While this album isn’t exactly bad, it isn’t exactly good. Anyone looking to get into Matt Pond would do better to start with some of his earlier work, or even his last album, Several Arrows Later. (Stick to the albums, not the EPs.) Last Light swims a little too deep in adult contemporary waters. The near absence of cello takes away a lot of the band’s warmth, which even the appearance of Neko Case can’t save.
The hooks are buried with the added production and it feels more like listening to a soundtrack. For the first time Matt Pond sounds like he’s reaching, perhaps it’s time to slow down the release onslaught. If you already like Matt Pond a couple listens is enough to warm you to the album and find some familiar footing, but with a back catalog so vast, why bother?
[…] Check it out! While looking through the blogosphere we stumbled on an interesting post today.Here’s a quick excerpt While this album isn’t exactly bad, it isn’t exactly good. Anyone looking to get into Matt Pond would do better to start with some of his earlier work, or even his last album, Several Arrows Later. (Stick to the albums, not the EPs.) Last Light swims a little too deep in adult contemporary waters. The near absence of cello takes away a lot of the […]