Swing State

I've always liked Matt Pond's voice.  There is something about his reedy baritone that designates a strong sadness; the voice of a survivor that must go on living after the explosion, the wreck, after losing the thing that mattered most.  I wonder if the artist whose career stems from heartbreak and loss would trade their creative production, fame, and fortune to have their heart put back together as if it were never broken.

I suppose that, with each release, Matt Pond PA sounds more redundant and tired.  This has less to do with the subject matter than it does with the execution.  The newest Matt Pond PA album, doesn't explore any new musical territory than any previous album.

This does give the band a comfortable lived-in feeling; timeless pop music with sing-along words.  But you'd have to be a dedicated fan to really put up with them for more than two or three albums.  

Still, redundancy notwithstanding, there is always one or two gems on every new release.