album #4

the freeep (matt pond pa)

Matt Pond PA is an old favorite of mine. They're a wintry band- there's always a sense of emptiness in their sound. a beauty and an elegance, but a lingering sense of softness, of empty spaces. They permanently define the winter of '04-05 for me, I always like to hear more of them, so I was really pleased to discover that they had a free ep (titled the freeep) available on their website. There's a yearning optimism in this album, mixed with their classic winter tenderness. There's a few instrumental tracks too, my favorite of which is #1, the album's closer. Some of the tracks are forgettable, but Hearts and Minds and First Light are especially good tracks. Good hooks, uplifting spirit. This album isn't an automatic favorite, but it's the sort of music I generally lean towards- poppy, hooky, an indie lean, an optimistic tone. I'm not gonna start grading albums, but I can't stop thinking B/B+ when I think of the freeep.