Matthew & Me - Golden Charms EP (Blanket Records)
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| Matthew & Me - Golden Charms |
Release Date: 16th June 2014
Let's just get one thing out of
the way, 'Golden Charms' sounds like a teeth-rottingly sweet cereal made by a
chemical company with questionable morals. However, I can't stream cereal
through Soundcloud so I'm fairly sure this is music and upon pressing play my
suspicions are confirmed. This new EP from Totnes quintet kicks off with the
title track, 'Golden Charms', which, after some initial atmospherics and spoken
word, explodes in to the kind of song that would absolutely kill in a packed
tent at any of the UK's bigger festivals. The balance of this lead track is
somewhere between the raw energy of Brother & Bones and the studied
song-crafting of the Maccabees or Bombay Bicycle Club. Following on is
'September', a much gentler and more tender song that steers just clear of
being featured in a sausage advert but could easily be compared to the likes of
Damien Rice, David Kitt or, at a push, Ed Sheeran.
The sweeping, swooning, slightly
prog-ish guitars that introduce 'Letters' are a thing of soothing beauty as I
write this at nearly 1.00am on a Saturday morning and it's easy to see why so
many people are drawn in to the flame of this band and their enigmatic leader,
Matthew Board. This third song builds to a cacophonous crescendo as the whole
band layer on sounds and ideas like mattresses being piled high in the town
square to see if the moon can be reached and pulled down from the sky. The EP
finishes up with 'Rose To Find', a sinister and morose song played out on
acoustic guitar and a healthy relationship with regret and heartbreak. Matthew
& Me are certainly a talented bunch but most importantly they've got the
songs to back up the technical talent and then passion to see it through. For
fans of Elbow, Brother & Bones, Treetop Flyers and the Maccabees this is
hot top for a new favourite. For fans of Mumford & Sons this is an absolute
must - you need to hear what else there is out there. This is some fine, fine
music....definitely not cereal.
More information: http://matthewandme.co.uk/
Live Dates:
20th June - The Great Hall, Totnes
10th July - The Hoxton Bar & Kitchen, London w/The Sea
& I
11th July - X & Y Festival, Liverpool w/The Family Rain
18th July - Larmer Tree Festival, Salisbury
24th July - Port Eliot Festival, St. Germans
3rd August - Lime Wood, New Forest w/Nizlopi
29th August - Bicton Festival, Devon
18th September - South Devon Arts Centre, Totnes