After an absence of nearly three years, The Tallest Man on Earth returns with an anticipated compilation album that encompasses the most poignant moments of his previous musical offerings. It feels familiar, yet new in a fluttery way, inciting a feeling of butterflies in your stomach at every unexpected turn — comfortably,ย Dark Bird is Homeย (2015) marks Kristian Mattson as an ever-growing artist (albeit over long periods of time). Songs like โFields of Our Home,โ โSingers,โ and โBeginnersโ represent The Tallest Man of days past — homage to his earlyย The Wild Huntย (2010). Going back and forth between this older, more recognizable sound, and Mattson’s newer experimentation feels like a road map: he gives us ups and downs, curves in the road, detours that flash us back to the past, and accelerationsย to the future sound of The Tallest Man on Earth. In a triumphant uplift, the albumโs first single โSagresโ appears with this newer sound and incorporates new musical elements, such as backing vocals and brass instruments, the latter of which are the most identifiable change avid Tallest Man listeners hear. Trumpets pick us up in another hopeful mid-album track โSlow Dance.โ In favor of theseย new elements on Dark Bird, some of the more recognizable sounds used in previous material have dissappeared or been muted. The identifiable raspy quality of Mattson’s voice, though still present, plays less of a roleย in this new arrival.ย This newfound clarity of his voice sits on top of familiar strumming patterns reminiscent of songs like “Troubles Will Be Gone” offย The Wild Huntย (2010). Despiteย the changes in his voice, the addition of choral backing vocals, and new instruments, Dark Birdย still whisks usย away to that eternal pastoral landscape at the end of the roadmap, where Mattson sits, strumming these songs, covered in dirt and windblown. โSuddenly the day gets you down / But this is not the end / No this is fine,โ he concludes as “Dark Bird is Home,” the song that brought forth the name of the album, closes off on a hopeful note. The standout track is a slow, but poignant ending. Its placementย letsย the album befit a lazy Sunday drive — easy listening for that curved road. Only incrementally different from his previous releases, listeners can be happy with both the familiarity and the subtle newness of Dark Bird is Home. If there is one thing that Mattson does well on this album, itโs mixing theseย often contradictory states seamlessly — Dark Bird meshesย old Tallest Man sounds with new, giving the listener both downbeat, sad-sounding tracks and hopeful ones. With the announcementย earlier this year that The Tallest Man on Earth will take to the US road with a full band for the first time ever, Mattson’sย mapย has the Bay Area marked as a stopping point. Catch The Tallest Man on Earth at The Fox May 21 for an after-graduation treat. Article by Sam Putt Share this:Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window)Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window) Leave a Reply Cancel ReplyYour email address will not be published.CommentName* Email* Website Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Currently you have JavaScript disabled. In order to post comments, please make sure JavaScript and Cookies are enabled, and reload the page. Click here for instructions on how to enable JavaScript in your browser. Δ