Indie artist’s voice takes the spotlight over instruments

“Gallantry’s Favorite Son,” the latest album by Aussie-born New Yorker Scott Matthew, is a haunting yet surprisingly blissful experience to be had by indie and soulful-folk fans alike.

Opening with the track “Black Bird,” featuring an assortment of instruments and Matthew’s oftentimes despairing voice, the song is a good indicator of the overall sound of the album.

Skillful at a variety of instruments and particularly the guitar and ukulele, Matthew is able to compose a very beautiful arrangement of tracks.

Musical instruments aside, it’s Matthew’s voice that takes the show on this album. Fragile and teetering on the brink of breaking while still remaining strong and full of emotion and spirit, the vocals are by far what makes this album as great a listen as it is.

With the nature of Matthew’s voice, it’s not surprising that there are pretty much no fast songs to be had in this release, and it is good that is so, because his voice fits this style perfectly.

One of my favorite tracks is “Felicity,” a surprisingly up-beat song accompanied by female vocals and a celebration of life – essentially a birthday song of sorts.

“Duet” is another song that will no doubt be a favorite among fans. A very dreamy piece with a nice touch of a ukulele, the song is both heart-rending and spirited. It is here that Matthew’s voice truly takes flight.

The lyrics are another strong point for the album with lines like, “I will save you from the demon weeds you’ve sown. Little dream perhaps you’ll see you’re not alone.” These lyrics are a nice change of pace from the meaningless and empty words that mainstream radio bombards us with daily.
Perish the thought that we might actually have to interpret music.

I’m no musical elitist by any means, mind you. But I’m just sick of hearing words like “shorty,” “club” and “baby” uttered every single sentence and with this album, you won’t have that issue. Matthews is able to take a theme like love, a very common one in mainstream music and still make it interesting both lyrically and musically. Take, for example, the track “The Wonder Of Falling In Love.” One of Matthews more poppy sounding ballads on the album is one that does not use the word “shorty” once.

And this effective use of words with a fitting mood is just what Matthew is able to do so well through his often haunting voice to his excellent instrumentation and storytelling through his lyrics.

Nonetheless, the albums still has its flaws. Many of the songs tend to lack identity. My first time through the album, I couldn’t differentiate between many of the songs, which is something to expect given the soft and slow nature of the album, and only after several spins could I call out the tracks by name.

As such, if you’re looking for tunes to break dance to, this album is not for you. But if you’re looking for some music featuring a unique relaxing voice that can put you to sleep, you should give this Aussie a try.

Advocate Staff