WHEN the outstanding ‘Sagres’ first emerged after a lengthy layoff, its rockier sound indicated that perhaps the artist known as The Tallest Man On Earth had entered his own incarnation of the ‘Dylan Goes Electric’ period, an issue which folk musicians have had to traverse since the legendary artist first picked up a stratocaster to a mixture of dismay and anger among the community. A musician of Kristian Mattson’s raw talent wishing to expand his palette should come as no surprise, the real question is whether it will yield the kind of results that will enable his star to continue to shine bright?
Opening with the stirring and resonant ‘Fields Of Our Home’, the track’s minimal and endearingly joyful chords are accented by gentle strings which are woven throughout.
Whilst the album’s first track was very much in-keeping with what he’d released previously, the first blatantly subversive moment on the album ‘Darkness of the Dream‘ sees him uproot from his usual territory in which his output resides and allows him to flirt a sound usually associated with numerous classic rock artists. Incredibly warm and almost comfortably familiar in tone, it manages to maintain the essence of his catalogue whilst paying homage to songwriters outwith his domain from Tom Petty to Bruce Springsteen.
‘Singers’ matches the spirit of dabbling with other genres much alike ‘Darkness of the Dream’; adapting his critically adored sound and embracing more refined instrumentation that provides a sense of lavishness. The delicate brass and tentative piano of ‘Slow Dance’ create something truly remarkable making it one of the album’s finest tracks.
Featuring intricate keys that spawn one of the most outwardly aloof moments that’s ever been documented within his output, ‘Little Nowhere Towns’ and its jaunty sound serve as a stark contrast to the bare and simplistic sentiment at its heart; derivative of the kind of broadly empathic examination of working class life that is usually purveyed by artists such as American troubadour John Mellencamp.
The luscious ‘Sagres’ is a forlorn ballad of loss and unrequited desires that are likely to remain unfulfilled, tainted by regret and a deep seated longing for more wholly idealistic times. A track of his supreme intellect and poetic intention is what makes The Tallest Man On Earth such an omnipresent figure in the collective consciousness of modern folk fans.
Simply put, he makes music that his audience can cling to and live vicariously through in a manner that few artists can proclaim themselves to, appealing to the central concerns of the human condition and beyond.
‘Timothy’ serves as one of the record’s most downright serene and instantaneously catchy moments, brimming with optimism and perhaps even a sense of blissful ignorance that neatly stands outwith the large quantities of despair that can be found throughout this astounding collection.
‘Beginners’ and ‘Seventeen’ share similar traits, delivered as pleasant ditties that continue to work as effective excursions into uncharted regions of the spectrum of popular music.
Closing with the record’s eponymous track, Mattson provides one of his most essential songs to date over an enchanting melody. From a lyrical standpoint, it brings up several elements, appearing to be his attempt at placing himself in the shoes of a man who has resigned himself to his fate and is now merely awaiting his inevitable demise. Despite it’s overarching, gloomy premise, it is in fact altogether more cathartic and uplifting, burrowing deep within your mind and serving as a comforting reminder that perhaps not all is as devoid of meaning as it may seem.
The question posed at the start of this review was whether the beauty of his work could survive re-invention and inroads towards a more all encompassing sound. The answer? Not only can it withstand Mattson’s new-found desire to touch upon various new genres, it thrives.