Matador - Gaz Coombes Reviewed

Wandering through HMV at the moment is very much a blast to the past and Matador by former Supergrass singer Gaz Coombes which was released at the end of January on Hot Fruit Recordings seems one of the more contemporary offerings available at present. This album is very much the artists own work being written and produced by Coombes.

It has a dark, you might say atmospheric, feel to it from the opening track Buffalo onwards although tracks like the second tune 20/20 are initially deceptive.

There is a mix of acoustic and electronica going on in this album making tunes such as The English Ruse danceable in a '80's indie kind of way. This was a striking tune which I really enjoyed.

As the album moves on to the more dreamy The Girl Who Fell to Earth the Coombes is working to his strengths. He is clearly a talented acoustic guitarist and vocalist who seems strongest on this type of track which relies mainly on the combination of the two without interference from technology.

Detroit is a pleasant enough track, another dreamy one, but in some ways feels like a bit of a filler with the humming and strumming dominating until the drums and electronica break in.

The electronica continues with the intro to Needles eye but then Coombes voice breaks through like a fountain of water which flows gently through your being. Lyrically and tunefully this is the love song but with the Buggles type electronic voice interrupting at intervals it avoids falling into the sickly or sentimental.

Seven Walls takes us back to the initial darkness but this time with a smoky jazz sound mixed in. It sums up the fact that this is the sort of album you can imagine listening to curled up on the sofa with a large glass of wine and a good book having a chilled out night with.

Oscillate begins sounding like it might be a dance tune with more electronica but it falls into the overarching darkness of this album. It is another tune which is almost haunting in tone. It works but is one of the weaker tracks in my opinion, but perhaps that's because I prefer the less arty tracks.

To the Wire takes the lyrics where the music has been leading with the opening words. This could be incredibly depressing, and perhaps to some it will be, but there is a depth and beauty to this tune which breaks through because it is the most poetic song on here.

Is it On? begins with a tinkling piano and then the question is repeated in an echo for a short moment before leading into Matador the final and title track. This short tune is another one of the float away tracks and raises the tone slightly from Oscillate and To the Wire.

To be honest the last two tracks are so short you wonder if the metre ran out or if he just couldn't be bothered to finish it off. Although I guess the answer is it is art and that's the point with this album you only get 38 minutes of music on here, but it is a quality set of music which shows Coombes off as a talented artist. Well worth a listen if you get the chance.