You may well remember Matthew James Thomas from when he was in Britannia High, all skinny ties & converse sneakers - giving sparkling performances on out and out pop songs such as Start of Something, Wake Up & Proud. Despite that show's far too early cancellation, Matthew's career has gone from strength to strength and he's now a regular fixture on Broadway - firstly on Spider-man:Turn Off The Dark and currently in the great white way's most essential & engaging revival Pippin. There he plays the title character, earning (deservedly) rave reviews & singing on one of the year's most charming cast recordings (available here). Quite the diverse and eclectic CV, yet Matthew is clearly one not to rest on his laurels (whatever they are) and has also put out a solo EP of music. Entitled No Sound At All, it's all written by Matthew & produced by Duncan Sheik (who knows a thing or two about merging broadway & pop thanks to hits like Barely Breathing & On A High, and of course his sterling musical Spring Awakenings). It is a complete departure from his Britannia High songs & different to anything he performs in Pippin, yet seemingly takes subtle influences from both - the structure of songs, the emotional resonance of Proud, the mellifluous elegance of Corner Of The Sky - and wraps them in soul searching, introspective magic. It commences with the haunting, elegiac title track that builds around an evocative piano melody, gradually layered with strings & shuffling base. The instrumental alone creates a vivid imagery of a huge, busy world yet a place where one can feel so alone & isolated. When Matthew starts singing, it's vaguely reminiscent of Travis at their very finest, yet that's not to say he doesn't instantly make the song his own masterful piece of art. There's an innate sadness in his voice that is heartbreaking and inextricably draws the listener into his tale through his mesmerising performance. I particularly like how you can hear the organic nature of Matthew's voice - the emotive nuance, the breathing inbetween lyrics. All too often this can get glossed over in this vocoder heavy world of ours, but this makes the experience far more intimate and realistic. The song is followed by Not So Simple ~ beginning with an instrumental intro (with some truly lovely piano chords) that is allowed to breathe at it's own pace, rather than rushing the lyrical content into life. Matthew sings of an inability to dismiss the complex matters in life, love & relationships with platitudes. When his voice soars into falsetto in the second chorus, it elevates the complexity of the song to new levels before a truly lovely middle 8 (just Matthew and piano) emerges like a butterfly from a cocoon. While it's certainly the melancholy piano that anchors this tune, it's Matthew seamlessly weaving around the orchestra & percussion & adding texture to the performance that makes it stand out.
It all comes to far too soon a close with Mother. It's a song that feels quite personal, almost like the listener is intruding on private thoughts - yet there is such beauty within the song (particularly an exquisitely heartfelt moment in verse 2) that it becomes more of a confessional, a sharing of inner soul that you ultimately become part of. At first, I was slightly frustrated that the song crescendos to these soaring moments then backs away, but multiple listens reveals that there is an integrity to these building blocks; it symbolises the ebbing emotions within the song and remains true to the lyrical content. It goes without saying that Matthew once again gives a tremendous performance and something new from the young chap is revealed within each song. It makes the entire EP rewarding listening that encourages multiple listens. The whole project is certainly a most relevant work of musical art that will hopefully lead to a full album of sounds. Matthew is the master narrator of these songs, molding them like clay (and ably aided of course by the talents of Mr Sheik) to his own will. Eschewing trends, the EP goes for classic & timeless yet does feel timely and contemporary. Stay tuned to this talent because this really does feel like it could be the start of something good...
(Buy "No Sound At All" here)
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