We finally got around to listening to the latest from
Matthew Perryman Jones and now I'm kicking myself why it took so long. The
Land of the Living is cerebral - takes a couple of listens to recognize its themes and genius. What else could you call a set of recordings influenced by Vincent Van Gogh (
O Theo &
Land of the Living), Spanish poet Federico Garcia Lorca, and Persian poet Rumi (
Land of the Living). There is no way these songs should even compete with the mindless pop crap that monopolizes are airwaves. The CD starts off with a haunting stories in both
Stones From the Riverbed &
Poisoning the Well leading to
O Theo - easily the best track of the CD. The song weighs on your conscious:
In the half light of the city, She took off all of her clothes, I flew from
the height of the mountain, Into the valley of dry bones- all alone,
And my heart was still unknown, I was drunk and full of sorrows, I was
longing for a home, With nowhere to go, O Theo.
Powerful. But don't stop there. The first rockin' song kicks in with
Waking the Dead and then reverses itself in
Keep It On the Inside to the title track. All are heavy, thought provoking songs - "You are beautiful and true, Dark and lovely, You stole
my heart before I could give it away, I’ve said enough."
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