For Your Consideration #65: The Tallest Man on Earth - The Wild Hunt

Hello everyone, and welcome to this week's edition of For Your Consideration, the weekly series where we discuss albums that aren't on our essentials list, and maybe why they should be. For this week, I'm taking the reins and discussing The Tallest Man on Earth's sophomore album, The Wild Hunt.

Artist: The Tallest Man on Earth

Album: The Wild Hunt

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Background by u/waffel113:

The Tallest Man on Earth is the stage name of Swedish singer/songwriter Kristian Matsson. A classically trained guitarist and former frontman of a band called the Montezumas, Matsson’s solo career began in 2006 when he released a self-titled EP. While it received some positive press, his decision to “let the music speak for itself” and withhold practically all information about himself led to him still being a virtual unknown outside of Sweden. That changed in 2008 with the release of his debut studio album Shallow Grave, which propelled him to minor stardom and enabled him to sign a deal with Dead Oceans. Two years later, Matsson released the album we’re here to talk about today, The Wild Hunt, which would receive critical acclaim and would go on to be considered one of the best albums of 2010.

Following the release of the on-the-road EP Sometimes the Blues is Just a Passing Bird (on which Matsson, for the first time, went electric) that same year, Matsson would marry fellow musician Amanda Bergman and go on a brief hiatus. In 2012, he put out his third album There’s No Leaving Now, his most sonically-diverse effort to that point. While Leaving would still be warmly received, some criticized that by experimenting with his sound (and by exploring the lower registers of his vocal range more frequently), something was lost, for better or worse. Three years later, following his divorce from Bergman and the death of a family member, his fourth album Dark Bird is Home was released. His first to be recorded with a backing band on each track, Dark Bird earned largely the same reception as Leaving would. He is currently touring behind Dark Bird, and released a new song, “Time of the Blue,” just last month.

Album Review by u/waffel113:

It’s a music-crit cliché that doesn’t really bear repeating at this point: anyone with a craggy voice, an acoustic guitar and a notebook full of esoteric lyrics is going to earn comparisons to Bob Dylan. But to his credit, the Tallest Man on Earth neither outwardly denounces these comparisons (he says that he was more influenced by the guys who influenced Dylan, namely Woody Guthrie and Pete Seeger) nor embraces them. His decision to sidestep the easy definition of what a folk musician should be in the 21st century allows him to escape the sort of expectation that has buried careers in the past. And besides, to release an album full of pristine indie-folk like The Wild Hunt suggests a talent all Matsson’s own, and while sometimes he does seem to invite comparisons (including a curious reference to “boots of Spanish leather” on “King of Spain” that seems like critic bait), Matsson is able to forge his own identity, and the end result is one of the best folk albums of the decade.

A listen to the opening title track is as good a distillation of Matsson’s sound that you can get. The intricate guitar strums, the cryptic lyrics, and those always-invigorating moments where he pushes his voice into the red. It serves as both a perfect snapshot of the prototypical Tallest Man on Earth song and as a wonderful introduction to the album proper, creating a sonic world that can’t be mistaken for anybody else’s. And dig the banjo, too. Coming after a record as austere as Shallow Grave, something as simple as a banjo feels like a symphonic orchestra, comparatively speaking.

Much is made of Matsson’s guitar playing, and indeed he is one of the better guitarists in the indie scene today, but I find his voice to be the secret ingredient. It isn’t traditionally pretty; there’s not much range and it’s something of an acquired taste. But what makes it work is how he uses it. Matsson coaxes a wide spectrum of emotion out of his voice all over the record, from the bravado on “Burden of Tomorrow” to the sincerity of “Troubles Will Be Gone” to the accusations in “You’re Going Back.” He never sounds anything less than genuine on this album, and that’s what makes it such a fascinating listen.

A word that’s usually used to describe Matsson’s music, especially on this album, it seems, is “romantic.” His narratives are far-flung, wide-eyed, and always evocatively described, even when describing something like the end of a relationship on “The Drying of the Lawns.” After that song, the album really hits its sweet spot; you could argue that the run from “King of Spain” to “Kids on the Run” is the best stretch of songs he’s ever put together. When Matsson shifts into top gear, like he does on that series, every word and note seems like its own universe. “King of Spain” and the breathtaking “Love is All” are especially standouts in this regard. Those two songs are among the best narratives Matsson has ever crafted.

Something interesting I notice about this record is, despite it being a more polished affair overall compared to Shallow Grave, how lo-fi it can occasionally get. You can, of course, hear every creak in Matsson’s voice, but if you listen for it, you can hear the sound of nails squeaking on guitar strings, or the creak of a stool. Even on “Kids on the Run,” you can practically hear how old the piano Matsson uses is. It’s something that shows how much character this record has, and it adds to its particular charm.

And speaking of “Kids on the Run,” what a fantastic closer it is. One of just two sonic shifts on the record (the other being the aforementioned banjo), Matsson’s last and best trick is this gorgeous, emotive piano ballad. The song’s message isn’t exactly unique-be young and break hearts and do something you’ll want to remember-but Matsson sings with such conviction and passion that it transcends what may be a cliché and becomes something that genuinely tugs at the heartstrings. It’s a spectacular way to close the album, and he does so with aplomb.

But beyond everything I’ve just talked about, perhaps Matsson’s greatest gift is one that, yes, Bob Dylan possessed at the peak of his powers. His ability to take a collection of songs and ideas that don’t necessarily read well on the page and turn them into a coherent album is one that certainly isn’t a given. Basically, Kristian Matsson makes the whole business seem effortless, and an album like The Wild Hunt, packed front-to-back with brilliant, picture-perfect folk, is anything but. Matsson may plan to be forgotten when he’s gone, but The Wild Hunt will be remembered for a long while yet.

Favorite Lyrics by u/waffel113:

I left my heart to the wild hunt a-comin’.

I live until the call,

And I plan to be forgotten when I’m gone.

But now the ghost is in my jacket, and my stairs were built in anger,

Winding forcefully, but end up where I stand.

But there are no rocks or salt or nails, I low my cannons not to kill you,

Simply lost the words to tell you “I’m afraid.”

Love is all, from what I’ve heard,

But my heart’s learned to kill.

And no, I never meant to say these words,

But yes, you ought to know

That the dark in what I’ve always been,

It will not ever go.

Talking Points by u/waffel113:

I would thank myself for doing such a good job, but that's narcissistic behavior and I've been encouraged to avoid that. If you'd like to apply to write an FYC, send me a PM with the album you want to cover, the artist, and maybe why you want to write about it. Once you do, you'll be added to the schedule, which you can find in the comments below.

Link nội dung: https://superkids.edu.vn/who-is-the-best-man-in-the-earth-a38129.html