Matthew Anderson

I’m not going to beat around the bush. This album is brilliant. It has all of the pop sensibility mixed with Avant-garde jazz and a free-form sense of reckless creative abandon that almost makes Lunar Tides a guilty pleasure. I can see myself changing favorite tracks depending on what day it is and mood I’m in. The music itself almost gives the feeling of a concept piece and the harmonizing of Matthew Anderson cuts like a knife through the feather pillow of my mind. Believe me that’s a good thing. This is almost like Radiohead if they had gone in a completely different direction after OK Computer. It’s that good. - jammerzine.com

Set to be released on July 7th 2015, Matthew Anderson's album Lunar Tide is a lesson in style and restraint, offering ten moments of progressive rock with alternative, folk, and even some electronica thrown in. Let's call it Progressive Alt Trip Folk.

But that would still be compartmentalising these songs. Matthew's exceptional instincts elevate this music to an ethereal status. Only here have I heard labored, gravelly vocals (a la Beck) meshed with the musical quirkiness of Radiohead. The result is an immensely enjoyable package. Throw in a touch of folk melody, and you have a unique recipe for some deceptively thoughtful music.

The first track, A Life Lived Above Ground, had me immediately hooked with harmonies straight out of Yes's nautical charts and an infectious odd time beat.

Shoreline Son and Align's piano has a kind of Billy Joel meets Ben Folds Five feel. It's a perfect rhythm instrument as used here. Align really cranks up the Radiohead vibe.

Anchor brings the musical theme back in a creative way, as it will reappear a couple times throughout the songs and works exceptionally well in unifying everything. East Moriches introduces a synthesizer-laden theme (perhaps depicting an orchestrated fog horn) that also gets echoed later.

Are You Lost at Sea has an excellent string arrangement, wonderfully weird compositional choices, and the thematic odd time beat from the first track repeated here.

Coventry is an upbeat folk song by any measurement, but within the context of the track list it's a well placed change of pace. Our Bones wraps things up with frenetic guitars and a tastefully unexpected use of a bass synthesiser.

Having not been provided with lyrics, it's tough to put all the pieces together that would make the overall concept more obvious (aside from the obvious maritime theme). From what I can gleam, it's being used as a metaphor for perpetual change, vastness, uncertainty, reflection, and fate. It will take many more listens to connect all those dots.

The vocals have a certain sameness to them; a droning sort of melancholy that I could see being unappealing to some listeners, and even I was tiring of them after looping the album earlier today. Putting this gripe aside as personal preference, the vocals on a whole are very well performed and many of the backing vocal parts are exceptional in their supporting role, and add significantly to any given song's mood.

There is some hiss/background noise in the vocal parts, most noticeable during quieter passages. This is a very minor issue but does reveal the recording's low-fi roots. On the other hand, the album has a lot of dynamics which really help support the higher energy passages, despite these not involving a ton of instruments, nor instruments you would expect during those moments. For all that might be wrong, there is some nice instrument and mixing choices that make up for those shortcomings, and maybe next time they'll hit a grand slam with a perfectly executed recording.

I see only a bright future on the horizon. - dprp.net

‘Are You Lost At Sea?’ is an amazing, delicate piece by Matthew Anderson, a Brooklyn-based artist, whose voice and admirable approach to music makes my heart melt.

This piece is one of the songs that even when you forget about them (which I ashamedly did), when you listen to them again, you remember every note and every part of the lyrics. It comes from Matthew’s album Lunar Tide, released July 7th and you can either stream it on his Soundcloud profile or purchase via his Bandcamp. - Queen Beetch

Ohio-born, Brooklyn-based songwriter and composer Matthew Anderson has been immersed in creating music for as far back as he can remember. Defining music as a sense of “discovery”, Anderson succeeds in interweaving aspects of contemporary classical, rock, pop, folk, and jazz music into a work that’s both new and profound. His new solo record, Lunar Tide, is set to be released on Tuesday, July 7th. His album features performances from Ricky Petraglia (Carbon Mirage, Ponyhof), Finnegan Shanahan (Contemporaneous, Jherek Bischoff), along with other guests, and was mastered by Joe Lambert (Sharon Van Etten, The National, Johnny Cash, Washed Out). - Anon Magazine

"Lunar Tide" is an album sure to cement Matthew Anderson as one of the top up and coming song writers of the U.S. indie scene. There is a sense of maturity and poise to the songs that really make them stand out. Matthew is credited with vocals, guitars, bass, piano, drums, percussion, synths, loops, engineering and mixing so he's quite the accomplished musician. Stand out track "Shoreline Sun" features beautiful piano work and Anderson's passionate voice. There are some nice guitar bits that serve the song well adding a bit of mystery to the track. "Allign" is another well calculated track featuring a wide variety of sounds. The complexity of the piano and guitars add a prog-rock feel to it that's actually rather intense while still remaining on the lighter side of rock. "Concession" has a very laid back intro full of slide guitars and layers of harmonies that gives way to "Anchor" turning things up a notch with a blast of atmospheric vocals and spaced out sounds. "East Moriches" is an experimental droning master piece that evokes nothing but positive energy. "Lunar Tide" is another piano driven pop number that shows many sides of Anderson's song writing. It really seems like he allowed himself to get lost in this song and show as much of himself as possible. "Are You Lost At Sea?" has a real ambient jazz feel to it. It's delicate and moody and reminds me of one of those first days of Fall when the leaves are first hitting the ground. Overall "Lunar Tide" is a vast collection of highly crafted pop songs recommended for fans of ELO, and Matt Pond. The production and musicianship is nothing short of stellar and I expect to be enjoying albums from Matthew Anderson for many years to come. - Custom Made Music

Matthew Anderson made his debut album, entitled The Distance in the summer of 2008. It was and indie/DIY release that had nine cuts on it. The songs were an admixure of acoustic-rock, folk-rock and pop music. The Distance was never officially released, so you probably haven’t heard it unless you’re either one of his good buddies to which he passed out copies or are in his hard-core cult-following and somehow got your hands on a bootlegged copy or copied a copy of a copy or something like that.

Matthew’s first official release was an EP entitled Fragments, which was released through Mrsvee in 2009. Fragments only had three tracks on it that were quite diverse in sound and structure. The main of the three tracks on that EP are older tracks that he had originally made as demos, then cleaned up a little for release on Mrsvee. His intention there was to create a “unified flow of music” according to his bio. If you are interested the EP is available through Mrsvee’s website.

Merciless Ocean is the second full-length CD of Anderson’s, but the first to be available on a wide range, to the average Joe on the street.

Although released on Ohio’s Turnup Records, it was also given “creative commons license” to Mrsvee records, out of the UK, enabling fans to download it for a short spell, a la The Slip that Nine Inch Nails put out for free on the internet before it hit the stores, so the lucky ones (including yours truly) were able to download it for free.

The music on Merciless Ocean has a nice blend of mellow, British “modern rock”. One of the best tunes on here is the eleven minute “Retribution”, one that goes on and on, but not in a droning, repetitive way; it’s a mellow, almost melancholy but airy slick post-pop tune. Definitely a cut above Coldplay, but not as good as Radiohead, that is how I would describe his music. And I don’t mean that as a cut or put-down. Anderson doesn’t need to be like anyone, really, he’s got his own unique brand of ethereal rock going. “Flooded” is another groovy tune on this CD as is the title track. Yet, when I try to think of some other way to describe it, I can’t think of any other band - contemporary or otherwise, that he would fit in with. He’s a good songwriter and plays well, but he doesn’t come across as arrogant (read: Billy Corgan). He definitely has potential as long as he stays independent and never lets the majors get a hold of him, that would ruin him in a hot minute. Speaking of the title track, it’s a reflective little piece, an introvert letting it all hang out for his public to hear.

In fact, the whole CD is rather a personal output that conveys a sensitive side of Anderson. But he’s got a really good guitar playing sensibility, mixing the acoustic with a clean, breathy arpeggio of an electric guitar sweeping through it all. He really has an understated talent for the guitar - the magic pops up here and there, making it shine even more so, but it’s not overdone. For instance, on “Autumnsurf” he really makes that electric guitar sing an aria, but in a very understated way. The more you listen to it, the more you realize how much there is to this CD and that, alone makes you a de facto fan, because you just can’t help but keep coming back to hear that quiet intensity he pulls off so well on the guitar.

This, being the first public CD, but not his first recordings, shows that he’s got a bit of experience to him and that he already shows a good potential to make more meaningful albums to come, as I said, as long as he stays away from EMI or Time Warner or BMG or Sony. It seems that Mrsvee is taking good care of him for now, so stick with a good thing. - heathenharvest.com

Matthew Anderson made his debut album, entitled The Distance in the summer of 2008. It was and indie/DIY release that had nine cuts on it. The songs were an admixure of acoustic-rock, folk-rock and pop music. The Distance was never officially released, so you probably haven’t heard it unless you’re either one of his good buddies to which he passed out copies or are in his hard-core cult-following and somehow got your hands on a bootlegged copy or copied a copy of a copy or something like that.

Matthew’s first official release was an EP entitled Fragments, which was released through Mrsvee in 2009. Fragments only had three tracks on it that were quite diverse in sound and structure. The main of the three tracks on that EP are older tracks that he had originally made as demos, then cleaned up a little for release on Mrsvee. His intention there was to create a “unified flow of music” according to his bio. If you are interested the EP is available through Mrsvee’s website.

Merciless Ocean is the second full-length CD of Anderson’s, but the first to be available on a wide range, to the average Joe on the street.

Although released on Ohio’s Turnup Records, it was also given “creative commons license” to Mrsvee records, out of the UK, enabling fans to download it for a short spell, a la The Slip that Nine Inch Nails put out for free on the internet before it hit the stores, so the lucky ones (including yours truly) were able to download it for free.

The music on Merciless Ocean has a nice blend of mellow, British “modern rock”. One of the best tunes on here is the eleven minute “Retribution”, one that goes on and on, but not in a droning, repetitive way; it’s a mellow, almost melancholy but airy slick post-pop tune. Definitely a cut above Coldplay, but not as good as Radiohead, that is how I would describe his music. And I don’t mean that as a cut or put-down. Anderson doesn’t need to be like anyone, really, he’s got his own unique brand of ethereal rock going. “Flooded” is another groovy tune on this CD as is the title track. Yet, when I try to think of some other way to describe it, I can’t think of any other band - contemporary or otherwise, that he would fit in with. He’s a good songwriter and plays well, but he doesn’t come across as arrogant (read: Billy Corgan). He definitely has potential as long as he stays independent and never lets the majors get a hold of him, that would ruin him in a hot minute. Speaking of the title track, it’s a reflective little piece, an introvert letting it all hang out for his public to hear.

In fact, the whole CD is rather a personal output that conveys a sensitive side of Anderson. But he’s got a really good guitar playing sensibility, mixing the acoustic with a clean, breathy arpeggio of an electric guitar sweeping through it all. He really has an understated talent for the guitar - the magic pops up here and there, making it shine even more so, but it’s not overdone. For instance, on “Autumnsurf” he really makes that electric guitar sing an aria, but in a very understated way. The more you listen to it, the more you realize how much there is to this CD and that, alone makes you a de facto fan, because you just can’t help but keep coming back to hear that quiet intensity he pulls off so well on the guitar.

This, being the first public CD, but not his first recordings, shows that he’s got a bit of experience to him and that he already shows a good potential to make more meaningful albums to come, as I said, as long as he stays away from EMI or Time Warner or BMG or Sony. It seems that Mrsvee is taking good care of him for now, so stick with a good thing. - heathenharvest.com

Back in my early nineties days as a hipster-about-town checking out shows from various local bands, many of the bands I saw were made up of young college students. Most of the bands played a few different styles of music including song-oriented pop/punk, and some more far-out thrashier type of stuff. I credit the occasional experimental band that would play music farther off the beaten path of the mainstream. And credit is due now to Matthew Anderson, a young Kent, Ohio-based multi-instrumentalist and college student who has the testicular fortitude with his debut proper solo full-length Merciless Ocean to resist conformity, commercialism, and lame contests like “American Idol”.


Although Anderson is young, he is nonetheless a seasoned and versatile musician with over thirty demos under his belt, as well as The Distance, an unreleased 9-track full length, and Fragments, an experimental EP.

Merciless Ocean, released independently as a physical CD by Anderson and as a download by Mrs Vee Recordings, was written, recorded, produced, mixed, and mastered by Anderson, with the drum tracks recorded and produced by Anderson along with Alex Earnhardt, Anderson’s friend and partner in the band Albatross.

The CD takes you on a sojourn between the realms of acoustic-based mid-tempo rocking and some harder portions evoking Porcupine Tree and Riverside, with some ambient excursions as well. The dark ambient intro to epic Retribution leans to Mrs Vee Recordings label mate The Resonance Association and gives way to a guitar tapestry reminiscent of Yes. Anderson goes for the Hammond-style keys in this song as well as some Fender Rhodes elements.

The track Flooded points to The Wall-era Pink Floyd as a commonality. Autumnsurf features some moody ocean field recordings from Anderson, acoustic guitar, and jarring electric guitar scorches that sound out of place.

Ambient elements serve as postscripts to many of the CD’s tracks.

The recording in general sounds modestly demo-ish in quality, but nonetheless the music is composed and performed well. It should appeal mostly to prog fans in general and may in particular strike the fancy of those into Porcupine Tree. If you’re looking for prefabricated mainstream club music, this ain’t the place to shake your booty.

The packaging of the physical CD I received for this review features a colorful design in an ocean motif.

Merciless Ocean is available as a free download here. For those old-fashioned types who prefer a physical CD, head on over to CD Baby.

The only suggestion I have for Anderson with regards to room for improvement is to upgrade the studio quality of the guitar and drum tracks in his recording to create a more polished sound.

So all in all an acceptable effort from Anderson. A cursory glance at his Myspace page indicates that he has more planned musical projects coming down the pike. A promising career is imminent.
- dprp.net

Back in my early nineties days as a hipster-about-town checking out shows from various local bands, many of the bands I saw were made up of young college students. Most of the bands played a few different styles of music including song-oriented pop/punk, and some more far-out thrashier type of stuff. I credit the occasional experimental band that would play music farther off the beaten path of the mainstream. And credit is due now to Matthew Anderson, a young Kent, Ohio-based multi-instrumentalist and college student who has the testicular fortitude with his debut proper solo full-length Merciless Ocean to resist conformity, commercialism, and lame contests like “American Idol”.


Although Anderson is young, he is nonetheless a seasoned and versatile musician with over thirty demos under his belt, as well as The Distance, an unreleased 9-track full length, and Fragments, an experimental EP.

Merciless Ocean, released independently as a physical CD by Anderson and as a download by Mrs Vee Recordings, was written, recorded, produced, mixed, and mastered by Anderson, with the drum tracks recorded and produced by Anderson along with Alex Earnhardt, Anderson’s friend and partner in the band Albatross.

The CD takes you on a sojourn between the realms of acoustic-based mid-tempo rocking and some harder portions evoking Porcupine Tree and Riverside, with some ambient excursions as well. The dark ambient intro to epic Retribution leans to Mrs Vee Recordings label mate The Resonance Association and gives way to a guitar tapestry reminiscent of Yes. Anderson goes for the Hammond-style keys in this song as well as some Fender Rhodes elements.

The track Flooded points to The Wall-era Pink Floyd as a commonality. Autumnsurf features some moody ocean field recordings from Anderson, acoustic guitar, and jarring electric guitar scorches that sound out of place.

Ambient elements serve as postscripts to many of the CD’s tracks.

The recording in general sounds modestly demo-ish in quality, but nonetheless the music is composed and performed well. It should appeal mostly to prog fans in general and may in particular strike the fancy of those into Porcupine Tree. If you’re looking for prefabricated mainstream club music, this ain’t the place to shake your booty.

The packaging of the physical CD I received for this review features a colorful design in an ocean motif.

Merciless Ocean is available as a free download here. For those old-fashioned types who prefer a physical CD, head on over to CD Baby.

The only suggestion I have for Anderson with regards to room for improvement is to upgrade the studio quality of the guitar and drum tracks in his recording to create a more polished sound.

So all in all an acceptable effort from Anderson. A cursory glance at his Myspace page indicates that he has more planned musical projects coming down the pike. A promising career is imminent.
- dprp.net

Further proof that when you scratch away the major-label dominated surface of the music industry, there are some excellent musicians out there. Mathew Anderson occupies a rather odd hinterland, somewhere between Tool’s crushing take on progressive rock and Feeder back when they rocked.

‘Echoing Underneath (part 1)’ is the opener, and it runs on a heavy guitar riff that gives way to vocal harmonies which, while expertly done, are likely to divide opinion between those who find them interesting and those who find them somewhat fey for the type of music. Having got over the initial surprise, I found I fell into the former camp, not least because it’s good to hear music which falls outside of the normal predictable nature of these things. ‘Windows’ is a more introspective number, and sits comfortably in early Porcupine Tree territory without being derivative. ‘Echoing Underneath (part 2)’ has a laid-back vibe after the bombast of the first part, and offers a melodic guitar line over an acoustic backdrop that compliments the first track perfectly.

Where ‘Echoing…’ soothed the listener, ‘Retribution’ opens with eerie synth noise, before lurching into dynamic alt-rock territory, all odd time signatures and heavy riffing. Anderson’s guitar playing is excellent; tight and restrained, yet occasionally bursting out in controlled displays of aggression and his drumming deserves special mention as he negotiates complex rhythms with ease. ‘Flooded’ is quite beautiful, and worth the price of the record alone, with a wonderful vocal harmony and echoing guitar. ‘Merciless ocean’ is a dreamy piece of progressive pop, complete with slide guitar and an insistent melody. By contrast ‘Autumnsurf’ is almost folky, with reverb-drenched guitar slowly building over a delicately plucked backdrop. It holds the listener’s attention, and is an instrumental you’ll want to return to, to pick out the numerous subtle touches contained within. ‘Surrounded by songs of deliverance’ is the album’s closer and it is a thoughtful song, with a memorable piano-led chorus that draws the listener in and a striking guitar solo in the bridge section as the song builds to its climax.

Overall this is an great record from a clearly talented musician. One small complaint is that the mastering on this record is overly quiet, a common problem amongst releases with a small budget, but set this slight criticism aside and you have a wonderfully inventive progressive-rock album, which would easily appeal to fans of Porcupine Tree, No-man and the like. Considering you can buy the CD edition for all of $10 (less than a fiver) this is a purchase that you’d be well advised to make – artists like Mathew Anderson deserve your support and in an age where many artists cater to the singles-buying masses it is all the more important to stand behind artists brave enough to create intelligent and demanding albums such as this. - sonicabuse.com

Further proof that when you scratch away the major-label dominated surface of the music industry, there are some excellent musicians out there. Mathew Anderson occupies a rather odd hinterland, somewhere between Tool’s crushing take on progressive rock and Feeder back when they rocked.

‘Echoing Underneath (part 1)’ is the opener, and it runs on a heavy guitar riff that gives way to vocal harmonies which, while expertly done, are likely to divide opinion between those who find them interesting and those who find them somewhat fey for the type of music. Having got over the initial surprise, I found I fell into the former camp, not least because it’s good to hear music which falls outside of the normal predictable nature of these things. ‘Windows’ is a more introspective number, and sits comfortably in early Porcupine Tree territory without being derivative. ‘Echoing Underneath (part 2)’ has a laid-back vibe after the bombast of the first part, and offers a melodic guitar line over an acoustic backdrop that compliments the first track perfectly.

Where ‘Echoing…’ soothed the listener, ‘Retribution’ opens with eerie synth noise, before lurching into dynamic alt-rock territory, all odd time signatures and heavy riffing. Anderson’s guitar playing is excellent; tight and restrained, yet occasionally bursting out in controlled displays of aggression and his drumming deserves special mention as he negotiates complex rhythms with ease. ‘Flooded’ is quite beautiful, and worth the price of the record alone, with a wonderful vocal harmony and echoing guitar. ‘Merciless ocean’ is a dreamy piece of progressive pop, complete with slide guitar and an insistent melody. By contrast ‘Autumnsurf’ is almost folky, with reverb-drenched guitar slowly building over a delicately plucked backdrop. It holds the listener’s attention, and is an instrumental you’ll want to return to, to pick out the numerous subtle touches contained within. ‘Surrounded by songs of deliverance’ is the album’s closer and it is a thoughtful song, with a memorable piano-led chorus that draws the listener in and a striking guitar solo in the bridge section as the song builds to its climax.

Overall this is an great record from a clearly talented musician. One small complaint is that the mastering on this record is overly quiet, a common problem amongst releases with a small budget, but set this slight criticism aside and you have a wonderfully inventive progressive-rock album, which would easily appeal to fans of Porcupine Tree, No-man and the like. Considering you can buy the CD edition for all of $10 (less than a fiver) this is a purchase that you’d be well advised to make – artists like Mathew Anderson deserve your support and in an age where many artists cater to the singles-buying masses it is all the more important to stand behind artists brave enough to create intelligent and demanding albums such as this. - sonicabuse.com