Krupke – The Pony You Always Wanted Died Today

Band: Krupke
Album: The Pony You Always Wanted Died Today
Shots of choice: whiskey (Joe & Kate) / flaming sambuca or tequila (Mike & Fiona)

To be honest, I was a little hesitant to review this album. First of all, after I had a little bit of a listen, I wasn’t really sure what to think. Secondly, this is the first time we’ve actually been asked to review an album (!) and I was not sure I could even effectively communicate what I wanted to say without an already existing interest in the music (I’m sure this all gives you a lot of confidence in my future reviewing ability, haha). However, the more I listened to the album, the more I genuinely wanted to write about it.

When Mike Rosenthal (vocals, keyboard, xylophone, keyboardine) asked us to check out The Pony You Always Wanted Died Today, he provided the disclaimer that Krupke is a little strange… And strange they are, but they’re also undeniably creative. The lyrics are a little bit dark, which provides an interesting contrast with the quirky music. I dig the Toronto references such as “There’s no more rainbows in Toronto” (‘I’m Sorry Your Pony Died’) and “I will meet you at Earl Bales Park” (‘Rape Play’). With a flare for dramatic build-ups and sometimes show tune-esque vocals, it’s hard to deny musical theatre influences. They are working with such an interesting palette and this art-rock band manages to blend various instruments, influences and genres in a manner that is a little messy, but with purposeful intelligence, and, above all else, whimsical.

Perhaps it’s true that Krupke is not for everyone, but at the very least, Krupke dances with creative boundaries and inspires with that inventive drive and I think that’s something to be admired. For that, you should buy them a shot when you see them!

Krupke currently has the album streaming in full on their MySpace. Be sure to check it out before it’s too late!