There’s No Leaving Now - the Tallest Man on Earth

If you’re going to listen to this album, don’t do so immediately after listening to two hours of Russian classical music. This is mixed and mastered very, very hot. It will sound wrong. Even without that context, the mix is so vocal-forward, and all the tracks have been redlined and run through various distortions. The worst part is, I understand why the mix is the way it is. At low volumes, it sounds like a single mic with accompaniment standing a little bit away from the singer. At high volumes, or in real headphones, the vocals sound harsh and the mix sounds unbalanced. This record is perfect for tinny iPod speakers, or for playing at a relatively low volume. I admire the DIY cabin in the woods approach, but ugh.

It’s a shame, because these songs are good. Beneath the tape-warble, the PA distortion, and the fact that this is another Swede doing Americana (I’m looking at my copies of Hisingen Blues by Graveyard and Veni Vidi Vicious by the Hives as I’m writing this), Kristian Matsson is a good picker and a smart songwriter. There are several tracks where after just one listen, I’m singing along with Matsson in my head. Nothing complex or progressive, just workmanlike songcraft and good melodies. “Bright Lanterns” and “Little Brother” are probably the two standouts, but the bar for pure-craft lofi is pretty high, and There’s No Leaving Now has a tough time clearing it.

I appreciate the simple digipak, but it feels a little empty. The interior cover confirms my suspicion that this was basically a DIY record. The “this tray is made from 100% recycled plastic with at least 35% post-consumer materials” decal is the most 2010s thing I can think of. I think I’m going to rip this CD, normalize it a little bit, and listen to it on my mp3 player eventually, but I have no use for the disc itself.

There’s No Leaving Now by The Tallest Man On Earth is a bad album, but I like it.