The Tallest Man on Earth
There’s No Leaving Now
Reviewed on 27 June 2012
Rated 9 out of 10
Key Track: Key Track: 1904
Listen to music now on MOG
Had Kristian Matsson been born forty years earlier, he would’ve toured with Dylan, married Joni Mitchell and filled in for CSNY while Neil Young was off christening groupies. As for now, Matsson is a Swedish gypsy whose pseudonym is relatively unknown outside indie and folk circles.
What Matsson – aka The Tallest Man On Earth – does is nothing new. There’s hardly a singer-songwriter alive who hasn’t fingerpicked an open-tuned chord or slapped a capo on their fretboard. His voice also has an unmistakable Dylan croak.
The difference, however, lies in his ability to create a holistic world so descriptive it almost bleeds through the speakers.
This, his third LP, is bathed in sombreness yet is warm and naturalistic. It’s a remarkable effort, an album that takes the best from his influences but contains an essence and honesty that is staggeringly unique.
To name specific highlights would be superfluous; his unaccompanied style doesn’t vary much from track to track, though at times it’s complemented by a wistful slide guitar and a few jazzy flourishes. This minimalist approach is counterpointed by a voice that carries more wrought emotion than any orchestra.
Though Matsson has a healthy following, he is deserving of a much larger fan base (similar to, say, fellow troubadour Justin ‘Bon Iver’ Vernon). Like torchlight cornerstone, Nick Drake, perhaps his talents will become more widespread once he’s gone but let’s hope There’s No Leaving Now shifts a far brighter spotlight onto him long before that happens.
- Paul Bonadio
Recent Record Reviews
Abbe May
Kiss My Apocalypse
Released through MGM Australia, 2013
Abbe May’s new album Kiss My Apocalypse is dramatic and soulful, and pretty sexy. The first track, Hurricane Heartbeat, sets the scene for the rest of...
1 day ago
Feed Her To The Sharks
Savage Seas
Released through Independent, 2013
Five-piece metalcore band Feed Her To The Sharks from Melbourne have released their independent sophomore record Savage Seas, a follow-up to The Beauty of Falling. The...
3 days ago
The Cat Empire
Steal The Light
Released through Inertia, 2013
Renowned Melbourne band The Cat Empire return to release their fifth album Steal The Light as they celebrate ten years together as a band since their...
4 days ago
Orchestral Orchestral Maneuvers In The Dark
English Electric
Released through BMG, 2013
If there had been any concerns that after thirty years Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark couldn’t pull off a reformation, they’ll be well and truly dispelled with the...
4 days ago
Green Stone Garden
North
Released through Independent, 2013
Hailing from Darwin, alternative rockers Green Stone Garden capture the languid feeling of their city’s humid heat. Their debut, the titled North is a small collection...
1 day ago
