Yonder Pond: Mole In My Shoe

Yonder Pond is a Swiss project led by multi-instrumentalist Rèmy Sträuli. He has played with a number of bands and projects including Ulterior Lux, Fido Plays Zappy, Yolk, and Spaltklang. Early on the artist was influenced by his parent’s album collection �" the likes of Zappa, The Beatles, XTC, and many more. On his second release titled Mole In My Shoe, there are two other artists listed but from what I have gathered seem to be alternate versions of the artist himself, his alter egos perhaps? Regardless, the musicianship across all seven tracks is absolutely stellar, drawing influences from ‘60s and ‘70s psych, progressive rock, pop, and folk. Rèmy plays drums, shaker, tambourine, marching band percussion, piano, clavinet, harpsichord, e-toms, synth bass, Mellotron, Moog opus, moonman and pedal steel. He also has help from a few guests:

Pascal Grünenfelder (bass)
Stefan Strittmatter (electric and acoustic guitars)
Ines Brodbeck (violins and viola)
Markus Stauss (flute)
Stefan Hofstetter (oboe)
Beat Lüthi (backing vocals)

The disc begins with the densely layered, full on prog of “The Straw That Broke The Camel’s Back�. There is an urgency here, the drumming of Rèmy really stands out and his vocals are melodic and catchy. “Shame On You Neighbourhood� takes on more of a Canterbury sound with lovely orchestrations and a tasty arrangement. There are elements of pop as well with The Beatles and XTC coming to mind. The rollicking “Putting Things On Top Of Other Things� has a circus-like arrangement, quite poppy and infectious with a Beatles-like quality at its core. The vocals are infectious, the guitar work just as catchy. Melodious flute highlights the pastoral folk-prog of “Dried Up And Placed In Books� while the four part “Suite Alors!� features exceptional piano work, ripping hard rock guitar, and scintillating harpsichord, yes you heard that right. The result is a sound that is both medieval and majestic.

Mole In My Shoe is an excellent listen - the melodies, arrangements, and musicianship are second to none. Anyone interested in retro sounds of the ‘60s and ‘70s owe it to yourself to give this the attention it deserves.

A Sireena Records’ release.

Track Listing:
1. The Straw That Broke The Camel’s Back (3:54)
2. Shame On You Neighbourhood (4:41)
3. Putting Things On Top Of Other Things (3:21)
4. Dried Up And Placed In Books (5:33)
5. Suite Alors! (9:37)
a) Poupoule Courouze
b) Zatapatique
c) Gryphonium
d) Enidinho
6. Beggar In A Golden Dress (8:32)
7. Waiting For A Daughter Of Wealthy Origin (3:45)

Added: September 21st 2025
Reviewer: Jon Neudorf
Score:
Related Link: Band @ Bandcamp
Hits: 669
Language: english

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