The Tallest Man on Earth - The Wild Hunt reviews
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| Pitchfork |
 Pesky comparisons to Bob Dylan have dogged Kristian Matsson throughout his short career as the Tallest Man on Earth. In 2006, his self-titled EP introduced a singer with that familiar croak, a songwriter with a folk-revival revival sensibility, and a guitar player with an impressively agile fingerpicking style. The next year, his full-length debut, Shallow Grave, expanded nicely on those ideas, buffing away some of the rougher edges but emphasizing fully realized and beautifully evocative songs. The Wild Hunt, the second Tallest Man on Earth album and first for Dead Oceans, makes a few specific nods to Dylan at his most earnest and bare-- including a reference to "boots of Spanish leather" on "King of Spain". Ultimately, though, Matsson interprets Dylan, just as Dylan himself interpreted Guthrie. More to the point, Matsson translates him into the Scandinavian countryside, where he sings about changing seasons and quiet, lonely places far from cities. His lyrics are rough and often ragged, more concerned with evoking aching emotions than with making explicit sense. But that coded aspect only makes him sound more urgent, as if he's trying to convince you of something he couldn't possibly put into words.
As with previous albums, The Wild Hunt features mainly voice and guitar, and in this intimate, austere setting-- where the banjo on the title track sounds like an indulgence-- Matsson coaxes a wide range of colors from that limited palette, whether it's the testiness of "You're Going Back" or the exuberance of "King of Spain". His grounding in American Southern traditions is apparent: While not a blues musician per se, Matsson draws important lessons from the likes of Mississippi John Hurt and Bukka White by realizing that his guitar speaks as loudly and as clearly as he does....full text |
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| Prefixmag |
| After having released on of the best folk records of 2008 (the relentlessly lovely, American Folk-indebted Shallow Grave), Swedish singer-songwriter The Tallest Man on Earth, a.k.a. Kristian Matsson, has returned with The Wild Hunt, an expansion of the throaty and nimble sound of his debut. And, if the sounds of lead single “The King of Spain” are any indication – howled vocals attached to a sprightly and swaggering acoustic guitar – The Wild Hunt will be worth the wait....full text |
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| Hearya |
Lately I’ve been consumed by preoccupations: a demanding job, a pregnant wife on bed rest for five weeks, a toddler, a dog, a house to maintain, guests visiting every week, a music blog. I’m sprinting so fast that it’s easy to overlook my surroundings and it takes a concerted effort to stop and enjoy a few special moments. The Tallest Man On Earth set me straight.
I started listening to the advanced copy of The Wild Hunt during several commutes in the car. My immediate reaction? I thought “If I mixed these songs with his previous album Shallow Grave, I wouldn’t be able to tell which song belonged to what album.” For some reason, I expected more than his voice and an acoustic guitar. A full band perhaps? Maybe hearing the new album by his folk contemporary, Joe Pug, had me expecting a similar progression beyond strictly solo arrangements....full text |
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