Matthew And The Atlas – Other Rivers

Seattle – Four years after signing on to Communion Records, UK artist Matthew and The Atlas (nèe Matthew Hegarty) has released his first full-length album. Other Rivers, is a vocally and melodically soaring compilation of songs Hegarty’s written over the past six years.

After two acclaimed EPs, To the North and Kingdom of Your Own, both released in 2010, fans got a taste of Hegarty’s acoustic, guitar- and banjo-centric sound. That’s why Other Rivers is so refreshing; rather than rely only on those standby instruments, he utilizes hammering synth and pianos, and a heavier rhythm section for a well-rounded, lush sonic experience. It shifts ever so slightly from Communion’s traditional folk/ Americana sound (which, with Mumford & Son’s Ben Lovett a co-founder, one can only expect).

Don’t get me wrong; I’m a huge proponent of good old-fashioned folk music – give me a banjo, upright bass, and hand-clapping any day. But it’s nice to see a musician step out of his comfort zone and show us something a little different. On his new album, Hegarty, with the talents of producers Kev Jones (of Bear’s Den, and Communion co-founder) and Kristopher Harris (of Story Books), complements his strong songwriting and urgent, soulful vocals with electronic ticks and beats, bass, and string orchestrations.

Other Rivers opens with “Into Gold,” a teasingly simple track that builds at the bridge’s “Ooh” harmonies with synth bass and cymbals into a discordance that works well in kicking off the rest of the album. The rolling “Pale Sun Rose” follows, and though it opens with banjo plucking, strong percussion and a surprising yet subtle horn section fill out the instrumentals.

“To the North” truly showcases Hegarty’s vocal talents, with its beautiful, full chorus. Next up is the lyrically pensive and vocally soulful “Out of the Darkness,” though it did plod along for me, with too much ambient sound and crescendo that went nowhere. “Counting Paths” also had a blandness, but featured a nice cello.

“Everything That Dies” starts with beautiful harmonies, and its lyrics evoke the classic folk song spirit: “You said everyone you know one day will surely die/ But everything that dies in some way returns.” It’s a reflective, poignant track that builds into a soaring, repeating chorus with rolling percussion and angelic “Aah’s.”

“Nowhere Now” picks up the tempo, which the album needs at this point, but the track seems a little over-produced with a lot going on behind imagery like “A pink moonshine/ Lighting your shadow.”

Hegarty’s sincere, wavering vocals on “A Memory of You” reflect the bittersweet lyrics, “This ain’t some kind of love song/ It’s just a memory of you,” and the quiet backing vocals add just the right touch of emotion. The penultimate song, “Old Ceremony,” unfortunately also gets a heavy hand in the synth department and with the “Ooh’s”, and isn’t very memorable.

Luckily for the album, the last track, “Another Way,” is a knockout. Featuring Australian singer Matt Corby, the song has astonishing vocals. In an interview, Hegarty said the higher part was originally written for a female, but the singers they tried didn’t quite fit; Kev Jones was the one to suggest Corby, who is also signed to Communion. Jones could not have been more right in his suggestion. Corby’s soaring, effortless falsetto blends magically with Hegarty’s gravelly timbre, making for an ethereal conclusion to the album.

With an overall cohesive blend of acoustics and electronics, folk lyrics, and stunning vocals, Other Rivers was certainly worth the four-year wait.

Matthew and the Atlas are currently touring the UK through May. For more information, visit their website or Facebook page.

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Caitlin Peterkin

Caitlin Peterkin is a Seattle transplant fresh from the Midwest. She owes her passion for music to her parents, who filled the house with artists from The Beatles to The Beach Boys, Simon & Garfunkel to Carly Simon, and Jackson Browne to Michael Jackson. One of her favorite memories includes being presented with her mom’s original vinyl copy of Sgt. Pepper when she got her first record player.

With degrees in journalism and music, Caitlin’s written for Paste Magazine, The Chronicle of Higher Education, and MajoringinMusic.com. She loves cheese, laughing at GIFs of corgis, road trip sing-alongs, and connecting with people over good beer and good music.