The Tallest Man On Earth

There are artists who need grand arrangements and lavish productions to fill a room. Kristian Matsson is not one of them. The vibrant, energetic presence, the raw, grainy voice, and the wild yet precise guitar playing are — and remain — the core of his artistry.

On the first two now-iconic albums, The Wild Hunt and Shallow Grave, these elements take center stage — and they were more than enough to transform the singer from Leksand into one of the most beloved and respected voices in indie folk.

Since then, much has happened. As new albums were released, Matsson gradually began adding subtle layers of instrumentation, a development heard clearly on the dreamily melancholic Dark Bird Is Home from 2015, where he collaborated with Mike Noyce from Bon Iver, among others.

But it is only on the latest album, Henry St. from 2023, that he recorded with a full band for the first time. And while a few purists may still want to revive the old story of Bob Dylan’s “betrayal” when he went electric, anyone truly listening can hear that the music still revolves around the same things that have always carried him: the weightless melodies, the elusive yet deeply affecting lyrics, the untamed guitar playing, and a voice that somehow sounds both timeless and utterly present.

And it is in the live setting that these qualities reach their full potential. When Matsson moves restlessly across the stage, almost as if the music is boiling over inside him, something emerges that can only really be described as magic.