southern records

How Shadows Chase The Balance CD KR120

The second full length release from Boduf Songs follows his Lion Devours the Sun album from late 2006 on Kranky. A lot of artists are described as "outsiders" or "underground", but with Mathew Sweet this is an apt description as he belongs to no 'scene' and is working on the farthest fringes of the 'music business'.

On his second full-length release, How The Shadows Chase The Balance, Mathew Sweet uses a similar formula to what he has employed previously; one microphone, one acoustic guitar, selected field recordings, and a deft, understated touch with the mixing process. He locked himself away in his home studio and no one heard a single note until he was finished. This album is a further step away from the "folk" label, which never seemed all that appropriate to Mathew's work in any case. Boduf Songs might more rightly be construed as "acoustic death metal" considering Sweet's favoured themes of death, alienation, fear, hatred and isolation, as well as his affinity for gothic imagery.

Mathew states that the album was mostly recorded at night because there was less background noise to contend with in his neighbourhood at that time of day. But if you listen closely you can still hears drops of rain hitting the window and cars sliding by on wet roads. The final result is one of the most unassuming and engaging recordings of the year. It is intimate, extremely personal and spectral in presence.