After his 1997 debut, May Day, Pennsylvania-born singer-songwriter Matthew Ryan was acclaimed as the spiritual heir to everyone from Bob Dylan and Bruce Springsteen to Leonard Cohen and Tom Waits. Ryan expands on those daunting expectations, yet also manages to blunt them here--his frequently astringent musical and lyrical vision is distinctly his own. And if it's true that beneath the chest of every pessimist beats the heart of an optimist just wishing their eyes weren't so damned good, Ryan just may be their wistful troubadour. "Just remember," Ryan rasps on the chorus of "Heartache Weather," "things are gonna get worse before they get better." A cliché perhaps, but a viewpoint that is in perfect sync with Ryan's clear-eyed antisentimentality. Ryan's songs also possess a seemingly effortless melodic sense, here wed to production that ranges from a warts-and-all live sound to the moody and baroque. Whether ruminating on the devastating potential of modern romantic myths, drawing parallels between his fate and his country's on "Ballad of Limping Man" (with Soul Asylum's Dave Pirner adding mournful trumpet flourishes), or chronicling the media's commodification of tragedy on "The World Is on Fire" (heralded by a Newmanesque interpolation of "Camptown Races"), Ryan usually finds some glimmer of hope, a telling sign of a troubled romantic trying to make the best of a world gone bad. --Jerry McCulley
Product details
Is Discontinued By Manufacturer
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No
Product Dimensions
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5 x 5.5 x 0.25 inches; 3.2 Ounces
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i knew Matthew Ryan, but this cd was unknown to me. it is a good one, somethind Bryan Adams could be jealous of! (thoudh maybe Ryan would be jealous of the selling-numbers of Adams...)
cd was in a plastic case with braille-marks on it and a sticker saying this is a promotional cd not for resale! shame on the seller, though the cd itself is ok!
Reviewed in the United States on February 23, 2004
No grins are straying across any lips that utter such rough lyrics and crumbling views of life. Matthew Ryan's sophomore album is a turn for the moody grim and still for the better. Ryan still manages to soar lyrically. With songwriting skills like these, how can the dismal poet dwell so long in melancholy? With the hard-hitting intro numbers "3rd Of October" and "Heartache Weather," the songsmith pounds the irony of life into our ears. Just when we think he'll never see a sunny day, he eases us into the simple "I Hear A Symphony." The next five tunes trace through loves lost and found before quietly settling like a drowsy day on the front porch in "Time And Time Only," a sleeper standalone song with all the power of the first warm day following a long, cold winter. Meanwhile, Ryan's panoramic landscape dips into instruments and recording techniques that drown this album with a striking resonance. Whether it's the steady drum thump in "Still Part Two" or the symphonic striking scales of "Sunk," this album hits you. Slap it in your stereo and take a long drive through the countryside, and you'll see what I mean.
East Autumn Grin comes on slow but grows on you. I know that doesn't sound like a stellar write up but it's the truth. Once you give this album a chance it probably won't leave your player for a long time. Track number six, Sadlylove, was the first song to stand out and grab my attention but others soon followed. This is a great album and Matthew Ryan's songwriting skills are superb. The album is heavily produced and is rich in layers and sound, which is unusual for most singer-songwriters unless they've already "made it" and have financial security to take such studio risks. If I had to pigeon-hole to give a potential buyer an idea of what they're getting, think early Springsteen, Tom Petty, Dylan and Ryan Adams. That's the caliber of writing but Matthew Ryan sounds like Matthew Ryan. For those who care. In the Marlboro magazine, Unlimited, muscian Steve Earle was asked what some of his favorite current albums were. East Autumn Grin made the cut.
I have enjoyed Matthew's music and raw writing style since MayDay. East Autumn Grin is by far my favorite album, from beginning to end, and this is among a phenomenal collection of good material he has put out. I recommend this album highly, the album flows like a slow but disgruntled flood of emotion and the tunes build well and his words have enough imagery to make you swerve off the road, BE CAREFUL.
I picked this cd up after hearing about Matthew Ryan from Amazon and boy, I can't begin to describe what a great purchase this was! The lyrics, the music, continue to move me like a touching lazy summer breeze...Ryans music is introspective, and deeply beautiful. I just wish I could have discovered what an incredible talent this guy is..I am beginning to wonder about the popular musical tastes these days(well, not beginning to)but It is great to see artists such as Matthew Ryan whose voice defies style, trendiness, and popularity and cuts to the deeper issues with such moving lyrics and music on life, beauty, and loss. His lyrics are poetic, with feelings of tough grit and tenderness that I have not felt from music...3rd of October, Time and Time only, Me and My lover, Still Part two, and the hidden August Summer dress continue to be my favorites, but the whole album is incredible! What an Amazing young talent to come across my life...
Maravilloso disco de este gran desconocido. Enorme cantautor eléctrico con unas canciones, y una voz, que quitan la respiración. Si viene a la mente un joven Springsteen, o un Ryan Adams con una vertiente desgarrada, no es una casualidad. Lucinda Williams ya lo descubrió en un maravilloso dueto posterior a este disco. Ni un solo filler en el disco. En cuanto al vendedor japonés, me llegó el mismo día que me anunció (30 días más tarde). Increíble.
Matthew Ryan hat mit seiner zweiten Platte mehr Gewicht auf die Betonung der Texte gelegt, die harmonisch mit der Musik abgerundet werden. So hört man Texte, die kraftvoll und mit einer inneren Wut und Zerrissenheit in bester Tom Waits Stimmlage präsentiert werden. Komplexes Songwriting und das Können eine Situation so Bildhaft in Worte zu fassen und gleichzeitig noch die Gefühle auf den Punkt zu bringen ist wohl Mathhew Ryans höchste Begabung. Die Kompositionen sind harmonisch, sparsam, hervorragend und zum Teil auch Witzig arrangiert. Die wilden Gitarrenkracher von "Mayday" wird man hier kaum finden, aber dafür hält man ein eher ruhigeres Album in den Händen, dass den CD-Player Nachts gar nicht mehr verlässt.
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