When I first heard about a new band called Snowpony that had Katherine Gifford (former guitarist for Stereolab) and Debbie Googe (former bassist for My Bloody Valentine) in it, I had a three- foot strand of drool hanging from my lower lip. True, I was on a heavy dose of muscle relaxants at the time (I always keep them handy in case I strain myself moving a heavy box, which I also keep handy), but the offending spittle was aided by my excitement at the possibilities of this group. My Bloody Valentine- heads like myself are always hungry for some new product, even if it's by a second- tier member like Googe. And combining her talents with a Stereolab alum seemed just about perfect. Throw in studio whiz and Tortoise frontman John McEntire at the producer's desk, and you have an particularly appetizing combination of ingredients.

Ten listens later my mouth has dried up and my back is a little sore. The album is decent, but there's little here that feels innovative or particularly moving. A couple of songs (like the terrific "John Brown") are wonderfully poppy in a weird kind of way, and the odd harmonies take your focus off of the somewhat cliched lyrics. But when Snowpony slow down on "St. Lucy's Gate" the excitement of the premise seems almost justified; the track has a slow, brooding trip-hop feel, with an interesting backwards guitar sample adding tension that the rest of the album lacks.

Elsewhere things are just okay. Snowpony winds up being Gifford's band (she writes and does all the vocals), so when things get a little boring, I suppose she's to blame. Gifford has a fine guitar tone and knows how to get things grooving, but these songs are pretty limp in the end. And sounding like a bored, weary Natalie Merchant can't be good for anyone's career. Googe plays bass but her presence is sadly unnoticeable, and the production is solid but, again, unremarkable. So... when is that My Bloody Valentine album supposed to come out, again?

-Mark Richard-San

"Easy Way Down"

[MPEG-LayerII: Medium Quality] (117k)
[MPEG-LayerII: High Quality] (352k)
[Real Audio Stream]