Sky Pony debut album

by Robin Dorner 

Editor in Chief 

“If you leave me, I will rip - your face off. That’s how much I love you. 
If you deceive me, I will take the gloves off – you’ll see what I can do to you – it’s true. 
If you hurt me, I will hurt you even more to show you how strong I feel. 
If you desert me, I will cut you to the core, ’cause baby my love is real for you - it’s true. 
I’m your Beautiful Monster, boy. Build me a dollhouse and I’ll be your toy…” 

With Taylor B. on a short sabbatical from his monthly “Listen Out” column as The Gayly Music Critic, I chose just one album to review. I knew this was the one when I couldn’t take Sky-Pony’s Beautiful Monster out of my CD player. Bear in mind, I tend to chronically listen to only Madonna, Cher, Elton John and Barry Manilow (to mention a few). 

However, these Brooklyn based theatrical rockers called Sky-Pony blew my freaking mind from the uptake and it continued through the entire CD. It’s that good – and in case you haven’t noticed, I don’t change my music selections very often. I still haven’t stopped playing it.  

Sky-Pony is Lauren Worsham, lead vocals; Kyle Jarrow, songwriter/keyboardist; Kevin Wunderlich, guitarist; Eric Day, bassist; Perry Silver, drummer; David Blasher, cellist; Kristin Piacentile & Jessi Suzuki, backing vocals. 

Worsham’s voice reminds me of a modern Celine Dion mixed with the 80’s girl rock band, The Go-Go's. Her voice is that good and the music is perhaps the best indie-pop I’ve ever heard. 

According to their release, the band has built a cult following for its live shows which serve up lush, lyrical, often cheeky indie-pop with a healthy dose of drama. This raucous eight-person band is known for its highly-theatrical sets—incorporating choreography, costumes and projections. Their shows are described as a cross between rock concert, performance art, and carnival. In the past they’ve included acrobats, burlesque dancers, beat-boxers and full dance squads. 

This CD - Sky-Pony’s debut full length Beautiful Monster - brings together Worsham’s powerhouse vocals with Jarrow’s hooky and lyrically rigorous songwriting. They wanted to create a suite of songs that was both fun and smart, delivered from a strong female perspective. Jarrow says it’s best expressed as, “Everyone will die… and that makes me feel better about the mess I’m in.”   

Sky-Pony will release its debut album, Beautiful Monster, on December 4th via Knitting Factory Records. Fans can listen to their first single, The Watcher exclusively at Diffuser.fm at www.bit.ly/1GnFxNW.  

The Gayly - 12/9/2015 @ 11:47 a.m. CST