The Tallest Man On Earth, Kristian Matsson, Swedish Bob Dylan… No matter what you call him, if you were lucky enough to get a ticket before they promptly sold out, you knew what you were in for. Intricate fingerpicking patterns. Intimately brooding lyrics. Explosive foot-stomping triggered by vibrant open-tuned strums.
The seasoned Tallest Man fans also knew they were in for the new addition of a full backing band, who hold a prominent place on Matsson’s latest album, Dark Bird Is Home. The addition of the band expands the atmosphere around the finger-style folk we’ve come to love, through horns, backing-vocals, and loops we would never have expected from the Swedish singer-songwriter. While the new sound is thoroughly engaging on the album, it best translates in the live performance; filling the room with even more magnetism than Matsson had previously achieved on his own.
It’s been quite a few years since I was introduced to The Tallest Man’s music, this however, was my first opportunity to finally see him play live. Needless to say, I was not disappointed, despite the screeching young ladies behind me who kept poking the back of my head with their god forsaken selfie-stick… But god damn do I hate whoever invented that ridiculous apparatus.