Several Arrows Later
Because Matt Pond's contemplative cover of Oasis' "Champagne Supernova" made for perfect background music onThe O.C., he now finds his band compared to the likes of Death Cab For Cutie and the Shins. WhileSeveral Arrows Laterconfirms there is a shared appreciation for gentle jangle pop melodies and confessional lyrics, there's something darker here that sets the Brooklyn quartet out from the rest of the teen drama pack. The singer's voice, for one, has the kind of weathered quality that only comes with years of despair, especially when calmly delivering a line like, "I might smash up all these windows and set fire to the curtains." Then there is the music--exuberant and alive, yes, but also strapped to a gray cloud that prevents it from ever sounding truly unhinged in deep, meaningful treatises like "Is It Safe" and anguished late night ballads such as "City Song."--Aidin Vaziri