Pollux

Ever since the first Coldplay joke was dropped (which, in all fairness, was probably well before The 40 Year Old Virgin hit theaters), it’s been getting increasingly difficult to achieve mainstream success with a style that openly embraces the inflated trappings of arena rock. Kings of Leon may have finally won over the hometown crowd by succumbing to the genre’s delusions of grandeur, but there’s no denying that in doing so, the band also alienated its core fan base who so loved their rootsy Southern charm and grit. Approaching things from an entirely different angle, bands like the Fray and Snow Patrol chose to embrace their larger than life sounds from the onset. If Coldplay’s music is akin to a Coors beer, then Gary Lightbody and his bandmates are swilling pint after pint of Natty Light.

This all being the case, an indie rock band that admits to a smattering of influences such as Jeff Buckley, Radiohead, and Rufus Wainwright – as the members of San Francisco’s Pollux do – should be prepared to fight an uphill battle on the way to stardom. But listening to the band’s debut, For The Ghost, suggests that this foursome may not be ready to have their way with the nosebleed seats just yet. While boasting impressive technical control of their instruments and a fluent understanding of textural variation, the band also manages to steer clear of (for the most part) predictable and trite rock gestures so common to groups who have the determination to pack stadiums. Still, they maintain an ability to generate gargantuan hooks and sing along melodies. With an indie rock ethos that belies their soaring anthems, the sound achieved by Pollux on For The Ghost strikes a perfect balance between lo-fi cool and polished resplendence.

After an ominous introduction of ambient guitar effects and wordless syllables delivered in a pristine falsetto, the leadoff title track settles into a comfortable groove in 6/8 time. An indication of things to come, the tune relies heavily on the precise timekeeping of drummer Kevin Weber and the elastic vocal capabilities of frontman Carey Head. Sometimes sounding like he ingested helium, “For The Ghost” is one of many songs in which Head’s vocal acrobatics are on display. Though the track’s structure is conventional by pop music standards, it succeeds primarily because of the interplay between Head’s vocals and Jonny Greenwood-influenced guitar work and Weber’s seismic drumming.

“Break Out” is one of the album’s finest tracks, showcasing a fantastically sinewy groove from the rhythm section of Weber and bassist Daniel Stevenson. Containing memorable melodies and a hypnotic instrumental coda, the song shows off the wide variety of textures that Pollux is capable of conjuring. With a sparkling bridge section that features acoustic guitar, the cut is also among the first to prominently feature Carey Head on Fender Rhodes, using it here to double his high tenor. Another high point is the epic closer, “This is the Red Sea.” In it, cavernous, reverb-treated vocals cascade over rippling arpeggios of electric guitar. The song feels like it could go on for hours, as comforting and reassured as the ebb and flow of the ocean’s tide. Yet the lyrics suggest just a touch of melancholy, as Head sings, “This ennui speaks of clocks within / a birthing hymn / sung to date / of your life and your debts paid.”

It is in fact this vague presence of emo-ish listlessness (“Listless” is actually the name of one of the album’s songs) and self-pitying lyrics that brings the album down, even if ever so slightly. Nowhere is this clearer than From The Ghost’s core, where stripped down instrumentation and an emphasis on acoustic guitar puts Carey Head’s messages of wronged love even more up front in the mix. Despite some exquisitely executed vocal flourishes in “Wish,” lyrical clunkers such as “I lost my wish, I lost my will” sound like something Chris Carrabba would’ve thrown into an already sullen Dashboard Confessional single. On the downtempo “Burn,” super fuzzed out guitars and a passing nod to the blues can’t save clichés like, “I’ll never let you go.”

Nonetheless, the syrupy lyrics of love’s woes can’t slow down the album’s momentum. With a great mixture of midtempo pop tunes, breezy acoustic ballads, and even a couple of hard rockers (“RU Icelandic” hits with a razor sharp fury, particularly after the languid pace set up by the album’s middle third), For The Ghost is a fitting resumé for a band whose career could rather effortlessly go in any number of directions. If it turns out that Pollux is destined to one day fill 20,000 capacity arenas, at least Carey Head’s voice will reach the rafters with out a problem. And unlike Chris Martin, he will most likely not become the butt of the next Judd Apatow joke. - www.adequacy.net

Imagine Jeff Buckley fronting a late-Nineties alternative rock band - from Soundgarden's catharsis to Radiohead's contemplation - and you're at least halfway there. This is conveyed with patience and utmost sincerity, from Carey Head's Buckley-esque howl to the band's direct yet emotional performance. Pollux's music would make a fine blanket for a cloudy day. - East Bay Express

Pollux

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Pollux started their set shortly after we arrived – the club was still in that “no one near the stage” early phase of the night, but shortly after Pollux let ‘er rip, everyone pushed up – always a good sign. They ripped into their set with gusto and energy, making their sound clear from the start – churning, epic rock music centered around powerful, wailing lead vocals. Check out their MySpace page to get an idea of their sound.

The band is made up of four core members, only three of whom are identified on their site – Carey Head is the lead singer, guitarist, and keyboardist, Daniel Stevenson plays the bass, and they also had a dreamy-haired lead guitarist laying down some standard lead guitar stuff – you know, Step 1: trigger tremolo pedal, Step 2: sing lower-octave backup harmony, Step 3: turn off tremolo pedal, Step 4: hit boost, Step 5: Chorus! He really solid, and played a pretty ripping solo halfway through the set.

And in the back is this drummer, a big bundle of energy joyously hitting the skins, grinning like a madman as he plays fill after fill, and I’m thinking, “hmm, this guy seems familiar,” so after the show I look him up and turns out it’s Kevin Webber, the drummer for Blue Rabbit! Cool. He sounded great, and really brought the thunder to some of the set’s later, more rocking tunes.
Chris Head

He's got a powerful head voice. Geddit? Head?

But back to the reason for the season – Carey Head. Pollux’s bandleader and songwriter, Head leads straightaway with his strongest attribute – his seriously ridiculous voice. Crystal clear and with great technique – dude can sing. By far the most enjoyable part of Pollux’s set was listening to him let his voice go, wondering where he was gonna push it to next. He was joined vocally by two female backup singers, as well as the lead guitarist, so on one of the later tunes in the set, they got a real full-on four-parter going that sounded pretty damn great. I would have loved a big-ass, high energy vocal breakdown, but hey, I guess you can’t have everything. Take a cue from En Vogue, though, guys – sometimes it’s time for a breakdown.

Pollux is a strong band, and they’re also clean, from their guitar tones to Carey’s epic, perfect vocals, to the arrangements, to the setlist. In fact, what I wanted to hear from them was something weirder, for them to put down the perfect, radio-ready rock routine and do something dirty, loud, gross, spontaneous. Why so serious? Maybe put away the nice-guy flannel and put on some glow-in-the-dark shit or something, I dunno.

On their Myspace page, Pollux lists the band Ours among their influences, but (somewhat surprisingly) omits Muse. I’ve always thought of Ours as a sort of shadow-version of Muse – rocking, sure, and with a great lead singer, but lacking that feeling of craziness, that over-the-top showmanship that Muse has, particularly on the my favorite of their records, the stripped-down, balls-to-the-wall “Origin of Symmetry.“ The rockingness of that album, especially when taken alongside clips from Muse’s live tour from that same period… what Matt and company are doing there, the fury they unleash with their instruments, well, they’re a worldwide touring sensation for a reason.

And I know, I know, this is coming from me, a guy whose idea of a rocking show involves looping an acoustic guitar while playing melodica and clarinet. I’m not saying it’s easy, but if Pollux could just let loose a bit, swagger, and break some shit onstage (even if only metaphorically), they could go from being a strong, pro-level band with an American Idol-ready lead singer to a serious rock powerhouse with a lead singer who is way to fucking cool for American Idol. - Murfins and Burglars

A candle burns bright. Vocalist Carey Head spills his heart, red and wet, into sonic space. Then the chorus blends into a driving audio storm. The candle blows out...extinguishing heartache into the darkness.
Pollux

Pollux brews a tasty elixir of hypnotic rock blended with a lead singer who could double as a crooner of days gone by.

Pollux is sex music. Pollux is crying alone music. Pollux is drunk, falling all over your friends, music.

Pollux performs January 15th @ Slim's with Luce and Ryan Auffenberg.

Stranded hearts looking for company.

Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/blogs/offtherecord/detail?blogid=59&entry_id=54865#ixzz0bzQGcXNI

- www.sfgate.com

Pollux’s debut album For the Ghost is an epic hour of music. Members Carey Head, Kevin Weber, and Daniel Stevenson site influences such as Jeff Buckley, Chet Baker, Led Zeppelin, and Stevie Wonder but sound like they lean more towards Incubus with an occasional splash of Dredg. For the Ghost finds itself on the harder side of pop rock, without the usual touch of shoegaze often found in San Francisco’s heavier indie-rock bands.

With only two of the eleven songs under five minutes, For the Ghost requires an attentive and patient listener. However, Pollux strays away from the straight verse-chorus structure of other similar bands, instead exploring musical ideas on sometimes distant paths before returning to the core of the song. If you’re looking for epic climaxes with layered vocals and guitars look no further than the title track “For the Ghost” or the closing “This is the Red Sea”, but I prefer songs like “Burn” where they show restraint and control, locking into slower and more soulful grooves.

-Glenn Jackson

For the Ghost is available now on Itunes. - http://thedelimagazine.com/sf/