Matt Pond PA - Last Light CD Review
Matt Pond PA
Last Light
Altitude Records
By Al Kaufman
There used to be a time when a good songwriter could write a song with clever lyrics, intricate melodies, and lots of tasty hooks and he’d have himself a bonafied radio hit. Matt Pond is one of those guys. Unfortunately, by the time he came to form, the idea of radio playing people with actual talent has been long gone. Too bad. A ‘70s –era Nick Lowe would be proud to write songs such as Pond’s “Last Light” and “Sunlight”, of which on the latter, Pond laments over a bouncy guitar line, “I wish you could say/When I fuck up that it’s okay.” Much like those other pop geniuses, XTC, Pond is also capable of writing a jarring, discordant song like “The Crush” and immediately follow it up with the richly textured, pretty, “Giving it All Away.” In his previous releases, Pond -- who grew up in New Hampshire and currently lives in Brooklyn, but lived in Philly when he first started releasing records in the ‘90s (thus the PA tag) – had more of an emo-like sound to him. Last Light finds him in a slightly poppier mood, with even a nod or two toward Americana, as his duet with the genre’s poster child, Neko Case, on “Taught to Look Away” will attest to. While the cut is not the strongest one on this very solidly crafted CD, it is nice to see Pond continue to branch out. This is a CD with something for everyone, and a lot of things for people who enjoy a well-crafted song.
Matt Pond PA plays The Loft, Friday, Oct. 26. 9 pm. $12. Find tickets
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Last Light
Altitude Records
By Al Kaufman
There used to be a time when a good songwriter could write a song with clever lyrics, intricate melodies, and lots of tasty hooks and he’d have himself a bonafied radio hit. Matt Pond is one of those guys. Unfortunately, by the time he came to form, the idea of radio playing people with actual talent has been long gone. Too bad. A ‘70s –era Nick Lowe would be proud to write songs such as Pond’s “Last Light” and “Sunlight”, of which on the latter, Pond laments over a bouncy guitar line, “I wish you could say/When I fuck up that it’s okay.” Much like those other pop geniuses, XTC, Pond is also capable of writing a jarring, discordant song like “The Crush” and immediately follow it up with the richly textured, pretty, “Giving it All Away.” In his previous releases, Pond -- who grew up in New Hampshire and currently lives in Brooklyn, but lived in Philly when he first started releasing records in the ‘90s (thus the PA tag) – had more of an emo-like sound to him. Last Light finds him in a slightly poppier mood, with even a nod or two toward Americana, as his duet with the genre’s poster child, Neko Case, on “Taught to Look Away” will attest to. While the cut is not the strongest one on this very solidly crafted CD, it is nice to see Pond continue to branch out. This is a CD with something for everyone, and a lot of things for people who enjoy a well-crafted song.
Matt Pond PA plays The Loft, Friday, Oct. 26. 9 pm. $12. Find tickets
Labels: CD reviews, concerts, matt pond pa, the loft
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