matt pond PA : Several Arrows Later

I was contemplating a review for this album... but since Rolling Stone has beat me to the punch (front page on their website) I simply must now. They have forced my hand.

matt pond PA didn't really make it on my radar until quite recently, and it seems that they've been busy trying to do so for awhile. Since they began their major-distribution onslaught in 1999 (CMJ making a note of the event), they have put out five albums in five years. The emotional "EMO" lyrical and musical material seems to be the kind of stuff that would be the result of living in a small town somewhere in my part of the country. No small feat when you're living in a van travelling the country.

Well, matt pond PA's quest for ironic indie-rock fame is complete as their latest release "Several Arrows Later" has graced the likes of Penthouse Magazine and now Radio Free Tobias.

Several Arrows Later is one of those records I wanted to like as soon as I heard it. The sheer amount of catchy melodies and precise, upbeat basslines really hit me in the face in an indie rock smile with a shrug kind-of-way. The jangle-pop guitar sound immediately struck me as being similar to acts I know such as Hey Mercedes, Pete Yorn, The Promise Ring, REM...this album is sure to be compared to The Shins, Coldplay, American Football, The Frames, Yo La Tengo, etc, etc, etc, etc. All of this blathering adult-contempoary comparison could be a kiss of death for this eight-piece band (at least, eight different people are credited as full-time musicians in the liner notes).

Oh yeah, about that. Several Arrows Later, while singer-songwriter material at heart, has heavy usage of pedal steel, violin, cello, vibraphones and wurlitzer. Wurlitzer. Eight people. Red flag?

So, all things considered, it seems like it could be really good or really bad.

Several Arrows later really is helped by some strong tracks which hold together what is a really cohesive album. I know there are some mixed opinions on lead singer Matt Pond's vocals, but I feel they really complement the music quite well and are never the focal point of the music. Pond keeps it low and dry.

The arrangement is done really well and shows a lot of musical competence. Much like the vocals, the 'extra' instruments really add texture to the music rather than drawing attention to themselves. Unlike other orchestrated pop, you almost don't notice that there is much more than some indie guys playing guitars and a drumset. Rarely are any of the strings featured alone.

Once one gets past the pop explosion, there is substance to be found. The songs have a very verse verse chorus kind of structure, but the ambient orchestration helps round it out, a good example of this being the opening track, "Halloween". From song to song, the flow is never really disrupted. This is a great example of an album. The track order is smartly and effectively done.

Several Arrows' greatest strength can also be a weakness. It suffers the curse of something you have to be "in the mood" for. The vocals are mixed pretty low, and this can cause it to seem like background music if you aren't actively listening. If nothing else, it's enjoyable background music.

"Several Arrows Later" really strikes a chord with me and captures the feeling of autumn in the northeastern US very well. The October 11th release date and the brown and leaf-filled artwork is no coincidence. Those who don't buy into the whole seasonal, regional thing will find music that draws from many familiar sources while maintaining a sound exclusive to this band. One track trickles into the next, like the weeks of this all-too short season in this part of the country. The emotional setting captured by this "Several Arrows Later" strikes me as being very poignant and genuine, something that is very rare in an album.