The Tallest Man On Earth - Sometimes the Blues Is Just a Passing Bird EP

Official album art, courtesy of Google Image Search

I know that this is only an EP, but there is a reason I am featuring it this week. These five songs are pure poetry in sound waves. As I listen to them, I am reminded, with every syllable, why I am so in love with folk music.

The Tallest Man on Earth, the musical moniker of Kristian Matsson, pulls upon the very roots of folk music, drawing all the way back to the creator of the style. He pays attention to all of those little things that started a social movement through music all those years ago, and better yet, he makes it all seems so natural, like these songs washed up from the ocean, made from pure air and sea foam, drifting into his feet only to be projected by his vocal chords. And oh what vocal chords they are. Matsson has an unrefined, unsophisticated, unedited voice, that only carries through the experience of being alive. Accompanying all of this audible goodness are true poetic lyrics. Though they may not always fit the meter of the song, and at times, rhyming is a far-fetched concept, what really shines through is the beauty of the words.

As expected of folk music, most of Matsson's songs are accompanied by a simple acoustic guitar. However, in a rare occurrence, he has recorded The Dreamer accompanied by a heavily distorted electric, creating a rather nostalgic feel for the song. But don't just read about it, take a listen.

So, this is where you can stop reading, but I will keep on talking about it. I've been listening to The Tallest Man on Earth for a while now, but only yesterday picked up this EP. Originally, I thought that I should just buy the albums (which are great by the way), but I wanted The Dreamer. I have to say, the rest of the EP came as a very pleasant surprise. On these recordings, he has started to grow into his own music, perhaps get a little taller (metaphorically). The name may sound ironic to some--and rightly so, as Matsson is only 5'7"--but this larger-than-life name is very rightly and appropriately Kristian Matsson in a musical sense.

More videos (code for "more songs"): YouTube
Official site: thetallestmanonearth.com