Eric Matthews - Six Kinds of Passion | Album Archive

It's been 8 years since the 1997 release of The Lateness of the Hour. Eight years. What the puck! Morrissey does it. George Michael did it. I'm still waiting for the Sundays to find their way to the surface. Why do bands think they can just mysteriously vanish for the better part of a decade? I don't walk out of work one afternoon and decide to lie out for seven years. If you truly love music, shouldn't you be out there dug into the trenches, fighting to get your music out. Look at Ryan Adams. This wily bastard has four albums coming out this year alone and one is even a dual disk. I can't really wrap my mind around that. Now I'm not saying that artists need to churn out albums like salt water taffy because, let's face it, we'd end up having to hear a lot of crap from our favorite musicians. I don't think asking them to release one every couple years is really a taxing proposition. I think their music listening public deserves this courtesy or why shouldn't we abandon them as they have us?

Annoyances aside, this is a solid disk. It doesn't necessarily chart any new paths for Matthews, but his version of pop is so unique that every album seems strangely revolutionary. All of the heavy leanings on orchestration are here, his lyrics are as verbose and introspective as ever and his voice is always one-of-a-kind. The album opens with "Worthy", a hesitant piece that quietly peeks it's head around the corner, not sure how it will be received. "So Overblowen" really start things up tapping into that select Matthews' sound, floating a soft guitar strum while his fully textured voice rises and falls. The album seems to prefer the softer, down tempo melodies, but there are peaks where Matthew's voice seems to jump the track to thrust the song into the beaming sunlight like in "Cardinal is More". "Do You Really Want It?" is also incredibly bright and recalls a selection from the late Matthew Jay's arsenal. The album's closing track "Black to Light Brown" is a brief exercise at two minutes, though patented Matthews recalling the potent "Fanfare". The jovial horns chime in to queue the marching band led by the Sergeant Pepper-era Beatles. It is the afterthought seeming to say, "I'm back though the magnificent parade has yet to take to the street".

If you have been apprised of Eric Matthews' work in the past, Six Kinds of Passion will address your long overdue craving for new tunes. If you have yet to discover Matthews, I would temporarily pass on this album so you can make a more proper introduction through one of his more sublime works like The Lateness of the Hour or It's Heavy in Here. Both were defining efforts with Heavy relying more on traditional pop while Lateness was more artistically dangerous and a bit quirky at times. Regardless, it's hard to go wrong with this talent. Six Kinds of Passion is basically a tray of hors devours. While they are tasty and quell the hunger, you are left feeling a bit unsatisfied and still wanting. I'm hoping Matthews follows up this promising effort with a full thought sooner rather than later.

It's only fair for a true fan to vent his frustrations of not being able to access a favorite artist. Justified or not, Mr. Matthews, you failed to adequately mention the praise you've received and truly do deserve by focusing your sensitivities on the negative. Let's put the sole blame on the real culprit, the capitalist bastards of the record industry.

"King Runyon" may be exaggerating things a bit, but atleast we'd have good music to fill our lives :)

- Patrick

That is an extremely thought provoking response, and I'm glad you've provided it for me. As a music lover, and that is what I am first and foremost, I can't open up your head and judge your intentions. Yes, it's clear to me through the side work you've done since "The Lateness of the Hour" that your heart remains in music, yet questions remained as to why you'd disappeared from sight without any explanation to your fans.

Other artists have abandon the label process and forged their own paths by creating their own label, or doing so through banding together with artists in similar situations, to see that their music finds its way to the public in the form they see fit. Aimee Mann and Alana Davis are the first that come to mind. These days other artists are distributing their music directly through the Internet and avoiding labels entirely. I realize production costs must be recouped in this process, but that is no different from a label's costs.

I don't pretend to be an expert on the mechanics of the music industry. The more I learn about it and witness how badly they treat their more artistically focused musicians, Fiona Apple and Wilco coming immediately to mind, the more I think it's time for the establishment to undergo a radical change. I think the new model of delivering music per download and through new channels like the Internet may just be the start of that. Regardless, I do sympathize with your plight and never intended to slight you in any way through this. I think you are an extremely talented artist and this new work is definitely evidence to that. I just wish we had more of you to listen to is all. Thanks for the clarifications and though it may be my role I wish you wouldn't think of me as your critic. We are on the same side here -- getting more people to find there way to your music.

-Mark

It's not in good form to start responding to critics but since my thoughts after reading this review have nothing to do with songs or music critique I thought I would chime in.

Very simply, this writer is one untrusting fellow. Why, Mark Runyon would you not believe the story as I tell it. This is a tough business and believe it or not, most of the music business entities, as a general practice, do not have anything to do with art when deciding who to work with. I am glad that you like my records but they are not of a very commercial nature, they are more art than they are slam dunk mega-hits. Most of the record companies sign crap bands, bubblegum pop, things that sound evil, and of course anything that in the past has sold over 1 million copies. Do you really believe that I would choose to just stop making my own records?. In my time away I did everything that I could to continue making records but the doors were closed one after another. It was a heart breaking period of time and you sir have spat upon the realities of my world. I wish here to set the record straight for those readers of yours that might read your points of view and then believe that I stayed away all this time for the soul purpose of being difficult. Actually it might have been nice in your story if you had offered up a specific reason for my long time away.

My record company (Empyrean) wanted to put out an EP but I talked them into making it a mini album. What if like Jason Falkner my new release had only 5 songs? And does anybody here believe that Jason's first choice was to not make a 50 minute masterwork. But back to my work, if it were up to me "Six Kinds" would have been a double album. That is the kind of power that I have in this world. The very label that signed me was not willing or able (at the time) to put out a full-length. They were being cautious and to certain people, quite cunning. There is a marketing theory in play here but that's another story.

I love your view of this world (I wish you were king) where a guy like me, simply because he has obvious talent must therefore have the ability to write his own ticket and determine the business activities in each of his creative years. It doesn't work like this at all and I have been, and may continue to be without any power over my own professional destiny.

I can't wait to see what happens.

As I always say, stay tuned...

eric matthews