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“Well, you know, I think I am heroic in a failing way,” Matthew Ryan sings on “Dolce et Decorum est,” the cheery opening track off his new album, Matthew Ryan Vs. The Silver State. With his signature scratchy voice and raw homely sound, he’s been a hero for many the past decade, writing haunting and introspective songs that have appeared on albums such as May Day, East Autumn Grin, and From a Late Night High Rise. Only, Ryan isn’t a failure; he’s an inspiration, and one that is growing day by day.
Silver State is another fine brick in Matthew Ryan’s walkway that belongs on the same path with songwriters such as Steve Earle, Ryan Adams, and Lucinda Williams. The torture and dismay of 2007’s High Rise is not entirely absent here, but the overall feeling is less personal on songs like “Killing the Ghost,” “They Were Wrong,” and “It Could’ve Been Worse.” In short, Ryan isn’t sulking over what he has lost, but rather what society in general continues to throw away. The only exception is the gorgeous acoustic “Jane, I Still Feel the Same,” which relives a lost relationship—a “good thing in a world gone wrong.” It serves as the backbone to the themes on Silver State: wishing and hoping, but still knowing the truth—that it’s disappeared.
The electric glory and general let loose behavior of “Hold on Firefly ”and “Drunk & Disappointed” even find their niche in a record that explores, pricks, and questions everything, and comes away victorious. “Maybe we’ll never win, but we’re closing in” Ryan sings on the final track, “Closing In.” Silver State doesn’t just close in on being a great record–it finishes the job, serving as an early highlight for 2008.
MATTHEW RYAN VS THE SILVER STATE IS DUE OUT APRIL 1
Matthew Ryan at Myspace
