“And This Has Not Been Thought Through”
by Kelly Tong
It is a shame when you find your favorite musician playing below par, especially after holding such high expectations for a new release. What is worse is the realization that the sound you have come to enjoy, that sound that you always resorted to when nothing else on your playlist satisfied your mood, is going to change. Your favorite band is going to target a new mainstream audience, one that you have tried to distance yourself from by becoming a fan of indie-rock. It’s a painful fact to accept – your band is selling out, and you have to change your definition of cool again.
But who am I to classify what is “cool?” Who am I to blame musicians for taking the path of greater financial benefit? They must feed, house, and clothes themselves like the rest of us? I am in no position to pass any judgment on musical tastes or the artistic direction of a band. Yet, fans often are so hasty as to cast labels on a musician’s choice to change their style.
Such is the case of Matt Pond PA, a band once renowned for their orchestral style of pop, often featuring melodious cello accompaniments to lead singer and songwriter Matt Pond’s mellow acoustic guitar riffs and placid, yet seemingly uncontrollable vocals (his vocal parts range over several octaves, yet, Pond’s voice begins to tremble and dissolve at higher octaves). Pond has received much praise for his previous albums, especially for his 2004 release Emblems. Jenny Eliscu of Rolling Stones magazine complimented, “At a time when screaming boys with loud guitars are considered the main purveyors of emotional music, it's nice to have Matt Pond PA remind us that there are other ways to do it.”
Pond has always infused his lyrics with a sense of melancholy, regardless of the beat. His songs tend to straddle the border between pop-rock and emo-rock (the realm of the whiners), for his lyrics often rest on the theme of his insecurities. In “New Hampshire” from Emblems, with an acoustic riff that conjures images of a long drive home through New England, Pond sings, “And this has not been thought through / There are things we have done that we cannot undo.” Even in the upbeat “Closest (Look Out),” so pop-ish that it will get the most “indie” kid in the room to move his feet, maintains the theme of timidity – “Look out / There is danger even in the simple word ‘hello’ / Hiding in the reeds / You would not believe where darkness goes.”
However, to many fans, Pond’s 2005 release Several Arrows Later was devoid of the traditional New England soundtrack characteristics. Rather, it seemed that he had strayed away from the acoustic guitar and moved on to the electric, and embraced the sounds of the keyboard. The result was a pop album, and while the cello, acoustic guitar, and Pond’s constantly breaking voice were still there, they were far from the complexity of his previous albums. What is more unfortunate is the knowledge that Pond does have potential, as he displayed in his 2001 EP release I Thought You Were Sleeping. He has the ability to develop voices out of his instruments. “Other Countries,” the EP’s opening song, features French Horn, electric guitar, and cello melodies that are seemingly independent from his vocals. That is, rather than accompaniment, Pond’s instrumentals act as distinct melodies that happen to fall in sync with his own voice.
Several Arrows Later can also be described as possibly the most juvenile of Pond’s work, falling into the category as a sound track for a teen movie. In fact, Pond’s work has been featured on The O.C., whose creators had even asked the singer to write a cover of Oasis’ Champagne Supernova. The new sound of the band can be classified along with the newer mundane melodies and orchestrations of Death Cab for Cutie and Coldplay – bands that were also once unique but succumbed to the need to dull their distinctive sound. While Pond claims that this is his most autobiographical album, his philosophizing is less subtle than it should be. For instance, to quote “Halloween” again, Pond proclaims, “Heard it’s modern to be stupid / You don’t have to talk to look good.” Regrettably, this is another strength that Pond is known to have, and another potential that he failed to fully tap into.
But in defense of Matt Pond, he is far from selling out. From tour blogs, Pond and his band seem to still be carpe diem musicians, crammed into a van with their equipment, traversing from venue to venue around the country. And as with any band, increasing your fan base can only be viewed as a good move. Selling out is a label that audiences resort to too quickly when what they hear is a discord with their taste. They need an explanation for a change, and any hint of exploitation of the once pure “indie” music suddenly infers that the band is now focused on finances rather than music. Perhaps on this album, being his most autobiographical, the coyness found in his lyrics have extended to his song writing, focusing too intensely on the poetry of his words. Nevertheless, any of his releases, new or old, are worth a listen. Without any doubt, Pond is an expert in his field.
