The Tallest Man on Earth Covers Bon Iver, Lucinda Williams, More on New Covers Album
The folk artist covers tunes near and dear to his heart, including Hank Williams' "Lost Highway"
Photo by Shervin Lainez
It’s hard to remember that the musicians we love have musical heroes just like us. On Too Late for Edelweiss, a new covers album by folk artist The Tallest Man on Earth (aka Kristian Matsson) being released on Sept. 23, Matsson shares the roots of his musicianship with the listener by covering the songs that made him the artist he is today. He has released a cover of “Lost Highway” by Hank Williams as the fourth single, something that he used to play in the early days of performing before he had written enough for a full live set.
In a way, such an album of covers holds you close to the artist in a new way, allowing you to see them as you might see a friend, playing you their favorite songs. Matsson shares in a statement: ”…In the small hours in between trips and sessions, mostly in my house in Sweden and an AirBnb in North Carolina, I lo-fi recorded some covers here and there. Many times as a reset button for my own song writing, to cleanse the palate from my whirlpool mind while writing songs. A little document of songs I had on my mind during those nights.” And looking through the picks on the singles released so far—from slow, moving ballads to more upbeat country—it’s clear that this is an album meant to sit in the breast pocket over your heart. Matsson’s performance of these selections roams wistfully, giving the listener much space to imagine what was going through his mind and heart when they were recorded.
There is another original album that Matsson is currently in the process of writing and recording, which he describes by saying the LP is something that “I’m wildly proud of and will see the light of day eventually.” But until then, this is what sees fans through, and what allows listeners to understand his artistic and personal creative process in a new, intimate way.
Listen to The Tallest Man on Earth’s cover of “Lost Highway” (plus his 2009 Daytrotter session) below, and see the details of his covers album and his tour dates further down.
