I’ve watched so many coulda-been-contenders come and go in Chicago, throwing in the towel after a promising debut, that it’s always refreshing to see a worthy band go the distance. After two records for In the Red, the PONYS have signed to uber-indie Matador and released the long-awaited Turn the Lights Out, and I’m pleased to report they’re still in top form. This is their first disc since Ian Adams decamped, taking his jangly 12-string and wry Britpop sensibilities with him, and with his replacement, guitarist Brian Case, they sound in some ways less exuberant–they put their heads down and gallop through an obstacle course of clanging fuzz, counting on their expert knowledge of garage rock’s pleasure principle to see them through. And it does: “Small Talk” is deceptively tender, “Turn the Lights Out” takes a chance on organ-swirled whimsy, and “Double Vision” is destined to be the iPod antihit of the summer. –Monica Kendrick
