Disinterested uses melancholy as a conduit to an unmediated relationship with the cosmos. The delayed and distorted guitars of Tresspassers William musician Matt Brown advance upon an abundance of space with the cold romance of wind tunneling through vacant streets.
The artistry is subtle, simple, and often non-showy, but at times it achieves something that is as elemental as embers. On “Blankets” he strums chords as if they were some of the more fragile elements on Earth, while elsewhere he incrementally fills out an environment, using basic and unadorned sonics to convey an emotional and transporting warmth that is unexpectedly complex. In this secure but airy, traditional but ephemeral music, one can occasionally hear the roots of one’s own inner life.
Although he often works on his own, Brown is aided on certain tracks by jazz guitarist Bill Frisell. The best example of their collaboration perhaps being “I Wish It Was The 90’s (I Wish We Could Be Happy)”, in which effect pedals turn a pair of guitars into a galloping drone, daubed with static, and haunted by a celestial melody that always hides in the shadows. Hardly disinterested, this full-length shows Brown to be wholly invested in at least some of his projects.
Max Schaefer
