Matan - Travelogue

Hear The Track Here

19 year old Matan is from Isreal who I first encountered a while ago when I reviewed his The Gate (May 2006). A nice track, if a little sparse in arranbgement and instrumentation and with a decidedly 'home recorded' sound, it nonetheless piqued my curiousity about this artist. It was the style of the track that really caught my ear rather than anything the musician was doing in it. Although he sung the track in English, there is a decided accent on the vocals which I found added to the track but I know that for a lot of people that can be offputting. I said so in my review but I also said I'd like to hear something with a little more substance before I felt able to comment any further.

Travelogue, then, has to serve as the 'more substance' track, and it does a fine job of it despite all of the things I have mentioned above. The essential difference between this track and The Gate is that this is much more recognisably a song both in structure and style. Moreover, there's a nice pop sensibility going on with it, so you may like it - as I do - despite the niggles I have mentioned. I admit, mind, that I didn't think this well of it immediately, I've certainly had to play it for a while before its sheer simplicity won me over.

Travelogue is the sort of song that could be done by many artists, and maybe that is something Matan should think about. There is always a market for a good song, and Travelogue is that rare beast. While its true that you will have to look a little harder to spot it, there's a couple of real hooky bits to this two minute wonder. Despite it still sounding like a demo, the emotion in the song certainly comes across well enough and if 'You're on your own now, on your way back home' isn't a massive arena style anthem (albeit an Alternative one) then I don't know what is. In the meantime, I would suggest that Matan casts around for someone to collaborate with because it's obvious that something else is needed, even if it's just to fill his tracks aout a bit more.

Excellent song but decidedly lo-fi.