Several Arrows Later (Dig)

matt pond PA | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (October 11, 2005)
• Original Release Date: 2005
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Altitude Records
• ASIN: B000B9EYFC
• Also Available in: Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #125,078 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. Halloween

2. So Much Trouble

3. The Trees and the Wild

4. Several Arrows Later

5. It Is Safe

6. Emblems

7. City Song

8. From Debris

9. Brooklyn Stars

10. The Moviegoer

11. Spring Provides

12. Devil in the Water

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Because Matt Pond's contemplative cover of Oasis' "Champagne Supernova" made for perfect background music on The O.C., he now finds his band compared to the likes of Death Cab For Cutie and the Shins. While Several Arrows Later confirms there is a shared appreciation for gentle jangle pop melodies and confessional lyrics, there's something darker here that sets the Brooklyn quartet out from the rest of the teen drama pack. The singer's voice, for one, has the kind of weathered quality that only comes with years of despair, especially when calmly delivering a line like, "I might smash up all these windows and set fire to the curtains." Then there is the music--exuberant and alive, yes, but also strapped to a gray cloud that prevents it from ever sounding truly unhinged in deep, meaningful treatises like "Is It Safe" and anguished late night ballads such as "City Song." --Aidin Vaziri

Product Description

"Several Arrows Later" represents the most immediate and rocking expression of Matt Pond PA's music yet. His lyrics push through the confusion of city life (a smaller sky, throttling expectations, and terrible parties) and the comfort of country life (the familiar, the green, and the seasons) - both asking and telling us why we act the way we do. But it's not a call to action; it's a plea against apathy. Musically, it shies away from the redundancy of present day rock posturing yet remains totally immediate, relevant, and ridiculously catchy.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars New to me..., March 4, 2006

By 

M. Black (Chicago, IL United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Several Arrows Later (Dig) (Audio CD)

I had never heard of Matt Pond PA until I caught Liz Phair at the Vic Theater in Chicago. They opened for Liz and totally got my attention - they rocked and they were very likeable! As is usually the case with a quality band, I liked them live more than the album, but thought enough of them to remember their name and order the album three months later! They remind me of very, very early REM (who also used to frequent the Vic in those days) and other similar indie bands (okay, I'm dating myself, so what?). I think they have a great future if they continue to put out a unique sound and the great quality work that I saw in person and I enjoy on this album. Several Arrows Later is easy to listen to and is well worthy to add to your in-dash CD player or I-Pod. If you can, catch them live - these songs rock in person!

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars THISisMODERN.net Review, February 11, 2006

By 

Anthony Gisondi (Clermont, FL USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Several Arrows Later (Dig) (Audio CD)

OK, so matt pond PA have been around for a while. Why now should we care more than we have in the past? Well, the answer is simple, they are at the top of their game. Led by their namesake, mpPA just deliver us songs. They aren't concoctions of lyrics and guitars and drums. They are songs with meaning and feeling. The lyrics hit us where it counts. We feel the emotion that the singer sings about and it penetrates us through our skin and bones. One might equate the sensation that you get from listening to this album to watching a really powerful movie. There's no question that what the players are doing is outstanding, but when you can actually take away a physical reaction from a recording, then you've got something. The opening track 'Halloween' does an excellent job introducing us to who matt pond PA is today, and also stands alone as a track driven by lyrics accompanied by sheer instrumental beauty. 'So Much Trouble' is, without a doubt, the absolute best song on the disc, with catchy lyrics, the likes of which have the makings for a top rock radio single. Throughout the disc, you can hear faint style elements of other indie-turned-popular bands like Death Cab For Cutie and Guster. So, judging by the success of their predecessors, mpPA are surely at the stage where this album is going to catapult them to wider success.

http://www.thisismodern.net

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars an aesthetially pleasing, yet stagnant follow up, October 12, 2005

By 

mike (Philadelphia, PA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Several Arrows Later (Dig) (Audio CD)

I wanted this to be the album of 2005. I really did. 2004's "Emblems" was a sure shot #1 pick for album of the year, as was 2001's "The Green Fury". Needless to say, MPPA has an outstanding track record with going above and beyond themselves with each release, thus rendering me utterly speechless with every new album. I'm not kidding when I say I've held the majority of his releases as the top record of its respective year. There isn't much else out there that moves me as well as this band, it seems. So now, onto the new record. Much like 2004's "Emblems", MPPA has fine tuned their much more refined and *gasp* "radio friendly" sound and have produced yet another beautiful listening experience with "Several Arrows Later", and this is to their credit. However, my favorite quality held by this band, which has become an expectation at this point, is they've constantly progressed a great deal as a band and as songwriters with each release. Its what makes me so anxious to hear new material all the time, regardless of how much I can get my hands on. Unfortunately, despite the brilliant musicianship and crafting of this album, it just seems like a continuation of the Emblems record, only maybe a little poppier. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, but as far as my personal opinion of the band goes, I was expecting a lot more. If its a sign of things to come, then I'm going to be extremely disappointed in the direction they've taken. I guess its my own fault for thinking they could possibly outdo the perfection that was their previous album, but I really thought they had it in them. I mean, who would've thought Matt Pond could compose a better album than The Green Fury?
All in all, I am, as always, impressed with the material on the new record. On a positive note, this will be the album that will give them the much needed extra push into a more mainstream audience, which is a task "Emblems" seemed to fall short of. This is a very well put together collection of songs. Its better than anything on the radio right now. And its most definitely a great album to start with for MPPA newcomers. But I've found myself for the first time ever getting slowly but surely, a little bored with some of the aspects of the approach on this record. Like I said, it just seems like a lot of rehashed ideas from the Emblems sessions. As a loyal and faithful fan of this band, I can only hope this is just a small chapter and perhaps a slight break in the vast book of progression in music that this band is constantly rewriting.
That being said, you still should not pass up on this record, for on its own, its still one of the top listens of the year.