"Someday, The Moon Will Be Gold" by Kalle Mattson

Twenty years ago, this album would have already blown up the United States. We would be fawning over this Canadian who's come to the States to bring us his music, but the world has changed.

Kalle Mattson hails from the capitol city of Ottawa, Ontario, but he's originally from Sault Ste. Marie, also from where the Esposito brothers hail.

Someday, The Moon Will Be Gold is the fourth release from our friend to the north. He has a released an album every year for the past four years. It's always good to see newer artists working hard to push through, as the world has changed.

In the MTV era, a video would have been premiered, and Mattson would be a household name, but with the death of terrestrial radio and the metamorphosis of MTV, up and coming bands have a much tougher road to hoe.

He doesn't look like he plays hockey.

Though it's customary to stay far away from lyrical content and the metaphors therein, something about this album has to be mentioned.

From his website:
"Written in his childhood home in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario Someday, The Moon Will Be Gold chronicles Mattson as he returned to the place where he began writing songs, and gradually came to terms with the death of his mother 5 years prior."

This album never feels sad, but always hopeful. Hopeful that the world will change for the better, hopeful that we'll all win in the end. Hopeful that today isn't the best day of our lives. The emotionally charged vocals and instrumentation hammers this feeling home.

Kalle isn't the best singer in the world, but neither were B.B. King, Cab Calloway, or Bob Dylan and they all seemed to carve a place for themselves in the world. Sometimes it's less about how you say it, but how your listener hears it.

Like some other artists we've come across, his voice is jarring at first, when listening toAn American Dream, he sounded nasally and somewhat reminiscent of Bill Murray from Caddyshack, but by the time the title track started playing, I could hear him and feel him. Sometimes, you have to plow through the first impression.

With emotive singing, sensitive accompaniment, and real instruments, Someday, The Moon Will Be Gold never truly stops being a pop album in terms of form, but in function it's far from and far better than that.

Release: 2/11/14
Genre: Pop
Label: Parliament of Trees
Run time: 53:11
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Track list:
1) An American Dream
2) Darkness
3) The Living & The Dead
4) Sound & Fury (A Dream Within A Dream)
5) Hurt People Hurt People
6) Eyes Speak
7) The Moon Is Gold
8) God's Only Son
9) A Love Song To The City
10) Pick Me Up
11) In The Morning Light
12) Amelie