Kristian Matsson, aka The Tallest Man On Earth, is really getting into his stride as one of the best troubadours of the modern age.
The Swedish singer songwriter’s grissled Bob Dylan-esque voice, classic folk finger picking style and sense of mood impressed us greatly on his first two albums Shallow Grave and this year’s Wild Hunt.
For his latest EP Sometimes the Blues Is Just a Passing Bird Matsson does not disappoint, delivering five wonderful songs, under a loose meloncholy theme and with the odd hint of changing styles.
Stand out track ‘The Dreamer,’ which contains the Sometimes the Blues Is Just a Passing Bird lyric, varies from his usual acoustic guitar picking style. Its not an earth shattering change but he’s gone electric, well he’s using an electric guitar and there’s the hint of synths at times. It works well, still basic and what would loosely be called folk but with more of a European pop quality as well. He is from the land of Abba after all.
Elsewhere the instrumentation is just an acoustic guitar.’ Like the Wheel’ among the most trademark Tallest Man on Earth tracks. ‘Tangle in This Trampled Wheat’ is another high point. Straight out of the book of Davy Graham and Bert Jansch. Beautiful guitar parts and vocals again, on an EP with one or two subtle changes but above all remarkable music. Amazing what one guy can do with a guitar and a pair of lungs.
9/10
by Joe Lepper
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