In an era when Bandcamp is rightly getting a lot of praise for allowing artists to get more proceeds from their work, or donate the money to a worthy charity, it seems like lots of bands are taking a charitable attitude to cranking out tunes. The latest is this new EP, out Friday, from Matt Pond PA. Songs of Disquiet will see its proceeds go to the Save The Music Foundation and that's a great cause. That the originals and covers here from Matt Pond PA are essential is even better news.
If a number like "Wild Strawberries" carries with it a familiar melancholic pleasure, the center-piece of this EP remains a pair of renditions of "Pillar of Salt", a song by The Thermals. The version called "Pillar of Salt (Still)" is elegantly sparse, while the second version, called "Pillar of Salt (Stirred)" benefits from the added vocals of Anya Marina. Elsewhere, a run at George Harrison's "Give Me Love" seems exactly what 2020 needs, even as "Summer Interlude" nurtures a quiet grace that is affecting. Overall, Songs of Disquiet contains a few small charms that fans of Matt Pond PA will appreciate, and it strikes the right sort of tone throughout to serve the charitable purpose behind its existence.
[Photo: Sean Hansen]