Sardonic protest songs that swathe sincere sentiments in thrumming power-pop chords, sublime female backing vocals and joyful bursts of brass and shimmering strings.
Label: HIdden Target Recordings Release date: 19/05/09 Website: The Oxygen Ponies Website Harmony Hand Grenade opens in the fashion of a melancholy Leonard Cohen; yet as a whole though the album is fantastically varied and soulful. The Oxygen Ponies, it becomes increasingly clear throughout the album, manage to tie together a great combination of sounds, moods, and mini-narratives reminiscent of Cohen at his best without resorting to mimicking him. Megna's voice is a little husky and carries a lovely [...]
Work, work, work... Really looking forward to hearing the promo copy of the Polly Scattergood debut, whenever I receive it! + Nitrogen Pink For next week's concert at Vega in Copenhagen White Lies will be supported by Wintersleep . + Weighty Ghost I'm listening to the Plushgun debut album [...]

(because of this interview, the "best of" post will show up around Sunday of next week. Thanks for the patience!) Misquoted : w/ Anya Marina I was lucky enough to do an e-mail correspondence interview type thing with Anya Marina , who's new album, Slow & Steady Seduction: Phase II , which will be out next Tuesday, January 20th (what a big day!), is something that you absolutely need to pick up. Period. Here are [...]

The self-titled debut from The Oxygen Ponies is an melancholy record that rings with intimacy and familiarity-not only because singer/songwriter Paul Megna's compositions bare resemblance to classic artists such as Leonard Cohen and Bob Dylan, but also because the songs are so deeply personal. There's something incredibly stirring about the combination of Paul Megna's eerily rough voice combined with his poignant lyrics. Paul Megna While The Oxygen Ponies' songs are often simplistic in nature and meaning, they express enough to make you fall into a gloomy [...]