France's Poni Hoax were fêted stateside for their 2006 self-titled release on Tigersushi, which was frequently described using the terms “suavity” and “italo.” The former can be attributed to the band's Frenchity (Gallicity?), the subject matter (lots of songs about the ladies and exotic locales, you know) and the delivery of singer Nicolas Ker, whose gothic pipes manage to simultaneously evoke the smooth dirge of a band like Bauhaus or a crooner like Bowie and, in a somewhat mystifying juxtaposition, the forced bellows of Glenn Danzig without stepping over any style-related-no-no lines in the sand. The latter was the fault of their EP-treated single, “Budapest”, which was close to a 4-on-the-floor Moroder burner, but lacked the way-over-the-top funk and horn eccentricities that would have really made it “italo”- which is probably a good thing.
Poni Hoax is back with a new release on Tigersushi, Images of Sigrid. Listen to live performances of “Paper Brides” and “Pretty Tall Girls” off their new album, along with “big hit”, “Budapest” from their last one, recorded at May's Art Rock Festival in St. Brieuc. I love Brittany this time of year- the call and response of alternatively buzzing and eerie synth lines positively shimmer off the hillsides and push the pouty girls to dance in their New Wave skirts.
Poni Hoax is playing at Brooklyn's Studio B July 5.
“Paper Brides”
[download]
“Pretty Tall Girls”
[download]
“Budapest”
[download]
