Michael
Matera's second release on Neverwhere Records. This CD features
more of a tribal sound compared to Michael's first release
M. A portion of the profits from the sale of this
CD go to the The David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust. Helping save
the lives of orphaned elephants and rhinos who are ultimately
released into the wild. For more info follow this link. http://www.sheldrickwildlifetrust.org
REVIEWS:
Review
by Bill Binkelman of Wind
and Wire
I
know next to nothing about keyboard player/guitarist Matera,
except what I learned after listening to his second album,
2. What did I learn? This guy is talented - he can play dynamic
accessible electronic music with the best in the business,
and if there's any justice, this album is gonna be in a lot
of people's CD players someday.
Don't
be fooled (as I was) by the apparent "blue sky and clouds"
cover art of this album. Wrongo! Thirty seconds or so into
the opening track, "uaso," you'll be set straight
in a hurry. Thundering drums (programmed but damn, they sound
like a real trap set and hand drums), soaring whistling keyboards,
and dramatic piano all combine in a powerful song suffused
with a sense of celebration and life! Next up is "what
you deserve" which again brings drums to the forefront
(a blend of organic and electronic in nature), along with
darker shaded ebbing and flowing keyboards. This one has a
quasi-prog feel to it when the trap set erupts in pounding
kick-bass, cymbals, and tom toms, along with some stinging
electric guitar work. "giving it all away" has more
of a tribal sound to it, owing to the abundance of different
sampled hand percussion, much of it ethnic, along with great
pan pipes that carry the wistful and a touch sad melody.
Through
my many playings of 2, I was reminded of two artists whom
I think have influenced Matera (or at least Matera's music
is similar to theirs): Patrick O'Hearn and Peter Maunu. Both
of these artists' strengths are (or were with regards to Munau)
their abilities to craft accessible and melodic music that
never becomes stale, ordinary or commercial, yet retains noticeable
"song-like" structure, as opposed to being just
ambient in nature. Matera has the same knack and it's in evidence
throughout 2. This is not new age music by a long shot, but
it's not ambient either and it's not really any brand of EM
I know of. Rather than try to pigeon-hole it, I'll just state
that Michael Matera's music kicks ass and takes names!
Listen
to the driving drums and whirly-gigging synths of "need"
or the fiery "want what I get" featuring a blend
of tribal rhythms, soaring synths, and thumping electric bass.
You'll hear an artist who is obviously passionate about his
music, which is plenty passionate to begin with! Some cuts
are brimming with an almost organized chaos, as a wall of
sound seems to burst from nowhere (such as on "broken
outside" with its cascading guitar licks and chords and
take-no-prisoners drumming). "let go" sidesteps
into catchy electronica-like beats at the outset but morphs
into something more along the lines of the more dynamic cuts
from O'Hearn's Eldorado. Speaking of Patrick O'Hearn, "wet"
the second to last track, and the closing number, "two,"
could both sit alongside other songs on Metaphor or Trust.
However, that said, Matera's engineering skills are not as
satisfying as O'Hearn's. I used an earlier comparison to Phil
Spector's "wall of sound" approach on purpose. Matera
would have been better served to separate the instruments
more from each other more in the mix. Some of the inherent
drama on the CD is overshadowed by a slight muddiness and
indistinct sound as layer after layer of music is built up
in some songs.
On
balance, though, this is a rock solid effort. O'Hearn fans
should be the first to seek this one out, as should those
who wish Munau had recorded more than just Warm Sound in a
Grey Field. However, don't come to this party expecting much
in the way of quiet music. As long as you're ready for a lot
of unleashed dynamism, you'll have a helluva good time.
Review by Matt Howarth from Sonic
Curiosity
There are hundreds of incredibly talented musicians hiding
in independence, their enthralling music overlooked by the
bigger labels who are concerned only with profits and licensing
deals. Michael Matera stands as a shining gem among these
indie talents. His music is a unique amalgamation of contemporary
electronics and vivacious pop, bridging dream and uptempo
with such remarkable ease that he makes this diversity seem
as if it were commonplace.
Employing dreamy keyboards and heavenly tones as a backdrop,
Matera elaborates this atmospheric foundation with lively
electronics, sinuous E-perc, and various insectoid noises
that attribute the melodies with a lustrous flair. Sparkling
tonalities ascend to be peppered by delicate keyboard chords
and crystalline textures. Guitars delineate these melodies
with heavenly riffs that inject a seething tension to the
relaxing flow.
These lush tracks possess a curious fusion of drama and leisure,
stimulating and relaxing at the same time. Combining artificial
beats of a vibratory nature with lilting textures of liquid
electronics, Matera has achieved an inviting sound that is
rare and advantageous with its enthralling charm.
The tone of these tracks varies from moodily ambient to briskly
festive, but each piece conveys a resolute potency that transcends
velocity or strength, delivering a tasty listen no matter
which genre you prefer.
Producing tuneage of short song-lengths can be quite a challenge
in electronic music, but Matera meets this venture and easily
proves its master. The compositions are brisk and entertaining,
compressed and direct-to-the-point. His melodies prove more
poignant in this focused state.
With this release, Matera has added a taste of early-Eighties
Cure to his Cocteau Twins influence, resulting in a remarkable
mixture of omen and optimism that resiliantly refuses to be
gloomy, exploring more uplifting, albeit mysterious, territory.
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