Massachusetts Daily Collegian

A free and responsible press serving the UMass community since 1890

A free and responsible press serving the UMass community since 1890

Massachusetts Daily Collegian

A free and responsible press serving the UMass community since 1890

Massachusetts Daily Collegian

Matt Pond PA play to Winter

For those not familiar with Matt Pond PA, there are just a few things you should know about them. First, they are fronted by singer and guitarist, Matt Pond. Second, they are from Pennsylvania. Third, and probably most important, they have spent the last seven years or so winning praise for their “chamber-pop” sound, a combination of Pond’s somber songwriting and the band’s sweeping string arrangements.

Their latest effort, “Winter Songs,” is a seven song EP. Taking a quick glance at the liner notes, the concept seems a bit gimmicky. “In the height of summer, these were some songs that reminded us of winter. We only want what we can’t have.” At least the title makes sense.

The first song, “Snow Day,” is a saccharine indie-pop song laden with bright guitars, strings and Pond’s wistful vocals. I suppose it’s very appropriate to begin a record about longing for winter with a song about a snow day, and it sets the mood of the record nicely. It’s also the only song on the record featuring lyrics written by Matt Pond, a somewhat unusual fact, considering the praise he has received for his songwriting.

The second and fourth songs on the record, “Fall Two” and “Winter One,” are somewhat boring instrumental tracks. “Fall Two” is essentially Matt playing guitar for a minute-and-a-half with strings behind him. “Winter One” is a slower version of the same thing, but with a nice organ in the foreground. Both seem an awful lot like filler, especially on a record that only has seven songs to begin with, but they aren’t bad.

The other four songs on the albums are covers, starting with the third track, Neil Young’s “Winterlong.” Matt Pond PA actually do the original a lot of justice, although it sounds a lot like one would expect it to. Besides the dreamy surf guitar solo in the middle of the song, the song is lot like the original, which isn’t a bad thing.

Richard and Linda Thompson’s “I Want to See the Bright Lights Tonight” gets the same treatment as “Winterlong.” It sounds good, and certainly does justice to the original, but it’s basically the same thing, especially with the strings mimicking the original song’s horns. If anything, this track sounds even closer to its original version than “Winterlong” does.

The most interesting song on the record is probably Lindsey Buckingham’s “Holiday Road.” It was originally on the soundtrack to National Lampoon’s Vacation, and was a rather goofy track designed to compliment the movie. Matt Pond PA make it dreamy and folksy, with a strong background of organ and strings, and plucked acoustic mixed with echoing sound of the slide guitar. Matt’s soft tenor adds depth to the song’s airy feel, and the band manages, more than on any other track, to effectively make this song their own.

The final song is a cover of Neutral Milk Hotel’s “In an Aeroplane Over the Sea,” and although it parts with the Lo-Fi charm of the original, it more than makes up for that with strings filling in for the various instrumental parts and the same washed-out surf guitar replacing the original’s acoustic strumming. Matt’s voice seems as suited to the song as Jeff Mangum’s did when I first heard NMH’s version, and he gives it a sense of longing that Mangum never did.

All things considered, this record is definitely not as strong as the band’s full-length releases. There are a few standout tracks -“Holiday Road” and “In an Aeroplane Over the Sea”-but unless the concept sounds very interesting, this probably isn’t a worthwhile purchase for anyone but a devoted Matt Pond PA fan.

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