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Village Voice (Consumer Guide)

Their second album isn't quite as good as their first album because its hooks are slightly less inescapable.... But the difference is slight, and other differences are positive.

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Spin

What it sounds like to be sucked into doomed romanticism rather than aspire to it. [Jun 2005, p.108]

Neumu.net

Part of what makes this album work so well is that Gummere is willing to cede the mic to other bandmembers whose contributions contrast nicely with his own vocals.

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All Music Guide

Celebration Castle confirms what anyone who heard Laced With Romance suspected -- that the Ponys are growing into one of the best and most powerfully pleasurable rock bands of their generation.

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Lost At Sea

If you’re looking for a roaring, well-executed good time, look no further: the Ponys are practically peerless.

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Mojo

No duffers here, never a dull moment, satisfaction guaranteed. [Jul 2005, p.100]

Trouser Press

The band's audible confidence in its music gives it the ability to negotiate sudden shifts of tempo, volume, distortion and tone without fussiness or confusion, demonstrating what Franz Ferdinand might sound like if the Scots were a little less together.

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Blender

What raises them above the hordes of young revivalists is their way with a cranky bon mot. [Jul 2005, p.121]

Pitchfork

The Ponys' playing here is taut and immaculately cohesive, and appropriately the album sports an engaging live-in-the-studio production.

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Stylus Magazine

Where the debut sounded like a drunken nihilist romp, Castle sounds like an artistic presentation of a drunken nihilist romp.

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cokemachineglow

The Ponys' arms are so full of the good old stuffs, they can't offer much that's new or really interesting, yet they're talented enough to make it difficult to care about that sort of thing.

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Rolling Stone

The Ponys do what they do so brilliantly, and yet so casually, they make it seem simple.

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Uncut

Although less immediately catchy, Celebration Castle... soon warms up. [Jul 2005, p.94]

The Onion (A.V. Club)

The band's grace and curse is that it's more song-oriented than sound-oriented.

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Drowned In Sound

Celebration Castle does rather suffer from a midsection slump.

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PopMatters

While some admirers of the band might bristle at the thought of a more understated Ponys album, Celebration Castle turns out to be a very fine piece of work in its own right.

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New Musical Express

They blend chiming, Television-style guitars and swooning miserabilism. [4 Jun 2005, p.58]

Magnet

Its songs rest at the tipping point between melodic and atonal without seeming like middle-of-the-post-punk-road accords struck between dissenting intraband camps. [#68, p.106]

Prefix Magazine

Cruising through a quieter set of cornfields than its predecessor, Celebration Castle never fully grasps the energy of Laced with Romance, but its songwriting and guitar work are equally as strong.

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Austin Chronicle

Ponys sound like they're having a nice enough time, albeit with a lip-biting determination not to let things boil over.

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Tiny Mix Tapes

This record is solid and merits a listening, particularly for fans of similar straight-ahead rockers like the Constantines.

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Alternative Press

Their uncalculated sound puts them a step above their shamelessly careerist peers like the Von Bondies. [Jul 2005, p.182]

Splendid

The Ponys have achieved a certain level of competence, and if you're willing to accept that in place of originality or innovation, Celebration Castle is worth checking out.

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Dusted Magazine

They’ve attempted to tighten up where their debut hung slack – shorter, less songs, less room to drag. Yet dragging is all that Celebration Castle does, falling deeper into the garage-meets-new wave dichotomy that looks good on paper but would require considerably more talent to execute.

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What Our Users Said

The average user rating for this album is 8.8 (out of 10) based on 7 User Votes

Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

axel b gave it a9:
as always if you love a first album and the follow up is coming up you start wondering if it won't be an enormous disappointment as the first album had it all, didn't it? well, this one is one of those rare albums that adds without taking away.....it adds colour and doesn't lose it's addictively driven rock and roll feel....i gotta say: I love the Ponys a whole lot ... and more.

Joe C gave it a10:
Love the second release. Even better live!!!!!

Francis gave it a9:
Their sophomore LP is really great, more post-punk than Laced With Romance . . . it's tome for them to get on the front page. Nice album, greats songs . . . already a 2005 hilight !!

mike s gave it an8:
Album is real good: fun, catchy, and smart second release from the ponys.

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Celebration Castle

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