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The Nature of Maps

by matt pond PA

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1.
Fairlee 03:16
Under the overpass Way out in Fairlee they were saying I’m convinced The city has its cards A fuel-less fire will always fade Keep your hands warm Lock all the shutters when the wind returns Brought with it are convictions considered arguable It turns In time Reflects Your eyes Beyond the critical Beyond the highway is not safe Cars move slow here Against a backdrop fades An insulated formless shape Falling snow builds There is a bare light that could catch your eyes Had the whole place on its feet rethink what is valuable It turns In time Reflects The light In a derailment Article claiming That you’re not fit and you don’t have Names not worth naming At that is something Right in the center You see yourself and you don’t know At least you got mentioned
2.
No More 04:13
In April Pennsylvania waits For the small months to return In a while or pretty soon Or pretty soon or in a while Either way the time’s delayed Haven’t seen them in a while They went missing with the light When the white oak has no answer it turns its back on you The maple calls you, shows you something new No more chances They won’t fall for you no more chances Idle ski lifts have it right Simple patience and resign So it seems it’s been a while It’s been a while or so it seems Either way, the times between The white oak can’t stand you, loves to leave you out The maple shows you how it loves to get around No more chances It’s all coming true No more chances They won’t fall for you No more chances They won’t fall for you No more chances
3.
The Party 04:17
If you wake Up to the prize Of yourself And all your eyes Then nothing will Be just like this And nothing is About your will The names are sitting on the phone Inside where words are left behind It’s hard to hear them coming out When there’s enough of everything Next weekend there’s a party and it’s good to have these goals We’re finally getting somewhere These invitations what a thrill Sunday night is always bad Schools not there but you still have The weekend that you left behind It’s in between the light and line It’s time to quit from taking calls And concentrate the evening falls That’s where it is and what is what Cover up and cover off Next weekend there’s a party and it’s good to have these goals We’re finally getting somewhere These invitations what a thrill
4.
Closer 04:37
It was the rocks you liked So much you’d throw them Down into the river’s darkness Down from where the trains go flying Your legs hung out Into the air – we’ll keep on kicking We’re moving but it’s never going When we go it’s like we’re faking Two palms, no sound *Closer and closer The beam’s width that’s between us Gets just a little leaner We ought to fail to see it **And if I go to the left And if you move to the right So that we’ve hit and spilled We’ve turned it off in the night Between the banks that roll The glass hidden motion Above we go on without knowing The pines control the wild sarcasm To hold us up And time was held Well worth the holding Waste when you try to save Save it and it ends up wasted You know these words Answer we entered The trains won’t ride beside us But water moves beneath us And takes away the sense of hearing at all
5.
New Kehoe NJ 01:36
the words are made with magnets speaking simple information with the consequences open there is nothing more to hear by the end the car was making noises that made more sense than a signal in plain view exaggerated lines for eyes in between the shakes and clicks is less than half a second which is more time than is used to build upon the engines effort
6.
Close Map 02:38
(it’s) Tough to close this map There’s too much wind in the back It’s your new coat – I don’t like It’s way too cold – the radio plays The sky blue-black tonight You should turn on - your lights Cause when they flash – you’ll know It’s when they flash – you’re not alone here Make an offer to pretend The words are less like lines You’ve seen it all before The sign left standing so silence is the way of breaking up the days it’s in the back – I’ll know it’s the back – I’m not alone here Make an offer to pretend there’s nothing more to this This means more than it does The scene left standing
7.
8.
the summer is coming We all should stand clear Of the heat and high water You don’t see - but you hear The porch light gives off small lit circles How - you could see nothing Wake up in water You know where you’ve been You can turn the lights off When the day begins All the warm refusals And the blind assumptions How this could be something Cutting corners With their faces You know better Than to say it All we are is friends (You know that) All we are is friends (good luck – yeah) all we are is friends. I’ll be happy right here to say that you win The summer is on us The handle is hers far out past the fences no more kind words for the seasons swimmers old beginners no - this is not something
9.
We live for parking lots And waiting around for no reason Guilty of nothing Nothing so subtle Onlookers make up a strange herd of listeners We have been here before Aligned with the blankness of buildings Shifting and halting Taking a half-step Constantly mumbling is making a comeback The patterns keep proving that all things get better All winter The backs of heads make better friends All winter long There is a well of tires Outside South Strafford and Sharon Repeating the nature Is coming together Take off the next place to get through the weather I’ve seen the records And all things get better
10.
Sometimes it comes through In the smallest complications You need to get there soon But you’re lost outside of Boston There’s no need for proof These are bad directions Don’t you know that people Don’t mind when you lose You were yelling like you knew And pointing out the exits The devil had told you To break up the connection It all starts coming true These are bad directions Don’t you know that people Like it when you lose
11.
We broke the windows so we could see everything Beyond the pines and passes we’ll see what we mean The party left me – I was getting in the way They had to leave me – but the landmarks aren’t that bad You think of yourself an Atlas Coming off (rubbing off) you’re more as factless So simpler we’ll see what’s attractive Mapping points till it seems lineless Pointing out a perfect likeness Recall the callous in its position on the line The gaze that comes through it won’t give you anything They had to leave me- and I’m proud to have a part They had to leave me – it’s the nature of concern You think of yourself an atlas…
12.
Athabasca 03:42
Athabasca has a hold onto its spring And its rivers never seem to stop going Follow back into past wintertime Back to fall back to those early summer When you find out what has already been found And the currents are in need of better grounding What do these parties ever mean to me When they leave out decency till later It was your father’s grandfather’s first fight There’s enough from yesterday so that you’ll worry When you find out about your history And how they left out decency till later Athabasca has a hold onto its spring And its rivers never seem to stop going Follow back into past wintertime Back to fall back to those early summers

about

Less than a year after releasing its critically acclaimed third album, The Green Fury, matt pond PA returned with The Nature of Maps. The album was recorded and produced on their home turf of Philadelphia by the band and Brian McTear (The Green Fury) at Brian's minerstreet/cyclesound studio.

The record is classic mpPA -- one that finds the band perfecting its unique sound with beautiful songs where guitar/vocals, drums, and bass are coupled with cello, violin, and vibraphone arrangements.

Despite Matt Pond being the group's primary singer-songwriter, The Nature of Maps, was a holistic, collaborative project with each band member -- including percussionist Mike Kennedy (Audible), guitarist Jim Kehoe (Audible) and cellist Eve Miller (Rachel's) -- contributing heavily to the songwriting process.

credits

released October 15, 2002

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matt pond PA Kingston, New York

From the band’s beginnings in Philadelphia, to their current home in the heart of the Hudson Valley, through 13 albums (among them Emblems, Several Arrows Later, The Dark Leaves, The State of Gold, and, most recently, the luminous The Natural Lines), Matt Pond PA has always been a living, breathing organism—one that’s constantly changing. ... more

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