Track Listing

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 Moviegoers
11. Spring Provides
12. Devil In The Water

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #41458 in Music
• Released on: 2005-10-11
• Number of discs: 1

Album 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.

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

Customer Reviews

Indie rock machine music
On first listen, never having heard MPPA before, this record sounded to me like middle-of-the road pop-rock with a well-kempt haircut and a nice sweater, with safe melodies and arrangements written by some computer program and a singer not trying to wake the neighbors, likely purchased by kids who think Jimmy Eat World is too anthemic and the Shins are a tad too weird.

But, weirdly enough, I liked it enough to come back to it a few times, and I've come to really appreciate MPPA's melodic sense, reminding me a bit of a slightly more fun Death cab for cutie. I really like the slightly gravelly quality of Pond's voice, but I wish he would show more dynamic range in his singing, song after song the intensity level never seems to vary. The band shows admirable restraint throughout, in keeping with this "chamber pop" moniker I've seen applied to them. They are the intelligent well-mannered 20-something at your dinner party who you hope is far more interesting than they're letting on.

If you're old enough to remember liking The Railway Children back in the '80s, you'll appreciate this.

The Best CD
This CD was on heavy rotation for me summer 2007. It has a great flow and the songs are awesome. Easily my favorite CD of 2007 and by far the best from Matt Pond PA- this CS is amazing

Outstanding album by Matt Pond PA
There are some outstanding songs on the CD and the whole CD is very solid. It is a good listen from begining to end.