"Everybody Come Outside!"
Folk Gospel Done Devo and True
Some facts about Pomegranates from the FAQ section of the fruit's website: The pomegranate has appeared in myths, legends, art and history for centuries. Associated with health and rebirth, some scholars even place the pomegranate in the Garden of Eden, instead of an apple. Known as one of the earliest cultivated fruits, they may date back to 2000 B.C. and are still a fruit of fascination today.
That's me in the corner That's me in the spotlight Losing my religion Trying to keep up with you And I don't know if I can do it Oh no I've said too much I haven't said enough I thought that I heard you laughing I thought that I heard you sing I think I thought I saw you try ~ Michael Stipe from "Losing My Religion" by R.E.M.
The Pomegranates are the nicest guys to form a full band ever. That's not some incidental fact about their personal lives, but a driving force in this music. These boys seem chock full of cautious optimism that nothing is impossible if we work together and that's not an act. Combine that folk based belief in the good of mankind with a cagy use of Devo's selfless corporate aesthetic in live performance, and you got yourself a band I do not believe I could resist if I tried. There's more wisdom in the songs of this band than I've heard in a month of Sundays, and the crowds can't figure out who leads the band with all the trading of solos and their patented and personalized identical brown jumpsuits. These are workingmen on a mission to rebuild what needs fixing with a song. They start right where they ought to, heading straight for your soul. What I get from these songs is an invitation to have a little faith, but I've never been ask to join anything or read anything by these guys. If John Hiatt is all about "Have A Little Faith In Me," this band has the infectious and powerful message, "Have a little faith in yourself, and together we can change what needs fixing."
Joy is always a surprise, especially at a rock concert. This band dispenses that revolutionary emotion by submerging themselves in this music so far they don't have enough ego onstage to give a listener anything separating them from each other or the crowd. These are the type of guys who teach the world about love by asking about your kids when they talk to you. I don't think that's even a technique, but it always works. The message of this album is expansive, and it's summed up in the title, "Everybody Come Outside!" Maybe that Pomegranate fruit is associated with rebirth, but a good start is getting out the house and meeting somebody. That's so damn insidious, these guys probably have a folder on file with the Homeland Security. I'm writing about this album right here and now, because I could use a little fresh air. When I'm done with this writing, I'm going to take the tip and go out walking in Parker Woods where I can meet the neighbors. This world is in trouble deep, and that's a good start. If that seems too simple to you, you may be taking the easy way out. Last time I went walking a neighbor sang several short songs to me from the book of Quaker wisdom while she was doing the gardening. I never would have got that watching TV. I realize the title of this album is talking about a new way of thinking, but all it takes for a paradigm shift is literally getting out the door. We can work it out! Just get out the house!
The sickest trick in pop is having nothing up your sleeve. That's the bomb! I don't know where these boys came up with that. What, did they have families that loved them or some such thing? How in hell did that happen in America? What other band can chant a list of four good things and then break out into an infectious anthem like the P's do in "Southern Ocean?" I suppose I should say something articulate and smart right now, but alls I really want to do with these guys is point and shout: "Lookey here! Right there on stage! It's The Pomegranates! Be who you really are and listen!"
What about musicianship? I'm listening to the spice Coriander, and that guitar has some "pull offs" technique to remind me of Phil Keaggy in the old days of Synergy. Those drums never show off and never miss a beat, and all of the boys in this band sing just as good as the next one, or so they make it seem. I'd like to comment on the bass players, but they have this habit of trading instruments onstage so I get confused. I guess I'll settle for saying both bass players are spot on, and those two guitar wizards always play what the song needs at the level of taste itself. There are riffs associated with folk mandolin playing and some straight out of rock 'n' roll. Best of all there is space in each song to allow the listener to catch up and get ready for the next event in the music.
From the performance schedule this band has posted, I believe they have captured the imagination of the public. Chances are you might get to hear them down the street from your house in your own town. Each individual member of this band deserves favor, but they don't seem to cotton to praise or curry that kind of thing. I think this Pomegranate has fallen from the Tree of Wisdom. You are NOT prohibited from taking a bite of this one. Chances are it has what you need. Just maybe, if you eat your fill of this un-forbidden fruit, we might all get let back into Eden. Wouldn't that be nice? Since knowledge hasn't got us where we wanted to go, maybe wisdom will get us back where to where we once belonged. Just maybe. Other bands have fans and groupies, but this one makes me feel like I've joined a community. Imagine that? Remember what that was like? -- dinner with the neighbors, good conversations, and helping each other move or clean up the neighborhood? This band can't accomplish much on their own, but this music might bring together a crazy bunch of folks who believe in themselves and each other. That's the message of the Pomegranates. "Everybody, Come On Outside!" It's time to use our smarts for something other than complaining. Maybe we can plant a tree, or pick up a can. 60 Minutes will still be on your TV this Sunday if you can't handle the joy. Compared to this band, most music is a buzz kill.
Maybe these guys are the rock band Able would have formed if he hadn't been killed by his brother. They don't ignore the darkness. In an uncharacteristic psychosocial ballad, I hear the words, "Has our creator forgotten us?" Times are bad. We've lost the hope that comes with connection. Maybe that original meaning of religion has infected them and all who listen to this album. We've been "Losing Our Religion" as St. Michael Stipe has noticed. Listening to this album I see the beauty of reconnecting. I feel good about myself and I feel good about you. The album has reached the cloud of meaning in the song "I Feel Like I'm A Million Years Old," with a touch of the Soundscape developed by Brother Robert Fripp, though this Pomegranate version is much more friendly. My iTunes has flipped to the first song and I'm taking the journey again. The title cut hits me again, "It's time to rebuild!" I'm game, brothers! Do we get matching tee shirts?
"I understand ‘religion’ in the literal meaning of the word, as ‘re-ligio’, that is to say the restoration of connections, the restoration of the ‘legato’ of life. There is no more serious task for music than this." ~ Sofia Gubaidulina
THE POMEGRANATES:
[The "Members" image below is linked to The Pomegranates on myspace.]
THE PHOTO OF POMEGRANATES HUGGING ON THE TOP IMAGE OF THE REVIEW WAS TAKEN BY "WOXY." I THINK THEY MAY BE THE BEST OF THE BEST AND I SEE THEIR WORK FREQUENTLY SUPPORTING INDIE BANDS. THEY DESERVE CREDIT FOR THAT THEY DO.
