Himes, Matthew
Hemlock & Bergamot
This is Matthew Himes' first full length album to be released under his own name, and it's a welcome return to songwriting after a period without. 'Hemlock & Bergamot' offers a dusty allegory, both lullaby and lament. A gesture to remind of both the knots tightly tied and loose ends unravelled. Seven songs of dreams and reality, rooted in the spaces between. A story told of both past reflection and forward projection, tales of trauma framed as spectral encounter, and the road to recovery through love and light. "Really sublime experimental loner folk from this mysterious Minnesotan, who writes intimate and melancholic tunes, that are nearly tone poems. Some cuts trickle into pure expansive psychedelia, like the title track, and the deep dark cosmic well that is 'Without Fear,' with chants, backwards pulses and droney keys. The album still has a cohesive spareness and phantasmagoric vibe, with even a rustic flavor at times... recommended for fans of Simon Finn, Alastair Galbraith, Daniel Johnston, and both Nico and Nicodemus." ~Steven Krakow (aka Plastic Crimewave)