Matt Pond PA/Emblems 10 Year Anniversary with LIghthouse & the Whaler and Tom Evanchuck

After a 10-year run as Matt Pond Pa, the band is now known simply as Matt Pond. His latest (and first “solo”) album, The Lives Inside the Lines in Your Hands, is an aesthetic turn for the Philadelphia-raised musician. Pond’s songs hold a focused, light honesty on Lives, fleshing out the straightforward songs with poppy synths rather than the earthy arrangements of his previous work. A bittersweet purity is apparent in “Bring Back the Orchestra,” a lamenting ballad for days gone by; it bridges the gap between power-pop and folk-rock. Pond gets serious in “Human Beings” as he sings of the shared plights of our species over an upbeat yet moody banjo lick. Pond uses synths and lush production to champion the human experience in an accessible, lighthearted way. (Gonzalez)