Tallest Man On Earth (The) Biography

Kristian Matsson is a singer-songwriter from Dalarna, Sweden who performs under the stage name of The Tallest Man on Earth. Since 2006, he has released three full-length albums and two EPs. Mattson is known for recording and producing his own records in whichever home he is currently living and states that the connection between his voice and guitar is so strong, he rarely records them as separately tracked performances. On February 10, 2015, Dead Oceans - the label to which Mattson is signed announced that a fourth LP - "Dark Bird is Home" will be released on May 12, 2015. The tracks featured on the new album were reportedly written and recorded by Mattson whilst travelling since his last release in 2012. Dark Bird is Home is anticipated to be Mattson at his most personal and direct, with the album said to carry a "weather worn" weight to them. He is also known both by critics and his fans for his charismatic stage presence.

Critics have compared The Tallest Man on Earth to Bob Dylan both in terms of songwriting ability and vocal style. When asked about his lyrical style, Matsson explains that he began listening to Bob Dylan at fifteen, and upon hearing Dylan's cover material, he "tried to figure out where those songs came from" and became slowly exposed to early American folk, such as Pete Seeger and Woody Guthrie. But he is careful to qualify this, saying "I don't consider my work to be a part of any tradition. This is how I play. This is how I write songs"

With regards to his guitar technique, Matsson uses a variety of open tunings, and standard tuning to a lesser degree. He had classical guitar training in his youth, but says he "never really focused on it" and that by the end of high school he "got bored playing guitar because it was like math", until he then discovered open tunings while listening to Nick Drake in his early twenties. He was drawn to this style of playing because it allowed him to focus on singing while still performing intricate music.