Pomegranates began in the young minds of Jacob Merritt and Isaac Karns. With a mutual desire to make music, the two began penning songs. Immediately they felt this new project was heading places, so they solicited the help of Joey Cook, and the three got down to business. Their initial practice session gave shape to what would later become their first song, "Nursery Magic". Poms were official. June of 2007 saw the release of their well received debut EP 'Two Eyes'. Their full length, 'Everything is Alive', was released in May of 2008. Pomegranates continues to write music and share it with whoever lends an ear.
The comparisons to early Modest Mouse are pretty spot-on so long as
that’s not the last word. Pomegranates’ sonic template is much wider,
their pop, poppier.
KEXP Blog, January 22, 2007 Song of The Day
This Ohio-based four-piece brings to mind visions of
Transatlanticism-era Death Cab For Cutie and ‘90s Britpop with their
big, bright sound. The lyrics themselves are intelligent without being
pompous or overbearing, drawing from literary sources that are mythological and
biblical in nature.
Amplifier Magazine.com
Infectious indie pop…. I couldn't ask for better executed music…”
Analog Scene.com October 22, 2007
With all the softly swooping melodies the blog-and-tunnel indie
fashion victims love without any of that lingering aftertaste of melodrama. It's
almost as if indie kids learned to have fun again.
Aversion
“Pomegranates showcase transitions and dynamic prowess [through use
of] melodic guitar lines, gusto vocals, and unorthodox song structures.”
Cedars Newspaper
The four piece has a great indie rock/ pop vibe going on that some
have compared to early Modest Mouse.
Each Note Secure.com
…wide range of instruments, claps and sing-alongs, with a knack for
melody.
Exclaim
…mixing swirling guitars, fast beats, soft-spoken vocals, and
handclaps all together without even thinking twice…somehow Pomegranates are
charming enough to pull all of that off without resulting in a sugar coma for the
listener.
For The Sound.com
…something about this band just sounds wonderfully familiar.
Ink19.com
The songs are poppy and excited, but they also dip into these hushed
moments of melodic precision. I’m sort of getting that whole Wolf
Parade/Clap Your Hands Say Yeah! thing here, only Pomegranates seem to lean
more towards the pop and less towards the experimental. There are dance
beats, keyboard lines, handclaps, and the sort of across the room backing
shouts you’d find on an Arcade Fire album. Good stuff, immediate, but tasteful.
Myfriendclevland.com
“Fantastic indie newcomers…Think a less spastic, but no less dynamic
Modest Mouse.”
Ohio City Beat
Pomegranates use just enough varied instrumentation to their
advantage, with samples, keys and acoustic guitars creating enough different sounds
to prevent monotony. Reference points seem hard to come by here, but
perhaps picture a more stripped down Anathallo, as the two seem to share
a lot of musical and aesthetic traits (however, no horns here).
Punknews.org
There are more layers than it's worth counting…Just when the sweet
melodies lull the album into complacency, ringing guitars and quirky
rhythms keep everything from falling into that misplaced comfort. As it
meanders from happy to dark, from melodic to noisy, it avoids typical
pop conventions to invent its own direction. Such endeavors often spell
disaster, but not here.
Rock And Roll and Meandering Nonsense.com
Expect great things. From the get-go, your ears perk up to the
vibrating notes of a keyboard, then the clap-along strumming of multiple
guitars. And clap you will… sparse, imaginative lyrics mixed with
instrumental rock movements similar to early Modest Mouse or more dancey
bits like Pulp.
Slug Mag
The band has a reckless and infectious abandon with their
songwriting. Yet, all seems perfectly in place. The melodies simply ooze out from
these dynamic bursts of indie pop.
Sounds As Language.com Band of The Day
…the band makes catchy songs and there is nothing at all wrong with
that.
Stereo Subversion.com
“It's really refreshing to hear music here in town that doesn't
sound like it's from Cincinnati.. sounds like some good indie pop on the east
coast."
Matt Shiverdecker, WOXY
Congratz guys - you deserve it! Definitely some of the nicest, most talented musicians I've had the pleasure of sharing the stage with. We'll have to do it again sometime!
Hello Joey. I saw you yesterday? The days are smooshing together. Well, it was nice. Thank you for the message. I seem to be bad at myspace on account that I get only a few messages sometimes. Okay, I hope to see you soon!
So i never really started heavily listening to your album until recently, and I must say, it's very good. The uncanny terrace treeclimber is on my top rated playlist. That's a pretty big deal. haha.
I love that on xanga [a silly blogging site I've had since high school] I can say I'm "currently listening to: Pomegranates" because Everything Is Alive is for sale on Amazon. Love the album.
