Winter Songs EP

Album Review

In the heat of the summer of 2004, Matt Pond PA sat down and recorded some songs that reminded them of winter, hence the EP Winter Songs. Apart from the two short, pastoral instrumentals "Winter One" and "Fall Two" and the lovely soft-focus ballad "Snow Day," the songs are covers. Neil Young's "Winterlong" and Richard & Linda Thompson's "I Want to See the Bright Lights Tonight" are two familiar songs given reverential treatment, sounding nice but not too interesting. Better is the cover of Lindsey Buckingham's "Holiday Road" (from National Lampoon's Vacation), a sort of lost classic of a pop song that they rescue with a buoyant and sweet version. Not so great is the cover of Neutral Milk Hotel's "In an Aeroplane Over the Sea" which is marred by weak guitar effects and a tame arrangement as well as rather slight and uninteresting source material. Slight is the one word that might describe the whole EP, unless you are the type of Matt Pond PA fan who must have every note they commit to plastic; you could probably skip this record and save up for their next full-length.