Review:

on 2006-11-16 AndyFromJersey Said:

When I picked up this CD last weekend, I had never heard a single matt pond PA song. They’ve always had good reviews and I’d heard people casually mention that they were good, but until recently I hadn’t been motivated to check them out. The only fan of theirs I know personally is some dude who rolls his own cigarettes and reads environmental magazines, so I was slightly skeptical at first. But I got the album second hand for about seven dollars at my local hole in the wall record store, so I decided to take chance. And lo and behold, I was amazed.
I should preface this by saying that I have a soft spot for varied instrumentation in rock bands. Sure, you can earn a few points with me by having a generic token acoustic song or obligatory trumpet solo at the bridge of your b-side, but the way bands really win me over is by having an established roster of musicians playing instruments other than guitars. That said, I’m not one of these faux eclectic, “sucker for acoustic” types. If a band’s music is boring, there’s no “originality” that can cover it up. Fortunately, that’s not the case with matt pond PA.
Playing catchy, likeable pop rock augmented by the full sounding melancholy of strings and a Wurlitzer organ, matt pond PA’s sound is vaguely similar to that of the Shins or the Decemberists, though they are more interesting and original than either of those bands. (Note: I wrote this review a couple months before the release of The Crane Wife, which is undeniably awesome.) The songs are often contemplative and relaxed, though rarely slow. These factors combine to form a sort of river of sound, ostensibly placid but constantly alive with motion. Key tracks such as “From Debris,” “Brooklyn Stars” and the title track, “Several Arrows Later” exemplify this mood perfectly.
As I said before, the music is simply catchy as hell. The lyrics are clever without overuse of metaphor, relying more on a simple, understandable sort of story telling imagery. This is best demonstrated in my personal favorite track, the admittedly accessible college radio single “So Much Trouble.” The album is strong throughout, with every song being a solid one that could hold its own against teenaged shoe gazing favorites like Death Cab’s Ben Gibbard or (god forbid) Conor Oberst of Bright Eyes.
At the end of Several Arrows Later’s last track, “Devil in the Water,” you are left with a feeling of inner peace. This album has a beautiful, contemplatively unique sound, minus the drippy arrangements, mindless sad kid lyricism, and guitar dependent music so many of the band’s peers produce today. In short, this is emo you don’t have to be embarrassed about.

Rating: 9/10