belly of a Giant, is no exception.

With Mazzi solemnly singing of ?still fighting daddy's wars/ still doing daddy's chore/ turn your life upside down/ and everything falls out? right before he and bassist Ruby Painter gorgeously harmonize on a lonesome chorus of ?Wherever you are/ Wherever you are?, the aching is perfectly captured in one of 2008's best album openers. Not stopping there, The Pons then proceed to rip off a wonderful cathartic coda that shakes off the lingering sadness.

Featuring Steve Sanders on drums along with the aforementioned Painter, The Pons are the same lineup that released 2006's Mumbo Jumbo EP as Lalaland, but under the new identity the band sheds the cuteness of the old name and finally begins to embrace Mazzi's full song writing potential. Layers of vocals shimmer through the 10 tracks on their debut album, leaving the listener feeling like they are standing in a cavern ? or the stomach of a giant, right? - surrounded by Tommy and Ruby's voices. Mazzi's guitars, layered and piled thick, wrap their voices and Sanders' drums in a sheen of arena friendly bliss. On ?Wake Up Call? and ?She's the One?, voices, guitars, and organ twist and turn and blend in a way that is more Elvis Costello than Costello himself has been in a long time.

If the Pons music requires Mazzi and his cohorts to continue to be a bit confused and unfulfilled, then let's hope they are prolific and take advantage of these darker times. Nowhere is the Pons' tug-of-war between anger and sadness, rage and loneliness, frustration and emptiness more evident than as their debut wraps up. Over churning guitar riffs as big as anything The Who put on ?Tommy?, ?Blackhawk? unloads and assaults the promises of wars, truths, and happiness before ?Metal Heart? and ?Peace on Earth? fade out. Over an acoustic guitar and a gently urgent drumbeat, Tommy Mazzi sings ?peace on earth/ I've never known/ for what it's worth/ I'd rather be shown?; As the band ratchets it up, Painter joins him to declare the fighting is over, and over a soaring outtro it's hard not to feel like they both are singing for all of us.