Emblems is Matt Pond PAís fourth album and, in my opinion, his best. I actually first got a hold of some of the demos for the album a little less than a year ago and have been listening to them religiously ever since. The finished product has a few completely new (to me) songs like the infectious first single ìGraveís Diseaseî and the sparkly “New Hampshire,” and of course the completed, full band recordings keep these songs sounding as fresh and engaging as ever. With no label at the time he was writing and recording the record, MPPA frontman and namesake Matt Pond did most of the work (and paid most of the bills) himself. Of course, the major advantage to doing it that way is that Pond maintained total creative control over the entire album, resulting in, as I said, the best effort of his career. The entire album is filled with heartfelt, well-written, emotionally stimulating, lyrically driven songs, showing Pond’s mastery of language and creative wordplay (not to mention wacky guitar tunings).

Matt Pond PA
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1. Matt Pond PA Tour Dates
2. Winter Songs EP
3. Matt Pond PA Tours With Guster, Liz Phair
4. Several Arrows Later
5. Live – Matt Pond PA Introduce Themselves To The Youth Of Chicago