Kristian Matsson (The Tallest Man on Earth) is from Sweden, and plays Americana-folk pop better than any American act of the aughts. Need proof? Sometimes the Blues is a Passing Bird, a five-track addendum to this year's earlier full-length The Wild Hunt, is a good place to start. An artful blend of poetry and arpeggiated fingerplucking, Matsson's music often draws him comparisons to a young Bob Dylan. But aside from raspy vocal inflections, the singer-songwriter similarities are superficial at best. While Bobby Zimmerman wore his heart on his sleeve with political zeal, Matsson's heart is quiet and introspective. Shy, even. You get the sense that The Tallest Man on Earth was once left for dead, his heart violently fractured into pieces throughout his chest; his music, an elegant and painful way of piecing it all back together.

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MP3: "Like The Wheel"
The Tallest Man On Earth on Myspace