‘Matthew Ryan vs. The Silver State (MRVSS)’ Out Now
Watch Two Brilliant Matthew Ryan Videos Here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tkpi1cKn2m8 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aFm3irtY2qk
Matthew Ryan is one of America’s most prolific songwriters. He has quietly gone about his work for ten years now, releasing 11 albums while sharing stories and stages along the way with Lucinda Williams, Badly Drawn Boy and Turin Brakes. Celebrated author Nick Hornby andsongwriters Josh Rouse, Kasey Chambers and Mark Knopfler are fans.
Now Matthew returns with Matthew Ryan vs. The Silver State,his most accomplished and visceral work to date. Every track was recorded live with few embellishments and even fewer edits. This showcases the sound of a brilliant writer and his band fusing the passion, indignation, hopes and struggles of his characters. Utterly human and wide-awake, this is music that feels, simply feels; a Scorsese film for the ears.
MRVSS has all the spirit, heart, conscience and muscle that make rock and roll timeless. As forthcoming as Ryan is with his songs, on MRVSS, deep layers bubble underneath. But he does not sell, force or judge here. Instead, these are patient, elegiac songs, crafting a mood as much as a message. On MRVSS, what appears simple becomes epic.
Throughout the eleven songs, Ryan explores, even implores that universal but mysterious question: how do we become who we are? He is patient and persistent, intelligent and soulful, troubled and brave, political and spiritual. This is deeply honest and unabridged music,a 50-minute opus showcasing one of the most relevant, credible and gifted artists we've had in quite some time. Gorgeous, troubling, soothing and pensive, these are songs for lovers, thieves, dreamers, drunks and anyone in contemplation. Life is its purest, most menacingly beautiful form. Enjoy.
Matthew Ryan on Matthew Ryan
Lauded by both Lucinda Williams and Steve Earle, Matthew Ryan is a 32 year old Nashville-based singer-songwriter from Chester, Pennsylvania.
"I'm warm and detached, in a photograph
my hand is in hers, her hand is in her lap
an I could choke on the words
if it got any worse
there's beauty beside me
bur beauty denies me, all she's worth."
'I'm an american'
Matthew Ryan:
"So I took a vacation. Two years ago, I'd seen all I needed to see. After living through the tritest and most thorough artistic, economic and human challenge; I viewed my romanticism as the enemy. Songs became simply songs. Horrible music dominated the airwaves once again. No one was wrong. No one was righteous. There was no one to blame. I made a wish for a simpler life. I took a straight job in a warehouse. Up in the morning, home for dinner. That's how it went for a while. I enjoyed it for a while. Soon i was revisited by that impulse to put words to music. To create that weather or landscape with-in the infinite possibilities and limitations of a 4-track machine. I'd never tried before. Hell, I hadn't owned one until Christmas a year ago. I started to record songs. And as time went on, the recordings got better. It also felt as if the songs were enjoying an unexpected growth. Humor, imagine that. A dark and informed humor was starting to surface, along with a simple beauty that I hadn't been able to capture before.
I'm proud of these songs. They lack any provocative intent. They exist simply because I needed them to. They were written before, during and after so many events, revelations and disappointments. These recordings reflect the closest I've felt to music since the first time I picked up a guitar and realized I could play "Deep One Perfect Morning," by The Jesus and Mary Chain. So ironically, "Happiness" is flawed, fractured and hopeful. I hope you'll listen in the spirit with which it was conceived."
