Project Description

MATTY T WALL

‘Sidewinder’

Album Review

Reviewer: Brianna Denmeade

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Matty T Wall

Matty T Wall

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Matty T Wall is a blues guitar player inspired by influences both multi-genre and multi-generational. Wall’s musical template starting forming when, as a teenager, he became obsessed with heavy metal, notable for the angst and precision of the likes of Metallica, Pantera and Sepultura.

“It all started for me as a young boy when a mate at school turned me onto AC/DC. I then followed my older brother’s lead into heavier sounds.” 

Matty T Wall is itching to get out on the road in support of latest release Sidewinder. He’ll be doing his thing all over Australia this winter, with shows on both coasts throughout July and August. Sidewinder is a 12-track tour de force through classic soul, screaming blues, and displays more of the slick guitar work that has seen him lauded worldwide as one of the best things coming out of the Aussie scene in a long while. Key to the sound of Sidewinder is the presence of legendary Grammy-winning producer-engineer Bob Clearmountain. Famed for his work with the Rolling Stones, Bruce Springsteen and David Bowie among hundreds of other platinum artists, Clearmountain provides the sonic sparkle that helps set this new album apart.

Thankfully if you want to know the ins-and-outs of Sidewinder I have listened to all 12-tracks and broken them down for our readers, read below…

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Matty T Wall

Matty T Wall // Sidewinder

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The opening track if Sidewinder is titled Slideride and it is a fast-tempo energetic number which is entirely instrumental. Right away in the song, I can hear the bluegrass sounding guitar is the focus as Matty T Wall absolutely kills the electric guitar and though it is a short number it includes moments of trumpet bringing in an element of jazz with his bluesy guitar. Not to exclude the rock sound Wall included heavy drums and a smooth electric guitar riff right at the end. An epic way to open an album, a short and fast, blues-cross-jazz-cross-rock instrumental.

Track two is the album titled number Sidewinder and the listener is introduced to Matty T Wall’s vocals after a classic electric guitar and drum-beat rock intro. Wall’s voice is strong and raspy and it is the first time I can really hear the heavy-metal influence, this song feels like a mix between Metallica and Johnny Cash and I like it. The bridge slows-down in tempo and volume giving the song a calm-before-the-storm moment and then back for an amazing instrumental once again highlight Matty T Wall’s insane guitar skills. “I’m the sidewinder. I am the devil rider. Oh yeah.”

Something Beautiful is track three of the new album and it is a cool contrast to the previous song with a funky, psychedelic opening with Matty T Wall’s vocals echoing, “Can you show me something beautiful?”. This song has a slow tempo and a calm feel, the lyrics are repetitive but not annoyingly so, more to create a dreamy, euphoric vibe. Rather than the classic 80s influence rock sound, I could hear in previous tracks this song has a 1960s rock sound to it, a bit like The Beatles, and showcases a softer-side to Wall’s vocals.

I was not expecting an authentic sounding 1920s influenced jazz song when I started listening to Sidewinder but that is the perfect way to describe Change Is Gonna Come. The vocals have swings, spoken-word, heavy vibrato and rich tones and colour everything great jazz vocalists aspire to attain. This song makes me feel like I am in a small, dark jazz-club in the deep South in the 1920s. And the atmosphere of the music translates some deep sadness through the bluesy electric guitar arrangements. The outro is whimsical which lightens the mood with only light drums and classical strings. This number is stunning, my personal favourite so far.

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Matty T Wall

Matty T Wall

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Track five brings the listener back to the gritty 80s rock sound and Wall’s heavier vocals are reintroduced. Can’t Stop Thinkin is a song about a love gone wrong and has a bitter, dark vibe reminding me of that feeling of when someone has cheated on you or someone you like doesn’t like you. I am really enjoying the diversity of this album, I do not think I have heard someone incorporate so many genres that typically would not be played side-by-side into one album. And it is made very apparent as he jumps from blues, to rock to jazz all within the first five tracks and each of them authentic representations of these genres.

Shake It is a more upbeat, fun number which is a nice contrast in the mood of the album thus far. This song definitely has a more bluegrass, country-rock sound including lots of fast-paced drums, electric guitar and even a few percussion cowbells. The bridge brings another instrumental moment but this time it really urges the listener to get up and groove. The upbeat tempo and lyrics, “Shake it.” really get me thinking about how fun this song would be to see live.

Going Down is a raw and edgy rock song which emphasises Wall’s vocals and sharp lyrics such as, “You’re gonna miss me when I’m gone, baby. When I’m buried six feet in the ground”. But it has no short of instrumental moments another running theme of this album, but it works to highlight Wall as a multi-faceted musician who could probably get a handle on almost any instrument known to man. I really like the short-but-sweet electric guitar riff right at the end of the song cementing this song in that classic 80s rock genre.

Ain’t That The Truth brings back the blues and a bit of a swingin’ jazz feel. I like the softer guitar in this song and the vocals are much more ballad-style than any other track on the album and I would say the lyrics and vocals are where the listeners’ focus is drawn for most of the song. This song incorporates a new combination of instruments, and even a few I had not heard so far; during the bridge, I can hear electric keys brought to the front and harmonising female vocals. Ain’t That The Truth is a super-smooth, jazzy number that allows Wall’s songwriting and lyrical abilities to shine through and reinforces his vocal versatility.

Track nine of Matty T Wall’s recent album Sidewinder is title Sophia’s Strut. This number is a quick rock’n’roll diddy that is reminiscent of track one, once again, shining a light on Matty T Wall’s outstanding talent with a guitar. Though this song only clocks in at 1.45 in packs a punch with an intense energy that makes me imagine Wall wrote this one about a majorly powerful woman he has met. Full of electric guitar riffs and a catchy repetitive clapping sound that makes me want to clap along, Sophia’s Strut is an example of good things in small packages.

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Walk Out The Door is a funky song about telling someone who is no good for you to take a walk with lyrics like, “I’m tired of being played like a full. I’m tired of being your punching bag”. This song has a jazzy big band feel to it with saxophone and trumpets throughout the main melody and a 1920s vibe crescendo to build to each chorus. But Wall’s rock influence still seeps through during the instrumental bridge led by the electric guitar, before returning to the big band sound accompanied by raunchy jazz-like vocals. The outro to the song standouts to me as interesting and unusual, the off-beat trumpets sound like they fade into silence before coming back for a few beats.

The atmosphere of Leave It All Behind makes it feel like I am coming to the end of an era, the end of an album. It is a slow, bluesy ballad with emotional lyrics that speak of leaving things behind, past mistakes, past memories, or past hurt. I would describe this as the most emotional track of the album due to the combination of vulnerable lyricism, a stripped back melody and elegant acoustic guitar right to the end.

Mississippi Kkkrossroads is the twelfth and final song on Matty T Wall’s new album Sidewinder, and it is in complete contrast to track eleven delving into alternative rock. Similar to some of the other rock ballads on the album, but the verses incorporate some of that bluesy spoken-word vocals. The verses have a blues vibe but you can almost say Wall is rapping with his clear dictation and emphasis on particular words.

Overall this album is definitely proof of Wall’s musical abilities, knowledge and versatility through blending more music genres and time period influences. While each track has several genres incorporated throughout it is how each song jumps so distinctly between those genres and without making the listener feel jolted. And the obvious influence of different time periods like 1920s jazz, 80s rock, 60s psychedelic rock and more all shine throughout to create a unique and eclectic record of music.

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Matty T Wall

Matty T Wall

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Pre-order Sidewinder or check out upcoming tour dates:

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Connect With MATTY T WALL!

Facebook | Website

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AMNPLIFY – DB