Published on Oct 24, 2003
matthew is this guy, and he has this show. He used to live in
Texas, now he lives in New York, where he’s disappointed that
people don’t all dress like ’40s film noir. (Hey, man, so am I. I
wish I could afford to dress like Bogie.) He’s a singer and
songwriter, and after ten years of bar band purgatory he decided
that “all I ever wanted to do was make an album I liked”. If this
sounds like it has some potential for being interesting, then
congratulations; you have successfully thrown off another level of
mass-market EmptyVee mind control and are ready to take a trip to
Texas.
From the moment I opened up the envelope, I admit to having been
intrigued by
Texas, despite the slightly pithy prose on the back of the
CD. It never quite made it into the Pierce Memorial Archives South
Annex, and instead stayed near my stereo — where it got played.
For all his slightly off-kilter persona, the matthew show is pretty
damn talented, and
Texas is a really enjoyable album of guitar-oriented
folk/pop.
The production is excellent, especially for an indie release;
the matthew show is really fond of strumming guitars so that you
can hear the strings chime and buzz, and I confess to being a
sucker for being able to hear that on a CD. matthew’s voice is
clear, elegant, and expressive; he has a rich, simple intonation
and phrasing perfect for the kind of lyric-intensive music he’s
delivering. Best of all, he has a sense of humour — in the midst
of these well-crafted songs we have the vitriolic, vicious, and
insanely hilarious “Office Suite” spoken-word pieces documenting in
harsh, garish color life as a temp worker. I damn near split a gut
laughing.
Songs worthy of mention include the beautiful “Bring Me Safely
Down”; “Old Enough”, which is one of the best straight-ahead
rockers I’ve heard this year; the bluesy “The Roof Is Leaking”, an
excellent cover of the Phil Collins song; and the funny, sad, and
cynical “Loneliest Boy In Toyland”. There are very few miscues;
“Symbiotic Angel” drags a bit, but that’s a minor quibble.
Texas is one of the best independent releases I’ve heard
this year, from a brilliant songwriter who hopefully has a long and
storied career ahead of him. Go out and buy a copy; you’ll do
yourself a favor by getting your hands on some excellent music, and
maybe matthew can stop temping and relax a little. The man has
issues, people.