There is something to be said—quite a lot, really—for apparently well-adjusted and happy young adults making fun music. I like a bout of moody introspection as much as the next mope, but too much of that is unhealthy. Oslo’s Pom Poko, now eight years old as a band and three albums in, plays songs that are like an inebriated friend, weaving down the sidewalk with studied purpose, stopping and starting, limbs akimbo, laughing.
The video for the second song on Champion, ‘My Family’ exemplifies this cheery gestalt, while illustrating reason for the band’s reputation as a killer live act. (Come to California, please!). This is a band that enjoys what it is doing and its fans enjoy them doing it.
Pom Poko sounds like if a bunch of academy trained jazz musicians who were really into venerable San Francisco noise freaks Deerhoof started a band. That’s not a simile, that is actually Pom Poko. Pom Poko wears that influence proudly but has softened the edges a bit over the course of three albums. A keen pop sensibility has made itself noticed. Album opener ‘Growing Story’ is catchy as hell, the tunefulness smudged with woozy guitars.
The title song ‘Champion’ is, dare I say it, lovely? The signature sound of Pom Poko, aside from the eccentric guitars and drums as a lead instrument (Happy Birthday Keith Moon btw), is Ragnhild Fangel’s acquired taste high pitched singing. If you did not know Pom Poko was Norwegian, you might think they were from Japan, not just because of the anime inspired band name, but Fangel can really sound Japanese (and a lot like Deerhoof’s Satomi Matsuzaki) and I think, with no other evidence, that this is intentional. The song ‘Pile of Wood’ sounds very much like a Japanese band to me in the singing and instrumentals. Apparently, the higher pitch of Japanese women’s voices is a recognized phenomenon and a subject of academic study. What this has to do with Norway, I’m not sure, although there is a kindred style shared by Japan and Scandinavia. You can google “Japandi” if you’d like to go down that tastefully tended path.
In any event, while the band heightened this effect in the past (listen to the fabulous ‘Like A Lady’ from the album Cheater where Fangel’s pitch is tuned up to juu-ichi), it turns it down at times now, including on the title song which has slowly gotten under my skin in the best of ways, Fangel’s sweet voice drifting over a simple, effective tune, the drummer’s stick jazzercising on the ride cymbal. Pure pop goodness. Album closer ‘Fumble’ is in a similar quieter vein.
Ah, but this is still Pom Poko. ‘Go’ starts with R.E.M.- like chiming guitar and then takes a quick left turn to rampage through its 2:51 of running time. ‘You’re Not Helping’ is all sharp angled math rock and then unexpectedly swings in the chorus. ‘Big Life’ is aggressively weird.
“If there is a party, will you come and get me?,” Fangel asks on ‘Never Saw It Coming.’ Uh, yeah. Of course.
Words by Rick Larson
Picky Bastards 
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