You Don't Need a Thought to Look Good

With the summer heat finally starting to fade out, you’ll need the lush and poignant pop of Matt Pond PA to ward off the chills of fall that are soon to come. This week’s Submodern Valedictorian was formed right in FMQB’s backyard in Philadelphia. Pond currently lives in Brooklyn, New York and with the rest of his band they create lugubrious songs to warm your heart, even though many of them are about heartbreak. You might already be familiar with Matt Pond PA, as they are notorious for their covers of songs appearing on the pop-culture ridden television show The OC; first Oasis’ “Champagne Supernova” and then Neutral Milk Hotel’s “In An Aeroplane Over the Sea.” Moreover, Matt Pond PA was recently featured in Rolling Stone as “10 Bands to Watch.” Pond told Rolling Stone that this album is all “about letting go, knowing that the thing you love the most – like girls – is the worst thing for you sometimes. And then just going right back to it anyway.”



Matt Pond PA’s latest album Several Arrows Later showcases guitarist/ pianist/ vocalist Matthew Pond’s skill as an arranger. While some say Matt Pond PA’s songs all sound the same, I beg to differ for it’s Brian Pearl’s piano line or Margaret White’s subtle violin in this album that separates it from all the other releases hitting your desk this fall. Their first single “Halloween” showcases the perfection that is reached with the unity of piano, bass, guitar, violin and keyboards while Pond gives advice as he sings, “I heard its modern to be stupid / you don’t need a thought to look good.” Matt Pond PA is currently on tour in support of Liz Phair. You can find more information about Matt Pond PA at http://www.mattpondpa.com/ or http://www.altituderecords.com

(as per my review at SubModern Valedictorian, you can see it in its origianl form plus more reviews and all the updates on specialty radio at http://www.fmqb.com/specialty.asp )