The Tallest Man on Earth

By Angela Hu

Love it or hate it, folk musician Kristian Matsson has a Dylan-esque voice worth a listen

Kristian Matsson is The Tallest Man On Earth.

Okay – that’s not even close to being true as he’s only 5 foot 9, but that is the moniker of Kristian’s one-man band, “The Tallest Man On Earth.”

To describe Mattson’s act would mean for me to sway like a damn hippie with a joint in one hand while I hold up the peace sign with the other. I know I shouldn’t make the comparison (and you can hate me now that I do), but Matsson reminds me a little bit of Dylan, with his scratchy voice and the acoustic-y, banjo-ish strums on his guitar. It’s a drastic comparison, I know, but there’s just something about his Matsson’s voice that makes me get into the whole "1960’s-protester-with-flowers-in-my-hair kind of groove."

When I first heard him sing, (and I am embarrassed to admit it was through one of those 25 free new tracks! from Urban Outfitters) I wanted to cut my ears off – Van Gogh style. There was something about his voice that I couldn’t stand; it was as if he were wailing like a banshee for the majority of the album. So I ignored him and the album for a couple of months, until he came up on my shuffle list and I heard Matsson’s voice again.

This time – it stuck. I heard him sing “The Gardener” and I was hooked. Matsson put me in a trance with his raw, titillating voice and I envisioned myself driving down the 405 in a green Mustang heading towards Phoenix, Arizona with my guitar and cute boyfriend in tow. Somehow, listening to “The Tallest Man On Earth” reminded me of those summer days where all I had to worry about was where I stashed my sandals and those daily trips to the meadow where I laid on the mud-drenched grass with my friends, listening to music, talking about life and you know, the cliché-est things possible youngsters can do before real life started creepin’ up on us.

Tallest Man on Earth - The Gardener - A Take Away Show from La Blogotheque on Vimeo.

Other than the fact that he does cool vibratos with his voice and plays the guitar like a pro, this Swedish export is pretty smokin’ hot too. I love his rolled-up shirts, tight skinny jeans and his nonchalant "I-really-love-my-music-and-my-fans attitude" that he’s been reppin’ since La Blogotheque did a Take-Away-Show on him a year ago.

I will say listening to Matsson may be an acquired taste, but seriously, don’t take my word for it, check him out yourself.

Angela Hu is a regular columnist of Bringin' Da Noise.