Man It Feels Like Space Again

Pond - Man It Feels Like Space Again
Critic Score
Based on 22 reviews
2015 Ratings: #478 / 1021
User Score
Based on 247 ratings
2015 Rank: #254
Liked by 17 people
Sign In to rate and review

CRITIC REVIEWS

80
musicOMH
Sometimes the songs misfire or don’t quite work, but such is the sheer joy and spontaneity contained within these songs that it hardly matters.
80
PopMatters
Pond’s new album is a shining example of a reappropriation of retro styles used to create a modern identity that feels like nothing else.
80
NME
Perhaps, for a band as strange as this, making a pop album is the ultimate experiment. The results are anything but clichéd.
80
DIY
They follow through with their gaudy intentions perfectly, and like an outdated sci-fi film filled with dodgy costumes and flaky green-screen, ‘Man It Feels Like Space Again’ manifests itself in bold, kitschy, and psychedelic appeal from start to finish.
80
Exclaim!

Man it Feels like Space Again stands apart both from their influences and from that other Perth group. That it also happens to be their best album is just a bonus.

80
The Skinny

Even at their most narcotic, however – certain woozy moments recall Mercury Rev’s stargazing wonder – it’s clear that Pond’s shining brilliance stems from the hips rather than the subconscious: simply perfect pop.

76
Pitchfork
Even in their repeated defiance of having anything to prove, Pond still scramble with the passion and irreverence of underdogs.
75
The 405

Of course, there are elements of Man It Feels Like Space Again which hardly surprise, there are thick swathes of analogue synths, wiggly guitar textures, drugged-up '60s vocals, but, from each track to the next, the album is still able to confound and delight in equal measure.

70
Drowned in Sound
Rather than re-invent the wheel, they’ve instead covered it in thousands of sequins, loaded it into a fluorescent cannon, and fired into the deepest, trippiest stratosphere in the whole solar system
70
FasterLouder
There’s a newfound emphasis on zonked synths and ticking drum machine, but that actually widens the freakish scope of their sound instead of narrowing it.
70
Under the Radar

Feels Like Space is a step forward, though where Pond is headed remains anybody's guess.

70
AllMusic
Sixth album from this Tame Impala offshoot is a messy, crowded triumph of blissful psych pop.
67
Pretty Much Amazing

While I’m happy to see Pond really taking off as their own band separate from Tame Impala, I can’t help to feel nostalgic for the more composed times of Beard, Wives, Denim, when they had a little more focus and a little less water balloons.

60
Loud and Quiet

On their eighth studio album, the Australian group’s psychedelia finds its ecstasy via movement rather than meditation. Or it does at first.

55
The Line of Best Fit
Pond's latest album is a more authentic take on psychedelia, but it’s a genre that won’t ever gain as huge an audience as those that sell its image over its music. Unfortunately for Pond, this makes for a less popular record.
Slush_Puppy
72

This that Australian summer, windows down, driving down to the beach music.

Houdanny
68

Some really great moments on this album (particularly Zond and Medicine Hat, which are peak heavy Psych), but it's not as consistent as I'd like, and hasn't aged as well as I'd hoped. Still very much worth a listen though.

Paty08
90

The mix between fast pace bangers and trippy slow-burners knocked my socks off!

oskar4
76

Waiting Around for Grace: 90 ★
Elvis' Flaming Star: 80 ★
Holding Out for You: 70
Zond: 60
Heroic Shart: 60
Sitting Up on Our Crane: 80
Outside Is the Right Side: 70
Medicine Hat: 80
Man It Feels Like Space Again: 90 ★

Average: 75,56 / 100

Slush_Puppy
72

This that Australian summer, windows down, driving down to the beach music.

DrakeBonna
78

Favourite Tracks:

Waiting Around for Grace - 84
Holding Out for You - 84
Medicine Hat - 84

Purchasing Man It Feels Like Space Again from Amazon helps support Album of the Year. Or consider a donation?
Become a Donor
Donor badge, no ads + more benefits.
Advertisement

Year End Lists

#34/NME
#70/Uncut
Comments (1)
Sign in to comment
2y


Added on: December 29, 2014