Matt Pond PA‘s The State Of Gold is of a piece with the singer/songwriter’s previous work in its tension between plaintive longing and earnest a ffirmations. Paradoxically, it’s a confident album about having doubts; it looks outward as well as inward. Pond will be guest editing magnetmagazine.com all week. Read our new feature on him.
Pond: I believe I’ve come to terms with death. I really wish more people would get on board with me. There’s plenty of room. It’s either a long sleep or an alternate reality. Both sound sick (meaning amazing). I can’t understand why we don’t celebrate it more. It’s a passage. It’s the triumphant culmination of this consciousness. No matter how short or long, we did it! Right? Further, I am by no means a hippie. But why do we take the time out of our day to wish death upon one another? I think part of coming to terms with dying is to not wish destruction upon anyone. Even cops. Even the racists and the music journalists need a little love. In my young life, I was molested and abused as if I were asking for it. In my adult life, I’ve been ripped apart by reviews, betrayed to the core by my Philadelphian friends and I sometimes/often struggle with the appropriate amounts of intoxicants. On top of it all, I’ve made massive mistakes that punctuate the combing of my hair and the brushing of my teeth. All I can do is move forward with unreserved compassion. For me. And for you. As long as I get my sick Viking funeral, I’m totally cool with whatever happens next.
Video after the jump.
