Scott Matthew

Scott Matthew is one of the very few musicians who—well, how may we say this—strips with his music, who dissects himself to reveal his very innards with great parsimony. 　　His voice cries without whining. His songs accuse without soliciting pity. Scott Matthew’s music has truth and exigency. And he forms this into songs that are purely magnetic, that expose an honest beauty and sorrow, allowing listeners to take and feel part of the experience. 　　Scott Matthew was born in Queensland, Australia. He played in several short-lived bands, broke off his studies at university and moved to Sydney where founded the punk-rock band Nicotine. At that time he also started staging solo with an acoustic set where he discovered his passion for ballades. In 1997, on the search for new horizons, he followed a good friend to Brooklyn, New York. 　　In New York, in 2002, Scott Matthew collaborated with former Morrissey drummer Spencer Cobrin and the two of them released an E.P. under the name Elva Snow, whereby Scott delivered lyrics and vocals. 　　One of Scott Matthew’s early successes came with the soundtracks "Lithium Flower" and "Beauty Is Within Us" for the Japanese animation-serial Ghost in the Shell, as well as with the title song “Is It Real?”, which was also composed by Yoko Kanno for the animation-serial Cowboy Bebop. 　　So far Scott has won the most attention through his work on the John Cameron Mitchell (of Hedwig & the Angry Inch) film Shortbus (2006). Scott wrote the theme song, “In the End,” (staged during the film in a long version by Tony-nominated performer Justin Bond), in addition to the songs "Little Bird," "Surgery" and "Upside Down" performed in the film by Scott and featured on the soundtrack. For his debut album, in addition to seven original tracks, Scott along with his musicians arranged and recorded new versions of the songs used in Shortbus. 　　Scott Matthew describes himself as a "quiet noise-maker". And in our opinion this statement betrays nothing about his music. Instead, it tends to explicate how he sees himself as a musician and how he could be understood as a person. 　　Scott Matthew is a remarkably gifted singer/songwriter. His songs are easy and unfussy. Together with his producer Mike Skinner (not of The Streets) and his very talented musicians on the album he arranges the instruments and stylistic devices with such a lightness and elegance, it seems as though the songs are falling accidentally through space and time. Classical string arrangements in "Ballad Dear," "Habit" and "Abandoned" are juxtaposed with minimalist ensembles like "Little Bird" and "Upside Down" where a ukulele supports Scott Matthew’s exceptional, soulful voice. The intensity of his singing is tangible. And his humble yet striking stage presence never fails to underline the accessibility of his music. 　　Whoever has experienced Scott live on stage is oddly touched, perhaps even confused. His presence underlines the disarming. Countless live gigs in clubs, galleries and in sometimes very bizarre and wondrous venues Scott has become a mature artist who is able to give an ease to the evening with two or three words between the songs. 　　His music is like he is as a person. He`s not interested at all in what other people construe into his appearance. Scott is as hip as only a musician from Brooklyn can be, down to earth and unpretentious as expected from an Australian. Is his beard is a political statement or just a trend? Is his golden bracelet telling a long story or is it just a accidentally accessory - Scott Matthew is not calculated. He touches people. A quiet noise maker!