By pure coincidence, I was in the perfect frame of mind for my first listen of Pontiak’s Maker. I had just finished spinning Bubble Puppy’s 1968 psychedelic pop gem, A Gathering of Promises, when this album arrived. As such, the huge riffs in the opening of “Laywayed” immediately resonated as “totally awesome” with me and felt almost like an update of the 60s garage rock vibe, with the catchy, melodic vocal lines cementing that comparison.

That being said, Pontiak is by no means stuck in the past. In fact, it is perhaps the most intentionally misleading band I’ve listened to in ages. As if the band's curious moniker isn't enough, the opening track stops dead for about 4 four seconds after an extremely powerful intro, which I’m sure will have a few people checking to ensure nothing is mechanically wrong on their end. From then on, I was at war with this music: Pontiak wasn't going to get me again! Well, it did, but admittedly more with style-based tricks than structural tomfoolery.

The garage rock revival transitions into a short, heavy instrumental, which in turn leads to “Wax Worship.” Opening with a tremolo-heavy, noisy introduction, it becomes a straightforward bluesy track two minutes later. Ok, fine, well done Pontiak; I have been caught with my proverbial pants down yet again. Ultimately, halfway through I had to stop trying to pigeonhole this album and just let it take me on whatever topsy-turvy, psychedelic journey it had in store. “Headless Conference” and “Heat Pleasure” bookmark the decidedly uncomplicated “Wild Knife Night Fight” with dissonant Sonic Youth-esque tremolos held in place by machine gun snare rolls and white noise cymbal rushes.

And just when I think I've got the formula, I'm not surprised to be proven wrong. Breaking the “rock song followed by a minute and a half instrumental” formula is centerpiece “Maker,” a thirteen-minute opus that establishes itself from the start with heavy snare work and warped distortion swells. Over the track's lengthy (though not overlong) stay, Pontiak creates riffs that, for lack of anything more articulate, simply rock. And not to ruin any surprises, but this serves as a sort of culmination of all the tracks that have come before: the bluesy riffs, the noisy freak-outs, the nerve-rattling dead stops. One of the highlights is the track immediately following (and in stark contrast to) the titular number, the acoustic “Seminal Shining,” The song stands out with its moody vocals and tense atmosphere, as if Pontiak is literally recovering from the previous track.

While the album earns huge points for its diversity and unpredictability, it slips a bit in terms of staying power and distinctness. The instrumentals are relatively interchangeable and the straight rock numbers suffer similarly. As a whole, however, Maker is a must for those pining for a modern update of their Nuggets box sets or anyone wanting a great blend of conventional psychedelic rock with compellingly atypical structure and flow.

-Calvin Young