The Tallest Man on Earth: “Walk the Line” Video

This is Kristian Matsson (aka The Tallest Man on Earth) performing one of my favorite songs of his: “Walk the Line” (not the Johnny Cash song). Although this song appears on his 2006 self-titled EP and not 2008’s Shallow Grave, I think it showcases many of the notable aspects of his music: skillful guitar playing (he makes it sound like there are two guitars!), twangy vocals, and a simple, yet, infectious melody. 

However, Youtube does feature a few songs from Shallow Grave which are mentioned in my review below:

“Honey Won’t You Let Me In” 

“I Won’t Be Found” 

“The Gardener” 

(Let these videos show that he appears to be of average height.)

The Tallest Man on Earth: Shallow Grave

In the twenty-first century, the classic “man and acoustic guitar folk album” formula seems to be a little bit forgotten. After all, this formula neared perfection during the twentieth century by many musicians including Nick Drake, Loudon Wainwright III, and most significantly, Bob Dylan, just to name a few. In recent years, Sam Beam of Iron and Wine worked with this blueprint but moved away from it with his 2007 release Shepherd’s Dog. And although Bon Iver’s For Emma, Forever Ago has been getting lots of (much deserved) praise this year, its final product features a menagerie of guitars, voices, drums, and sounds that certainly put it out of this simple formula of yesteryear. It might appear that there is nothing new the “man and acoustic guitar” template can offer music lovers in the new millennium. Kristian Matsson, performing under the moniker of The Tallest Man on Earth, soundly proves that wrong on his full-length debut, Shallow Grave. What is shocking about this is the fact that this man (who is of average height) seems to understand American folk music better than any other performer today and is from Sweden.

It’s difficult to listen to more than a few minutes of this record before the Bob Dylan comparisons begin to creep through the ears and into the mind. Matsson’s voice lies somewhere between early Dylan and Hank Williams Sr. (but with a twinge of indie rock in there for good measure) and his songs crackle and bristle with the creativity and energy heard on Dylan’s early folk albums. Most of these songs feature some lightning-quick, country-folk guitar plucking and picking with only three songs “Honey Won’t You Let Me In”, “The Gardener”, and “This Wind” featuring typical guitar strumming. And he strums those chords as if he were never going to get to play another song again. Each song features Matsson’s voice, some lo-fi hiss, and his masterful guitar playing with no percussion except what sounds like a rapid foot-stomp on “The Sparrow and the Medicine.” A banjo appears occasionally in the background and even as the primary instrument on two songs, which adds a hillbilly aspect to the record, furthering Matsson’s apparent familiarity with and understanding of certain strains of “American-born” music.

He sings in English with an accent that sounds like it is from the Mid-West or Southern United States. Much like Bob Dylan, Matsson writes many of his lyrics primarily on the sound and imagery of the words rather than their meaning. It is almost as if he is picking the words like he picks notes and chords for his guitar. Just like the notes, he desires words that sound good together, and these do. That is not to say that the lyrics are gibberish. They certainly form coherent sentences and thoughts, but it is probably a futile to try and understand the “meaning” in some of these songs. For instance in “Pistol Dreams” he sings, “Deep inside the orchard you will lead me by the skin of snakes/Throw me in the fire now, come on/ Throw me in the fire now, come on/Cause we will paint our house with water…” and so on. He sings about fire, blizzards, deserts, birds, graves, weathergirls, gardens, kerosene eyes, and the Serengeti, just to mention a few of his subjects. This is not a bad thing, in fact, it’s down right fun. Matsson is enjoying making these songs and as the listener begins to sing along on the second or third listen (which is sure to happen), they will revel in the lighthearted absurdity of these lyrics. Some of the songs do have discernible “meanings” and nearly all of them have the ability to strike an emotional chord within the listener.

The mood and tones of America found on Shallow Grave not only show up in the twangy guitar/voice combo and the content of the lyrics, but also in the freedom of the music. These songs are spirited and unencumbered. They seem to roll off Matsson’s tongue and fingers like water. The songs feel like they have open fields in which to breathe and move. And yet, there is an intimate atmosphere created on several tracks, most notably the title track. It includes birds chirping in the background and a claustrophobic echo in Matsson’s voice as if he were singing it from, well, a shallow grave.  There are themes of love and death running through Shallow Grave, and at the end of the day, a sense of pastoral peace. Matsson is digging into traditions of folk and a little bit of bluegrass and country here, all of which were born and raised in America, giving this album its vibrantly traditional sound.

This is not actually the first release by The Tallest Man on Earth. Matsson cut an eponymous EP in 2006, which, aside from being shorter and more lo-fi, is very much like this debut full length record. Yet, it is the songs on Shallow Grave that crackle with electric energy and demand the listener to sing along. Matsson has created an album that is emotive, diverting, and delightful. There really isn’t a bad song here, though a couple, “Shallow Grave” and “The Gardener”, seem to rise above the rest. He proves that he is a better student of some American forms of music than many Americans musicians today. While many lesser musicians might falter under the weight of the label of  ”the next Bob Dylan”, Matsson seems to actually merit it. He channels Dylan without trying to be Dylan, giving himself a unique voice that demands to be heard. Ultimately, Shallow Grave is a record that breathes new life into a seemingly-outdated formula and is one of the best recordings of 2008.

The Tallest Man on Earth
Shallow Grave
Gravitation, 2008
Rating: 4.5/5.0

The Dodos: Visiter

The Dodos, much like the extinct bird whose name they bear, are a difficult band to understand. There are a couple of genres and groups to which The Dodos can accurately be compared. For instance, many have already bestowed upon them the “psychedelic folk”/”freak folk” labels which puts them in company with the likes of Devendra Banhart, Yeasayer and others. That is a fair comparison since many of their songs certainly fit under that unusual label. Also, The Dodos are a two-piece-guitar-and-drums group in the formula made popular by The White Stripes and The Black Keys. Although The Dodos sound nothing like these groups, this comparison isn’t necessarily misplaced either since they certainly share the creativity of those two-piece bands in their ability to create a variety of different sounds and songs with a relatively limited personnel; yet, The Dodos are quite unlike any other freak folk/guitar-drum-duo band around.

Singer/guitarist/multi-instrumentalist, Meric Long and percussionist/drummer Logan Kroeber, hailing from San Francisco, make up The Dodos. The essence of their sound is something akin to folky-country acoustic indie rock supported by African Ewe-infused percussion. (On the vocal front, Meric Long’s voice sounds a tinge like Ben Gibbard of Death Cab for Cutie, which could be a positive or negative point, based on your tastes). But that description doesn’t scratch the surface of the songs on Visiter. They try to incorporate many different styles (from folk to metal) here and yet are able to create a record that works a cohesive whole and has its own unique sound. Playful toy pianos, background banjos, raw screams, subtle horns, and jagged, electric guitars are interspersed throughout the record and yet the songs don’t feel too dissimilar; they are definitely cut from the same cloth.

To encourage this “single cloth” spirit, many of the songs sort of bleed into one another. One example of this is the opener, “Walking”, which features a peaceful guitar and banjo duet and a steady, thumping beat until Long’s hefty guitar strums and Kroeber’s primal rhythms kick in to introduce the next song, the infectious “Red and Purple”, with nary a break in between. The song “Fools” aptly showcases the strengths of The Dodos, rapid-fire percussion, intertwining acoustic and electric guitars, and occasional shouts and laughter(?) popping up in the background at exactly the right moments. But there are still many surprises lingering up the sleeves of Long and Kroeber.

“Joe’s Waltz”, a sweeping epic of a song, clocking in at a little over seven minutes, provides an exhilarating listen as more instruments are added and the chaos and insanity of the song progressively build to thundering drums and layers of rough guitars with screams and a crashing piano along the way. “It’s That That Time Again” offers what feels like a barroom sing-along with accompanying horns and a slow trashcan-like drum beat. These songs form just the tip of the proverbial iceberg that is found on Visiter. From the ringing guitar string in the opening seconds to the sleigh bells and chuckles of the closing moments and all the time in between, the music on Visiter is delightfully disparate and yet unmistakably whole.

Several of these songs sound like musical siblings to “Goobledigook”, the single from this year’s new Sigur Rós album, Með suð í eyrum við spilum endalaust, which combined fast, contagious rhythms with folky, acoustic guitars. Quick, primitive beats provide, not only the backbone of the songs on Visiter, but often their distinctive character as well. Don’t get me wrong, Meric Long certainly brings a lot to the table here, in fact, these songs couldn’t exist without him. But it is the emphasis on the unique, tribal rhythms that bring so much vitality to Visiter. It is always refreshing to hear an album on which the drums are given some creative life and not simply relegated to the background. Few other albums in 2008 have had percussion as memorable as those displayed by Mr. Kroeber here.

The only downside to Visiter is that it seems just a bit too long. Several of the longer songs, while they certainly have some charming moments, do meander a little bit and add some unnecessary minutes to the album. Clocking in at just under an hour, the record seems that if it were just a couple songs shorter it would be a perfect length. This is not to say that the songs get boring, or that any of them are bad, because they don’t and they aren’t, and for that, The Dodos should be commended. Given the fact that many of the songs are primarily composed of an acoustic guitar and drums, they have created a set of songs that offers a surprising amount of diversity.

Many may have wondered about the unusual, minimalist album artwork and misspelling of “visitor” for the title of the record. Is this some way of being a cool, rebellious, indie-hipster? Far from it, in fact. According to Long, the cover art and subsequent album title came from a drawing that a high school special-ed student gave The Dodos after they had performed a show at the school. This unexpected story helpfully sums up The Dodos. Don’t assume anything about these guys or try to put them in a box, because they won’t fit in one. They seem to enjoy toying with and defying expectations. In the midst of Visiter, it’s likely you will feel an exciting anticipation about what surprises The Dodos may reveal in the next song. It’s this buzz that makes Visiter an album worth hearing and The Dodos a band worth noting.

The Dodos
Visiter
Frenchkiss, 2008
Rating: 4.0/5.0