Music - The Tallest Man on Earth

And so what the hell has this got to do with music? Wise up peeps .... there is an artist who i am quite partial to who goes by that name.... and this is about said fellow.

So to get the ball rolling i shall rely on one of my favorite websites ... allmusic.com ...

Born in Dalarna, Sweden in 1983, Matsson first broke into music as a member of the group Montezumas, but in 2006, influenced by rootsy Swedish artists such as Thomas Denver Jonsson and Homesick Hank, he struck out on his own as the Tallest Man on Earth, releasing a self-titled five-song EP of elemental acoustic songs with just his guitar for accompaniment on the Swedish label Gravitation. The EP and the follow-up single, "Pistol Dreams," received positive reviews, and in 2008, Matsson released his first album as the Tallest Man on Earth, Shallow Grave, which was released in the United States by the boutique indie label Mexican Summer.

Debuting with a no-frills acoustic EP in 2006, the Tallest Man on Earth became a critical favorite with his first full-length album, 2008's Shallow Grave. As Matsson found an international audience, he began experimenting with more elaborate arrangements and production with 2012's There's No Leaving Now, which fused folk influences with indie rock. 2023's Henry St. showed his continued growth as a songwriter as Matsson recording with a full band for the first time.

I confess this is one of my favorite songs of his... and what got me hooked on his music.

Working with producer Nick Sanborn (who's also a member of Sylvan Esso), Henry St. sees Matsson recording with a full band for the first time, and while he hasn't entirely forsaken his moody and tentative side, on songs like "In Your Garden Still," "Looking for Love," and "Every Little Heart," he sounds positively jaunty, with the drummer laying out energetic shuffle grooves and electric guitars and keyboards adding texture and dynamics to the arrangements. The brighter sound of the music is a good fit for Matsson's vocals; the rough textures of the first releases have given way to a clearer and more youthful sound, as if he's evolved from Bob Dylan's lost Swedish sibling to Stockholm's answer to Steve Forbert. Even when his songs speak of love that's been mislaid or compromised, he isn't defeated so much as a man cursing the lesson and blessing the knowledge. Much of Henry St. was written after Matsson returned to Sweden after a long sojourn in New York City, though one might not guess that to hear it; big-city noise isn't in the DNA of these songs, but they're not pastoral, either, capturing a sense of wonder that comes with watching the sunrise through the window of your first apartment

The man has come a long way .... the above track was recorded this year... but truthfully I really enjoyed his plaintive dylan'ish vocals. This particular track conjures up an image of a petulant Elton John on a go slow strike for more appearance money. Maybe it will grow on me.... I fully intend to get the album !!

Thank you for stopping by, stay safe , stay free and keep stacking those sats.

namaste