Ears Wide Open: Pom Poms
Kevin Bronson on
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Pom Poms make music for a cocktail lounge by the sea. In, like, 1962. The first surf-cum-garage-pop from the L.A. duo, “Betty,” is the work of singer-songwriter Marlene Gold and producer-songwriter-bassist Billy Mohler, whose credits include working artists as diverse as Kelly Clarkson, the Drowning Men, Limp Bizkit, Liz Phair, AWOLNATION, Macy Gray and even Gustavo Galindo (the Mexican-American singer-songwriter whose 2011 single “Te Perdi” earned Mohler a Grammy nomination). Gold is not the first female singer with whom Mohler has worked — Conway, Lenka, Starling Glow and the equally ’50s/’60s-inspired Miss Derringer come to mind — and the story of the collaboration has a Hollywood feel. Apparently, Gold was performing an acoustic set at the Speakeasy in Venice and Mohler was one of three people in the audience. Jam sessions would ensue. “Betty” is a sweet retro number that makes us miss the days of the bouffant. Or are they back in style now?
||| Stream: “Betty”
||| Watch: The video for “Betty”
||| Live: Pom Poms play Oct. 26 at the Satellite
[…] the collaboration between singer Marlene Gold and producer-multi-instrumentalist Billy Mohler — introduced themselves in 2015 with the retro charmer “Betty.” In announcing their full-length debut “Turn You Out,” they’ve turned both the […]