It was once more or less expected that bands would release an album a year, and it was not unheard of for bands to release two full-lengths in the same twelve months. The music world has changed, however, and for most artists - whether at home on a major or an independent label - an album every two years seems to be the norm in the 21st century. Hailing from Virginia and allied to Thrill Jockey, Pontiak are among the artists that buck that trend, becoming one of the more prolific bands around at the moment. So productive are they, in fact, that I took on the task of reviewing Sea Voids without even realising that between releasing the intriguing Sun on Sun and today, they'd released a second album named Maker in 2009.As it turns out, the suddenly-appearing Sea Voids continues in the same vein as the previous two records by the Carney brothers. That is not to say that the three are musically similar - although the general ponderous sludge rock feel continues to prevail - but moreso to say that they maintain a common expectation-defying overall style. The songs on Sea Voids often straddle a number of dichotomies. On the one hand Pontiak's songs can seem to merge into one, the silent spaces between them becoming insignificant. On the other hand, individual sections of songs can violently react against others, as if refusing to be caged with them and feeling more associated with the opening section of the next song or the outro of the last. Indeed, songs will frequently just stop. And holding our attention, force us to wait... and then can sometimes launch off somewhere different entirely upon their resumption.Another musical challenge posed by the record is its refusal to remain either familiar or alien. Instead, it slithers snakily between the two. Opener "Suzerain" pretends to be somehow damaged at first, like a corrupted MP3 or a scratched vinyl. Then it morphs quickly into a lurching riff near-identical to several employed by early Sabbath. From playing with our minds to offering up to us exactly what we expect - somehow this is more affecting than if Pontiak had simply played with our minds. On the macro scale this remains true. Sea Voids has its title track as its closer, a raucuous and yet pendulous six-minute apocalypse jam, and yet also features "Life and Coral" and "It's the Life" which have an acoustic plaintiveness reminiscent of bands as comparitively straightforwardly rustic as Fleet Foxes.Pontiak's produtive nature might inspire criticism from some quarters that they are now making music chiefly for themselves. This is perhaps a charge of which Pontiak aren't entirely innocent - after all, who truly understands these cryptic songs but them? Nevertheless, its inherent unpredictability and consistent interest (if not always actual enjoyment per se) make Sea Voids as much of an intriguing and repeatable listen as its predecessors.

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