Though he may seem like an unknowable phenomenon on the surface, Peck’s appearance simply acts as a welcome mat; his words throughout Pony intensely reflect realities, emotions and experiences tied to what many others have faced.
Despite its masked obscurity, it’s the tenderness that wins the fight.
His talent is as impressive as his ideas are smart and unexpected, and this is one of the best and most fascinating debuts from an alt-country-adjacent artist in a very long time.
The same fine balance between homage and parody is displayed in the music. As conventionalised as the lyrics, ‘Pony’ is dominated by the country-pop of the 1960s.
A brilliant palate cleanser to the vast majority of overblown, raucous and vapid compositions that have taken over the genre over the course of the last three decades or so.
Though he doesn’t always bring the hooks to match his ambitious performance, Peck never misses a chance to hook you into his voice.
There's an ever-crowded field of cowboys (of all genders) making their way through independent music these days, but Peck's striking imagery sets him apart.
Thank you @VIbesRUs for the recommendation! You heard it right, this recommendation literally comes from a giraffe on the internet of all things, and we got a country album to talk about.
I mentioned this before, but like @VIbesRUs in their review, I despise the country music genre. Shit is overly saturated in the mainstream with generic sappy ass lyrics, the same sounding vocals with no personality, and basic instrumentation to get a number one hit. That’s why my initial thoughts were ... read more
EDIT 2 (10/15/19): MASTERPIECE / PERFECT
I know I give a lot of albums really high ratings. I know Pony isn't a masterpiece to most of you. I know some of you consider it kind of boring, and I know that this won't be anyone's favorite country album of all time. But personally...well, you can read the score, as well as the two reviews that preceded this edit. Not only does this keep growing on me, but I think it might be a 10. I'm doing that thing I always do and keeping it at 99 before taking ... read more
"Shoegaze for rednecks" - kengojiultamYT
I would never think i would love a "country" album as much as this. Orville Peck has some of the most relatable tunes I've heard this year. At times I almost cried, others were feel good anthems to "pick your head up, and keep on chugging" bc life is hard
Thank you @VIbesRUs for the recommendation! You heard it right, this recommendation literally comes from a giraffe on the internet of all things, and we got a country album to talk about.
I mentioned this before, but like @VIbesRUs in their review, I despise the country music genre. Shit is overly saturated in the mainstream with generic sappy ass lyrics, the same sounding vocals with no personality, and basic instrumentation to get a number one hit. That’s why my initial thoughts were ... read more
1 | Dead of Night 3:59 | 90 |
2 | Winds Change 2:59 | 84 |
3 | Turn to Hate 4:56 | 86 |
4 | Buffalo Run 3:38 | 76 |
5 | Queen of the Rodeo 3:17 | 81 |
6 | Kansas (Remembers Me Now) 3:35 | 82 |
7 | Old River 1:01 | 74 |
8 | Big Sky 3:32 | 74 |
9 | Roses Are Falling 3:05 | 83 |
10 | Take You Back (The Iron Hoof Cattle Call) 3:27 | 81 |
11 | Hope to Die 4:29 | 86 |
12 | Nothing Fades Like the Light 3:46 | 81 |
#10 | / | Clash |
#20 | / | Chorus.fm |
#26 | / | Thrillist |
#39 | / | NME |
#40 | / | Noisey |
#69 | / | PopMatters |
/ | The FADER | |
/ | Vinyl Me, Please |