The Goodish – Music Blog -

From the album The Wild Hunt. Out now on Dead Oceans.

The Tallest Man on Earth released his Sometimes the Blues is Just a Passing Bird EP this week.

Get a free MP3 of “Like the Wheel” at Dead Oceans, or pay for the whole thing at iTunes.

The Tallest Man On Earth’s second LP, The Wild Hunt, is out April 13 via Dead Oceans. Here’s a taste of what’s to come.

The Tallest Man On Earth – “King of Spain”

Read our review of The Tallest Man On Earth’s 2008 album, Shallow Grave, here.

Tallest Man on Earth – The Gardener – A Take Away Show from La Blogotheque on Vimeo.

Two new videos at La Blogotheque feature Kristian Matsson, aka, The Tallest Man on Earth, playing a couple of impromptu songs in a cluttered Greenwich Village music shop. Clearly intrigued by the strange amalgam of instruments lining the store’s walls, Matsson settles on a guitar from the 1800’s for “The Gardener,” then picks out the chords to the Nico/Jackson Browne standard “These Days” on a toy piano.

Shallow Grave was one of my favorite albums of last year (review). You really should hear it.

The Tallest Man On Earth is Kristian Matsson, a young Swede with more aptitude for American-style folk music than most Americans. He released his debut full-length album, Shallow Grave, in March to much critical acclaim.

Shallow Grave is a low-fi fury. Rapid-fire finger-picked acoustic guitar and vivid lyrics delivered in a cracked staccato provide an urgency that sets Matsson apart from many of his neo-folk counterparts. Shallow Grave’s recording feels live and raw, with many blemishes left in the mix, like it was recorded in some attic or barn or cabin on the quick.

Following the folk tradition, the lyrics play the lead role in these songs and Matsson proves his strength as a songwriter. This is evident on “The Gardner,” a twisted love song whose hero turns to murder to hide his inadequacies from his lover (”I know the runner’s going to tell you/There ain’t no cowboy in my hat/So now he’s buried by the daisies/So I can stay the tallest man in your eyes, Babe”).

But Shallow Grave’s highlights don’t end there, and despite the tendency to compare Matsson to Bob Dylan or any number of his folk forefathers, it deserves it’s own distinction. Shallow Grave has definitely made it’s way onto my list of favorites for 2008.

For more of The Tallest Man On Earth, check out the great videos over at Shoot the Player. The Tallest Man On Earth is opening for Bon Iver this month.

The Tallest Man On Earth – “I Won’t Be Found”