Niall Healy | 24.08.12
My Lyrical mind is 21 year old Mancunian Matt Wood who has just released his second E.P. It’s not a radical departure stylistically from his first release but in terms of production this is a far crisper and more polished affair than Matt’s first release ‘Dreams break at dawn’. ‘A Quiet Hurricane’ is an accomplished release that shows an artist who is really starting to find his feet musically.
First single ‘Drop me a line’ is a real pleasure. It’s all understated longing and gentle guitar that really brings out Matt’s vocal. It’s a simple song that gets the job done with some lovely soft string arrangements perfectly complimenting the central melody. It’s a good statement of intent from the singer songwriter that shows a developing talent. The EP’s opener ‘I saw you fly away’ is a charming enough folksy number that doesn’t outstay it’s welcome. Titular track ‘A quiet hurricane’ is a perfect little number, all jangling acoustic and longing, it’s good stuff. Then before you know it the EP draws to a close with the quiet/loud/quiet anthem ‘lock it away’.
A Quiet Hurricane marks an artist who is developing on the job. There’s an awful lot to like in these four tracks. The grasp of form and songsmithery is steadily emerging and there are some moments of genuine quality here. All in all two thumbs up for a very accomplished sophomore effort from a genuinely promising artist.
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