Matthew Anderson – ‘Merciless Ocean’ Album Review

Further proof that when you scratch away the major-label dominated surface of the music industry, there are some excellent musicians out there. Mathew Anderson occupies a rather odd hinterland, somewhere between Tool’s crushing take on progressive rock and Feeder back when they rocked. 

‘Echoing Underneath (part 1)’ is the opener, and it runs on a heavy guitar riff that gives way to vocal harmonies which, while expertly done, are likely to divide opinion between those who find them interesting and those who find them somewhat fey for the type of music. Having got over the initial surprise, I found I fell into the former camp, not least because it’s good to hear music which falls outside of the normal predictable nature of these things. ‘Windows’ is a more introspective number, and sits comfortably in early Porcupine Tree territory without being derivative. ‘Echoing Underneath (part 2)’ has a laid-back vibe after the bombast of the first part, and offers a melodic guitar line over an acoustic backdrop that compliments the first track perfectly.   

Where ‘Echoing…’ soothed the listener, ‘Retribution’ opens with eerie synth noise, before lurching into dynamic alt-rock territory, all odd time signatures and heavy riffing. Anderson’s guitar playing is excellent; tight and restrained, yet occasionally bursting out in controlled displays of aggression and his drumming deserves special mention as he negotiates complex rhythms with ease. ‘Flooded’ is quite beautiful, and worth the price of the record alone, with a wonderful vocal harmony and echoing guitar. ‘Merciless ocean’ is a dreamy piece of progressive pop, complete with slide guitar and an insistent melody. By contrast ‘Autumnsurf’ is almost folky, with reverb-drenched guitar slowly building over a delicately plucked backdrop. It holds the listener’s attention, and is an instrumental you’ll want to return to, to pick out the numerous subtle touches contained within. ‘Surrounded by songs of deliverance’ is the album’s closer and it is a thoughtful song, with a memorable piano-led chorus that draws the listener in and a striking guitar solo in the bridge section as the song builds to its climax. 

Overall this is an great record from a clearly talented musician. One small complaint is that the mastering on this record is overly quiet, a common problem amongst releases with a small budget, but set this slight criticism aside and you have a wonderfully inventive progressive-rock album, which would easily appeal to fans of Porcupine Tree, No-man and the like. Considering you can buy the CD edition for all of $10 (less than a fiver) this is a purchase that you’d be well advised to make – artists like Mathew Anderson deserve your support and in an age where many artists cater to the singles-buying masses it is all the more important to stand behind artists brave enough to create intelligent and demanding albums such as this.

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