Kristian Mattson, known more frequently by his stage name The Tallest Man On Earth, continues to mesmerize me with his astoundingly simple-yet-effective take on folkd music, never utilizing more than two instruments for a single song; some strings and his grinding vocals. He's recently released an EP titled Someitmes The Blues Is Just A Passing Bird that slows the pace down from his the frenetic pickin' on The Wild Hunt. In honor of the new set of songs, I've got a Paul Simon cover with a feel quite opposite of the original.
The original Graceland is a bouncing ditty that finds Paul Simon revelling and reflecting on life love and the universal appeal of Graceland. When the lyrics grow darker and more introspective, the music is there to pick you up and keep a light on the situation. The song doesn't ever really strays from it's afro-beat boogy, and I can't exactly attatch myself to the meaning completely, simply because I don't feel that I completely understand it, but the words are beautiful none the less.
Where Paul Simon's Graceland feels like an open-roaded family vacation, The Tallest Man On Earth's version plays like it belongs on a trip to a funeral for a close friend. The simple repeating banjo licks somberly ring with a lonely reverb that is hopeful, but troubled at the same time. I love the fact that Matsson has really flipped the emotional spectrum upside down, while still maintaining the philosphical integrity the original glowed with.
The five track EP is a nice addition to Matsson's repertoire, and I eagerly await new albums from both of these artists due out in the next year or two.
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