Well, it's nice to know that this year so many of my favorite bands put out new records and one of them is Pohgoh. Pohgoh is a band that is known for contributing to a legendary emo compilation called Emo Diary. The comp is an influential artifact for emo scenes, containing many notable bands, such as Jimmy Eat World, Planes Mistaken For Stars, Samiam, The Movielife, and Jejune, and I remember Kazu of Waterslide referred to this band on Emo Diaries Vol. 01, contributing "Friend X" to this compilation. I can't agree more with the opinion that "Friend X" is their best song so far in their entire career.
I'll admit that I'm also one of a "late bloomer" fan and yet it is such a please life to know Pohgoh before I die at least (Pardon my nasty hyperbolic words). The band put out their first full-length in 1997, In Memory of Bab, and plenty of EPs and splits before that. One of that is a split with Braid. And afterward, the band went on a long hiatus due to multiple sclerosis faced by the band's main songwriter/frontwoman, Susie Richardson. Their previous stuff leans into '90s emocore sound. But Pohgoh is not a band that purely practices that quiet-loud song structure but In Memory of Bab is an album that praises the Superchunk indie-punk style in a more emotive vibe with chords jumping into their song signature.
One of the significant changes found in their revival era is that the band embraces a more indie-rock approach. So it's like they're leaving their emocore signature songwriting little by little. The album Secret Club sounds like this band brings a new color into their music but, unbelievably, this also fills up the fans' satisfaction. The comeback album was results in a favorable response from new and old fans.
And then this year they put out a new full-length entitled Du Und Ich. Google says that means "You and me. The album comprises Pohgoh's new sound. Though the band introduced it on Secret Club, Pohgoh brings improvement from Secret Club and then presents it on Du Und Ich. The band sticks with J Robbins on production and I don't mind, 'cause what they got this year is a damn good new album that you should check out too. So many lovely vocal hooks and also sweet harmonies and catchy parts which make the album sound special.
Ok, let's start with the highlights on the first track, "Now I Know". The track comprises a catchy and nice clean guitar intro with a simple drum pattern going along with it to create a great vibe overall. The verse has a melodic vocal that is easy to sing along to. Also, I love how the drum pattern fills in on its chorus. And I love how they put the interlude after the bridge part.
And the next highlight song is the second track of the album entitled "Over/Under". The song starts directly from a well-driven intro filled up with a melodic vocal part. I love how Susie Richardson's voice adds identity into this song. Also, I love how the band put the quiet part in the chorus. It sounds like the band presents the classic side of their songwriting to the new audience.
Okay, now moving to the next highlight track: "Weeds". It's a track that became the album hit -- and is also the best track on this album. The song starts with a sweet vocal melody in its verse part. Also, the juggling rhythm guitar gets the song sounding sweeter as well. I also find a great harmony between the vocal melody and rhythm guitar, which makes the chorus part sounds catchy.
Now, we move to our last highlight track, entitled "Words Are Harder," which also becomes the last track of the album. Through this song, I think Pohgoh proves that this band should be noticed as one of the legendary members of the scene. The song comprises two halves. One with a singing part and the other with an instrumental part. What is so special about the instrumental part is that they add a string section, giving a more melancholy vibe to the song. It is a great closing track.
The album is released by a Seattle-based label, Spartan Records. The label is known for putting out records by The Darling Fire, Senses Field, and Mae. Honestly, I would like to hear some more new stuff from Pohgoh. This album is dope!
