The Tallest Man on Earth releases new EP

Let's get old fashioned. Really, let's go back to the way music used to sound - even if it's only for seventeen minutes. The idea of having success with just a voice and guitar has become a cautionary tale for anyone but The Tallest Man on Earth. His old-fashioned approach has tamed our ears into realizing that folk ain't dead. You know those catchy auto-tuned ringtones that interrupt class? He's trying to do something about it.

The Tallest Man on Earth, aka Kristian Matsson, is one swedish journeyman that  may be on a mission to revive a dying sound. His newest EP, Sometimes the Blues is Just a Passing Bird snuck onto the music scene this September 8 after the widly anticipated and well recieved "The Wild Hunt" LP, released last April. His newest work realizes a more mature sound that shines in its simplicity. If you haven't heard any of his music, you have an obligation to listen to "The Gardener" off of his 2008 release, Shallow Graves. Listen to it and I guarantee it will find its way onto your next mix-tape.

The Tallest Man on Earth is hardly the folk that's solely punctuated with a beard.  No, he's the man that has walked the land and seen the importance of having someone to explore it with. My favorite track, "The Dreamer", begins with the proclamation, "I'm just a dreamer, but I'm hanging on". I think all of us twenty-somethings in college can identify with the idea that, hey -  our futures aren't certain, but I'm sure as hell going to do something about it. This love song showcases the feeling, or hope, of having someone to dream with; someone to run away with and the idea of having someone somewhere. For just this track you can dream with him.

Sometimes the Blues is Just a Passing Bird is not his best work but hints at better things to come. While, "Thrown Right at Me" and "Tangled in the Trampled Wheat" fall flat due to their inability to "go" anywhere, it may be thee tracks just fail ot surprise the listener. All together, Sometimes the Blues is Just a Passing Bird is carried by "The Dreamer" and "Like the Wheel", which makes the EP good enough for a listen. After releasing an album as good as Shallow Graves it's typical to see a change in direction. Most artists can't adapt to the pressure and lose their sound entirely, but this EP indicates that he is still operating on the same values that made his previous work so enjoyable. He encapsulates the idea that your story and guitar actually have something to say.

His sound, as well as his message, remain the same: dream to become something worth loving.

So, fellow twenty somethings, let's go be dreamers.