The Tallest Man on Earth feat. Idiot Wind-Working Title

There are few things that could make me feel better after ONCE AGAIN the Ghanaian men's soccer team lose on penalty kick in a big game.

That one thing is this great unreleased collaboration between The Tallest Man on Earth and Idiot Wind (who is also Swedish!). This collaboration proves that: Swedes speak better English than most Americans do and that these two need to make a collabo album together. A Swedish tv program did a series on the two, but most of it is shots of the Swedish country side during the winter and the two of them speaking in Swedish. This song however is like an aurora borealis: something you see during the coldest nights of winter to make the rest of it worth it. I'm hoping that this (or other) collaborations go on the the next TTMOE album because it's nothing but beautiful music.

The Tallest Man on Earth-Little Brother

The other day I was listening to my ipod on shuffle on the way to work and The Tallest Man on Earth song "1904" came on. I got the same comforting feeling that you get when you grow up with a song; the feeling once you get to "know" a jam.

I quickly realized to myself, man, this song just came out. But The Tallest Man on Earth's music is like that-both timeless and comforting in a way that is refreshingly old school. His newest album There's No Leaving Now continues in the same vein as both Shallow Grave and Wild Hunt, and his new work is immediately familiar. This is a good thing-I wouldn't want Wu Tang to do an acoustic ukulele album and TTMOE does what he does best - stripped down crooning over graceful guitar licks. Though it was tough to pick out a song to showcase-it really works better as an album than individual singles-"Little Brother" is a real standout. It fits perfectly into his discography yet also marks a slight departure; the slight twang of the electric guitar subtly helping move the always stellar storytelling along. Check out the full album and let me know what you think.

Buy There's No Leaving Now/Stream on Spotify

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The Tallest Man on Earth-Weather of a Killing Kind

Each new Tallest Man on Earth song sounds like another Tallest Man on Earth song. Is that a bad thing? Depends. After two albums, a few EPs, and a new random song every now and then, the TMOE has built a comfortable familiarity for fans of his music. While this jamandahalf does not break any boundaries for the young Swede, it continues in the same vein of beautiful storytelling and forceful picking which made him one of my favorites. A tale of a coming cold, the arrival of something unknown, there is a sense of foreboding in this track. Sung with a voice which gets stronger with each release, this track is a true showcase of his writing ability and the lyrics teem with subtle wordplay. Enjoy this track and stay tuned for his upcoming movie soundtrack with Idiot Wind.

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The Tallest Man on Earth Weather of a Killing Kind

Tallest Man on Earth-Graceland (Cover)

The Alexander track yesterday got me on a folk tip, I'll roll with it for a second. The Tallest Man on Earth is a favorite of this blog, and his music just continues to sound better with time. While some critics harp on his high level of nase (I think I just made that up), its uniqueness simply adds to many reasons why the TMOE is one of the best new artists out right now. And with most of his songs simply consisting of his voice and a guitar, it ain't hard to tell that the Swede has not just come to terms with his nasallyness, but has wholeheartedly embraced it-putting it out naked in front of the audience in each song with very little in the way of distractions.

In this jamandahalf, the TMOE does two things that I think are essential when artists put out a cover song. 1-the song has to be a complete remake of the original, and 2-the cover has to make you think at least for a half second that it's better than the original. The all time showcase for these theories is Hendrix's Dylan cover "All Along the Watchtower," but this cover does its best to challenge those lofty heights. Completely stripping the original to its bare foundations, the Swede performs a nuanced and stirring take on the Paul Simon classic, paying homage to the original, but in the end making it completely his own.

Thanks to SunsetintheRearview

 Graceland (Paul Simon Cover) Jamandahalf.com by jammininthenameof

ConcertandaHalf #1-The Tallest Man On Earth (Madrid, Spain)

On a chilly Madridleno night, the Tallest Man on Earth proved that he is more than ready to shed the knockoff Dylan monikers, that he is an incredible artist in his own right whose young catalog and stage presence far exceed most veteran artists. His small stage, spartanly decorated by only a rack of specially tuned guitars, amps, a piano, and a few chairs, seemed to fit a little too tightly for the TMOE, who appeared determined to sit in every flat space and pace every open square foot of stage. The gorgeous old theater he played in, built straight up and decked in gold trim and red velvet, seemed to be both barely big enough for his at-times booming voice yet not small enough for his most intimate jams. What a show. 

After a few piano ballads by a women with a gorgeous understated voice and a great afro named Idiot Wind (taken from a Dylan song-strangely catchy name though), the TMOE was ready to begin (Idiot Wind later came out to sing a duet on one mic with the TMOE, with the Swede looking like he wanted to steal a kiss the entire time). Playing to a sold-out crowd, the TMOE immediately made everyone feel very appreciated. He started off by saying that this was his first time in Madrid in 27 years, that the last time he had been in the great city was as a baby in his mother's womb. He promised us a great show to show respect, and he definitely did. Playing a mix of songs from the Wild Hunt, Sometimes the Blues is Just a Passing Bird EP, and Shallow Grave, and seemingly changing guitars which each song, the TMOE aced both his slower ("Love is All") and more upbeat jams ("The Gardner"). What really impressed me most was his voice in person. At risk of at times sounding nasally on record, live his voice often roared with confidence, and he threw in enough ad libs during his songs that even his most often repeated songs on my itunes sounded fresh and vigorous. As a solo artist as well, who did have to change guitars which led to some down time between songs, I thought that the silence during the breaks might become stiflingly awkward. He made sure this didn't happen, telling some dry yet funny jokes and making sure to keep the audience involved at every stop. 

After teaching the song during my classes to rural Spanish students and private lessons, I was most excited to hear "King of Spain." He set the song up with a funny apology to anyone in the audience who was offended, and most importantly, to the actual King of Spain. Ripping into the fast paced strums of the jam, he didn't hold anything back as he went through the images of Spain, and received a big cheer with his "I'm not even from Madrid" shoutout. Afterwards, he humbly told the crowd that he never imagined he would have sung the song in Spain, that he always thought he was going to be stuck in Sweden singing it. Luckily for us, the diminutive Swede with a great voice and even better guitar skills has become international, while still maintaining a humbleness that he is still surprised to be playing in front of audiences like the one in Madrid. With shows as great as the one on Wednesday night, the crowds and venues will only get bigger and bigger. 

Tallest Man on Earth-Love is All

To celebrate going to see The Tallest Man on Earth tonight with my girlfriend, I'm putting up a jamito #2 (little jam-not taking anything away from the quality of this awesome song).

The Tallest Man on Earth is currently on a long tour, taking him through most of the US and now Europe. Earning incredible reviews for his live show, I couldn't be more excited to see him tonight (full concert review coming). Heard about him first this summer during long trips in the car in South Africa, and what amazed me, like the music of Rodrigo y Gabriela, is the incredible depth to his sound despite there being only one, maybe two instruments playing. "Love is All" is a sad tale, a haunting one, but is a great showcase of the lyrical precision and immense guitar playing ability that the TMOE is now known for. A song about the sacrifices of love, this song is perfect for a rainy Fall day. Can't wait for tonight.

WebsiteandaHalf-Tiny Desk Concerts

Thanks for sticking with us guys. The past few days typing in JamandaHalf.com probably did not bring you the soothing site of an elephant wearing headphones, but instead brought up an ugly GoDaddy screen or a load error. Moose always calls me a hacker, but this time the hacking got the best of the site, and it took five calls to GoDaddy to get all the pipes of the internet back in order. But, gone forever is any mention of blogspot and also now you should see our logo appearing as your favicon. Cool, eh? To make up for it, here are two posts...

This newest WebsiteandaHalf looks like the ultimate job perk. Every three days or so, a dope artist or band comes through the offices of NPR Music, and plays a live show on the desk of All Songs Considered Host Bob Boilen. Workers and friends crowd the room, aching to hear their old and new favorites play in probably the smallest venue they will ever see them in. I'm not sure how I found out about this great site, but man, I've heard everything from awesome go-go to rugged folk on there. And all the concerts have a video of the show and some of them even have a downloadable mp3 of the songs. The series started in April 2008, and was sporadic at first, featuring mainly artists I have never heard of. But the series began to pick up steam, especially this year, and has featured personal favorites The Tallest Man on Earth, Ed Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros, and Jimmy Cliff, along with other big names like Phoenix. It's a great way to find new music and see artists you love, or discover the next contender to dominate your Ipod, in an intimate and stripped down environment. With no flashy lights, crazy stages, or smoke to hide behind, you see the artists as they really are. When they sound good playing on a desk, it's probably because they are good. Enjoy and welcome back.

Download the Ed Sharpe Show

The Tallest Man on Earth-King of Spain

Tapas, sangria, and churros are dancing around my head right now, grooving to the sounds of a symphony of acoustic guitars playing at the subterranean Meson de la Guittara near Plaza Mayor in Madrid. A year and a half since I left Madrid (where I studied for a semester), I’m going back to Espana (hola gordi!) on Monday, and will be teaching English in a public middle school through a Spanish government program. Maybe that’s why this song sounds so good to me right now.

The Tallest Man on Earth, real name Kristian Matsson, is a 27 year old Swede. Echoing a nasally young Bob Dylan, the TTMOE really comes into his own on his second album, The Wild Hunt, which I have been listening to nonstop since my good buddy, and one time contributor, AMitch, played me some of his tracks. A one-man band, Kristian is a master guitar player, and weaves vivid imagery in between his deft picking and powerful strumming. Like the Scandinavian countryside where I am this week, his songs are sparse, but full of life; understated, yet complex.

“King of Spain” is a joyous shout, a childish dream, a quick-paced checklist of places, things, and experiences that the young Kristian wants to see and do. A song about growing up and finding out who you are, TTMOE sings that the only difference between him and the King of Spain is a change in name, a difference in their days. Littered with images of the country, this song feels like a welcome return to a magical place.

   The Tallest Man on Earth-King Of Spain by jamsfordays