Pomegranates

Pomegranates / Photo by Desiree Watkins

What? Much like the health advantages of the band's namesake fruit, Pomegranates' debut full-length, the shimmering self-professed "art-pop" set Everything is Alive (out May 13 via Lujo Records), is vastly beneficial to both the ears and music library of any serious indie rock fan. Illustrating an astute grasp of their genre forebearers' methodology, the 11-track collection shows a youthful, open-eared quartet enlivened with a kick-ass record collection, ceiling-less imagination, ragged guitars, and songwriting chops for days. The polarization of Isaac Karns' throaty roar and Joey Cook's high-pitched, girly whimper only punctuates their wide-ranging sound, spanning from gleeful, melodious '50s-tinged ditties ("The Bellhop") to Modest Mouse-like six-string slathers ("In the Kitchen"), to eerie bedroom-pop soundscapes ("Desert Hymn").

Who? Cincinnati's Pomegranates, formed when longtime pals Jacob Merritt (drums, percussion) and Isaac Karns (guitars, vocals, keys) joined forces to pen songs after their respective bands split. Joey Cook (vocals, Guitar, Keys, Percussion) was soon recruited, and less than one-year later their debut EP Two Eyes was released. Josh Kufeldt (bass, guitar) joined soon after recording efforts for Everything is Alive were completed.

Fun Fact: After a one-off slot opening for Montreal's Islands in Newport, KY, the Canuck pop wizards were so taken with Pomegranates that they invited the quartet to open the last leg of their U.S. tour, which wrapped this spring.

Now Hear This: "Whom / Who" (DOWNLOAD MP3)