Matt Elliott — The Broken Man

It's official: Matt Elliott has finally become Leonard Cohen.  'The Broken Man'.  It's even a title he would use.  Sorry, it's a lazy comparison, perhaps, but it's definitely what came to mind when first listening to the album.  The deep, brooding vocals, the gently plucked classical guitar, the dramatic backing arrangements, the sense of inescapable doom.  It's all there.

Of course, this being Matt Elliott, it's not quite all so simple.  While many artists would take this approach and use it as an album templte, Elliott uses it as a jumping off point.  This is what makes 'The Broken Man' such a great record, the sense of unpredictability, even within a familiar sound.  Opener 'Oh How We Fell' begins as an Eastern European folk lament, and ends drowning beneath a wailing chorus.  The wonderfully titled 'If Anyone Tells Me "It's Better to Have Love and Lost than to Never Have Loved at All" I Will Stab Them in the Face' is based around thirteen minutes of heartbreaking piano, strings and bells which bring to mind Arvo Part more than any form of folk music.  Tinges of Morricone break through throughout the record.  Interspersed with shorter folky pieces, the album retains a variety without losing coherency.

Elliott's performance is almost as draining to listen to as it sounds it was to perform.  If you're caught unawares and get too caught up on this, it's almost dangerously intense.  When the last chant of 'this is how it feels to be alone' fades away at the end of 'Dust Flesh and Bones', it's difficult not to feel a moment's relief, as the deathly silence feels somewhat light and easy in comparison. 

'The Broken Man' is a harrowing work on almost every level.  Those looking for a bit of light breaking through the clouds need not bother.  As albums of this emotional intensity go, though, things don't come too much better.  I haven't heard an album quite so effective and memorable in a long time.  Essential