The Tallest Man on Earth / Saratoga Springs, NY - 6/7/08

With prodding from Joshua over at False 45th, and a healthy dose of curiosity I headed to the Parting Glass in Saratoga Springs, NY to witness “The Tallest Man on Earth“.

There were whispers for the past year or two about this mysterious man from Sweden who had moments of Dylan, Nick Drake and some old-school blues in him. A five-song EP came in 2006, while this year saw the release and subsequent big praise for his “Shallow Grave” album.

Luckily, the folks at Tech Valley Times were a bit ahead of the curve on this one and helped The Tallest Man on Earth (AKA Kristian Matsson) and helped him launch his first U.S. tour before all the big hype hit. With brief stops in Nashville, Philly, Baltimore, NYC and yes, even in upstate NY last night, our area was blessed to witness the beginning of what could be a very bright future for this excellent troubador.

There’s no use commenting on the substance and make-up of Kristian’s music as it’s been covered across all kinds of websites. I’d rather talk about the live experience; the true talent and energy this guy gives off. It’s an undeniable, palpable and infectious energy that started from note one as he sat on knotworking’s bass drum and launched into some of that nasty, fast and precise fingerpicking that lives throughout his music. Then came song after song, roll after roll, lyric after lyric that simply demanded attention. It didn’t matter what he was singing about, I found myself hanging on every word. As the Pitchfork review states, “Matsson’s lyrics don’t stand up as well on paper as they do in song,” I found myself wondering whether or not he did really just say “LET’S CARAMELIZE”?? No matter, as every single movement, every perplexing body motion, every potent stare into the audience proved the point that he was born to perform and be heard.

There are three dates left on this mini-tour:
6/08/08: Baltimore, MD
6/09/08: Living Room - NYC, NY
6/10/08: Union Pool - Brooklyn, NY