CD Review - No Show Ponies Working Things Through - 5 song EP

No Show Ponies
Working Things Through - 5 song EP

Ben Brown- lead singer & rhythm guitar
Jeff Brown- singer, lead guitar, & songwriter
Jason Shover- bass
Jordan Shover- drums

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"Working Things Through" is a 5 song EP that is easy to relate to, and even easier to love. This is their second release, but first as a band of four members. These two pairs of brothers all hail from Harrisburg, PA. It is quite unique to find a band with two sets of brothers that all seem to get along so well. This common bond brings the band together to form a comfortable sound that blends both British and American styles, not to mention intelligent lyrics. Each song individually tells the story of conquering life's love problems, through captivating lyrics and melodies.

Shannon: "Record Store" tells the story of being able to get away from relationship problems by going to a record store and clearing your mind. The harmony of Ben and Jeff's vocals, bring forth a pleasant, comforting feeling, which a lot of modern music lacks. Ben's voice seems to have a refreshing British tone to it. The mix of American and British sound is rare, yet excellent. Just like Kate Hudson says in Almost Famous, "If you ever get lonely, you just go to the record store and visit your friends."
Melanie: “Record Store” tells the story of being dumped off-guard and having to take each day one at a time. The record store, or maybe your friendly Borders Books, becomes a place of comfort. The poor lads sound pitiful and make you want to give them a squeeze.

Shannon: "Don't Let Me Fool Ya" brings more clever lyrics, and interesting rhyming. Once again, the chorus has wonderful harmony between the brothers. "Said you wanted to stay friends, Well I've got enough of them," reveals the honest opinion that many people share, but tend not to expose. The rhythm and music as a whole is put together brilliantly in this song.
Melanie:“Don’t Let Me Fool Ya” makes sure you realize that these guys are not always the dumpee, they are the dumpers sometimes too. “Maybe I’ll see you around,” contradicts an earlier line, “I saw your face, I looked right through it.” You almost want to take that squeeze back.

Shannon: "Pyrrhic Victory," starts off with a British sound, resembling that of Radiohead, and quietly enters the song with Ben gently pleading "take me away." Later leading into "you can't take my pride, because I've got none left inside," showing the soft, intelligent side that makes No Show Ponies the incomparable band that they are. What exactly is "pyrrhic victory??" During the Open Mic Show on 97.3 The River, Jeff explained it as "winning the battle but losing the war."
Melanie: “Pyrrhic Victory,” explained by Jeff on the air at the River (WRVV, 93.7), is “winning the battle but losing the war.” The fact that it is one of the shorter songs does not prevent it from having the emotional vibe of the first two.

Shannon: "I will sing as I go," soothes the listeners into what seems to be a peaceful lullaby, full of compassion from both the band, and Ben's vocals. Everything fits together perfectly in this song, and the band really comes together.
Melanie: “I Will Sing As I Go” reminds me of Travis. I could imagine Fran coming out on vocals as the song began. This song fully brings on the emotion of good-byes and promises of keeping in touch and not letting this good-bye be the last.

Shannon: Fading into the title track, "Working Things Through," Jeff croons a line that is sure to stay in your head, "I hope that things are working out for you, but as for me, I'm working things through." The peculiar change of vocals during "It hit me like a blast, as I drove far and fast, the road behind ya, doesn't have to bind ya," is a refreshing ending to this amazing EP.
Melanie: “Working Things Through,” which features Jeff on lead vocals, is the title track. This post-break up song does not seem to show much hard feelings. The lyrics tell you they are doing better with this break-up than the one in record store, but are still getting over it.

Thank you very kindly to No Show Ponies, for giving each of us a copy of their CD!