thread for matthew e. white

I really like the record, but I watched some Other Voices stream of his set and it seemed so flat without the horns/strings/choral overdubs. Kinda umming and ahhing over seeing him at Shepherds Bush in September?

CAD upthread otm, I wish the record just broke loose, mind.

yeah i watched a couple live vids and they're pretty rough. 70% of the record's charm is in the arrangements. i don't mind his voice but no way can it carry a stripped-down band.

but man did i listen to the hell out of this record. don't know how many times it took to catch the "WOO!" in the brazos backing vocal--that was a life-changing moment.

also the lyrics to "one of these days" are v. lovely and touching

have you seen this?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dMHHG1K6vg4

Wish I knew I was going to see this rather than a shaky version of the same...

It's not like if you see someone like Spiritualized, when you know that while they aren't bringing an huge orchestra, choir, and bells and whistles they are still going to kick out a similar grand experience with guitars, keys, bass and drums. Maybe I should book the ticket and hope they deliver on some level.

i saw them play the lexington in january and i thought it was excellent. they miss the strings and so on, but the band develops an excellent, muted funk that builds and builds and is no chimera. i reckon you should definitely see him at shepherds bush.

I like this album a lot, Lambchop is the the most obvious comparison but is anyone else reminded of The Beta Band at times? Something about his delivery that brings them to mind.

have you seen this?

no and thanks for posting, that totally ruled

someone give this guy a touring budget for 40 ppl

Saw him at Glastonbury on Sunday lunchtime, which was kind of the perfect time for that music. Enjoyed it, like I enjoy the album, but it reinforced my feeling that he just lacks presence in some weird way.

New album on First Listen: http://www.npr.org/2015/03/01/388512027/first-listen-matthew-e-white-fresh-blood

Really enjoying the new album. First time he's come across my radar - assume the first LP is worth checking out too?

i like the first one much more

The songs are much stronger on the first one, I listened to this a couple of times but have wanted to go back to the Natalie Prass record much more.

the new one is a lot more...baroque. the best thing about the first one was that the songs themselves were pretty straightforward and had a dual lineage of 70s soul and 70s singer/songwriter pop that worked well together and allowed the arrangements to shine. i hear a lot more 60s AM pop in the new one and both the songs and arrangements have gotten very fussy.

new one out

I've long been meaning to check this guy out, reading about a lot of funk influence with this one and I like the little map of influences on his website. Is this a decent place to start?

I decided to indeed start with the new one, listening to it now. There are so many reasons why this feels like something I would hate, but I kinda like it?