The Tallest Man on Earth - Dark Bird Is Home

Waking from a twelve month hibernation and reassuring us, buried in a short teaser video, that “this is not the end – this is fine”, Kristian Mattson’s fourth album as The Tallest Man on Earth feels worthy of such a frank disclaimer. ‘Dark Bird Is Home’, the Swede’s first album since 2012’s ‘There’s No Leaving Now’, paints a different Mattson altogether – rounding off the sharpness of his previous releases, he’s self-medicated his loneliness through the company of other musicians, and these songs project a new kind of warmth and vibrancy. For those in doubt, refer back to the disclaimer – it doesn’t take too much digging to unearth the qualities that brought Mattson here in the first place.

Opener ‘Fields of Our Home’, a gently-dipped toe into the stream of ‘Dark Bird…’, stems from what Tallest Man fans will be accustomed to, but Mattson ventures into deeper water as the song wanders on, delicately introducing instruments towards its climax. It’s almost as if Mattson’s transformation occurs in front of our ears, going from lonesome troubadour to confident bandleader in five minutes flat. With the new ground rules so clearly laid-out, suddenly the lavishness of lead single ‘Sagres’, or the beautiful drowsiness of ‘Timothy’, doesn’t seem quite so jarring. Instead, they hide the comfort and familiarity of Mattson’s earlier melodies, but require a few more listens to become noticeable.