MATTHEW RYAN
Dear Lover (The Acoustic Version)
Over the course of a dozen albums, Matthew Ryan has created a singular sound that combines low-lit arrangements with a pensive perspective. The haunting music is so consistently somber it often makes Leonard Cohen seem giddy by comparison. Regardless, Ryan’s opted to strip the sound down even more by reimagining his last album with the barest of instrumentation—acoustic guitar and harmonica with occasional cello. Given that hushed ambiance, the most incisive element in this mix is Ryan’s voice. Parched, weary and hushed, it conveys the sense of quiet desperation that’s instilled in songs such as “Beauty Has a Name,” “Some Streets Lead Nowhere” and “We Are Snowmen.”
comment closed