Matt Pond PA - The Dark Leaves

After a dozen years of releasing one album after another of divine indie chamber pop, you might think that Matt Pond had pretty much exhausted his -- and his ever evolving eponymous band's -- wayward course. For reasons that remain a mystery to us (and I'm sure to MP as well), broad commercial success has somehow eluded the Philly-to-Brooklyn singer/songwriter and his band while Death Cab For Cutie, The Shins and others who peddle in similar lightweight, retro-styled pop/rock, have cultivated that crit/cred sweet spot well. But you can call us decidedly delighted that Pond is still plugging away, returning April 13 with the artful, agile new album The Dark Leaves.

As with each Matt Pond PA release, there are some tweaks and refinements in store and for his Dark Leaves the watch words are the self-issued "razing, rooting and rebuilding." Recorded in a remote studio near Bearsville, NY, the new project delves headlong into the jangling guitars and lush arrangements that have marked his best work -- including 2007's Last Light -- with swirling, ELO-ish lead single "Starting". But there's also a more ethereal folk/rock element at play here as well throughout the album, mandolins and other acoustic accoutrements adding a nimble naturalness to the proceedings. Smart, thoughtful eminently melodic, The Dark Leaves adds another worthy chapter to the Matt Pond PA saga. Recommended.

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Matt Pond PA - "Starting" (from the album The Dark Leaves)

Photo: Jacob Pritchard