Songs that we think you should hear without all the pomp and circumstance. Lucky Penny // JD McPherson There’s No Leaving Now” (Feat. yMusic) // The Tallest Man on Earth If After All // Common Holly Dancing Devil // Small Leaks Sink Ships Make It Me // Max Gomez Silence Overgrown // Kane Strang John The Gun // Hiss Golden Messenger
Leave a CommentTag: Tallest Man on Earth
If there’s one thing Kristian Matsson excels at, it’s writing beautiful songs that seem to swirl around as if being propped up by the lightest wind. New single, “Rivers,” dances in just that way with delicately finger plucked guitar notes, subtle horns surround the sound that paints a beautiful picture of his poignant inner reflections. This is the second single that’s been released this year, although no details have been released on an upcoming record, I suspect there’s more music to come from this balladeer. I guess we’ll keep an eye out as a string of live dates through Europe…
Leave a Comment15. Dirty Projectors – Swing Lo Magellan – Always known for their superbly creative music, Dirty Projectors were back at it this year with Swing Lo Magellan, a stylistically eclectic record that is highly danceable (surprisingly enough) with pop hooks that will grab you at the throat. It’s a record that feels spontaneous, featuring polyrhythmic elements that delight your ears from every angle. This may be the most accessible music they’ve created to date, it’s a fun album to listen to in just about all situations. Listen: Dirty Projectors – Gun Has No Trigger | Buy: Swing Lo Magellan 14.…
6 Comments1. Father John Misty – Fear Fun [C]roce, Skynard, Nilsson, Fogerty and Morrison had a baby and named it Father John Misty. Right out of the gate this album rocketed to the top of my most listened to list. Hooked in by “Well You Can Do It Without Me”‘s Nilsson-like flavor and then drawn into the much deeper and more complicated workings of stunners such as “Funtimes in Babylon”, “Only Son of the Ladies Man”, and… fuck it, the whole album is fantastic. 2. The Lumineers – The Lumineers [I]t says a lot about the state of the musical union…
12 Comments
The Tallest Man on Earth – 1904
Simplify, Simplify, Simplify. That’s got to be Kristian Matsson’s formula for success. The raspy voiced singer has been compared to Dylan on many occasions and although those are huge shoes to fill, Matsson seems to be trying to carry a torch of simplistic singer-songwriter folk music. Just releasing his third full album, There’s No Leaving Now, is just that, a simple back to basics kind of album that is carried by Matsson’s scratchy vocals, songwriting, and simple guitar rhythms.
To boil it down like that, you might think I don’t like this album. That is very untrue. I love it. In the past, he’s written mostly songs about running away, and claims on this record, something has changed, well he got married, and now plans on confronting a lot of the anxieties and pains presented in previous albums, thus the title … There’s No Leaving Now, and one track that feels eerily similar to “Kids on the Run,” from his The Wild Hunt. Sometimes, I’d say mixing it up and going in a new direction is great, the expansion and growth of an artist can be a wonderful thing. But Matsson I think is a different breed altogether, he’s pointed himself inward, stuck with his formula, dug his heels in and made another record full of solemn songs that can delight. It’s his direct no nonsense nature, his tradition of openness in his music that has delighted us for the last 3 albums.
Its a warm cup of coffee, a comfortable seat, and a lazy hour kind of album. A slow burner, that grows on you. You’re going to find all kinds of wonderful moments on this album, from the aforementioned titled track piano balladry, to the jangly “1904,” emotional vocals on “To Just Grow Away,” and the glimmering shimmer of “Criminals,” there are so many compelling moments on this record it is well worth the price of admission.
Leave a Comment
The Tallest Man on Earth – 1904 I couldn’t be more excited about the idea of a new record from Kristian Mattson (The Tallest Man on Earth). And its right around the corner (6/12). For now, we’ll settle (yeah this is settling) for a single. Released today on Rolling Stone, 1904, the first single from his upcoming record, There’s No Leaving Now. The track is very much his style, a personal, kind of somber sounding songwriters track but elevated with major chord strumming that creates an interesting balance between the two. Check out the single, and grab yourself a preorder…
Leave a CommentI love a good cover, and well I love a good cover of a great song. A special Record Store Day release of “King of Spain,” had been paired with a b-side cover of one of my favorite Paul Simon songs “Graceland,” and the recording hit the net. The cover had been recorded a few years back, but making American fans happy was released on that special 7″ and now we all get to hear it. Enjoy.
Leave a CommentKristian Matsson (TMOE) released a new unreleased single to Adult Swim for their singles series. The track is “Weather of a Killing Kind” is as usual a beautifully plucked acoustic track with Matsson’s extremely powerful and emotive voice accompanying. Its amazing how much this guy can do with such a simple song. Now if we could just get a new album.
Leave a CommentIt’s near impossible to pick one top album with the massive amount of music I listened to this year but I thought I’d try to at least give you an idea of what you should grab this year before we start anew. 20 thru 16; 15 thru 11; 10 thru 6 5. Tallest Man on Earth – The Wild Hunt As well as sharing a birthdate with me, Kristian Mattson shared with us a fantastic album in the Wild Hunt. His acoustic folk blend and his trademark raspy voice made this an absolute favorite of mine. His words are sincere…
6 Comments