70. Boduf Songs - How Shadows Chase the Balance (2008)
Genre: Singer/Songwriter, Contemporary Folk



Mission Creep
Things Not To Be Done On The Sabbath
I Can't See A Thing In Here
Quiet When Group
Pitiful Shadow Engulfed In Darkness
A Spirit Harnessed
Found On The Bodies Of Fallen Whales
Last Glimmer On A Hill At Dusk


So when I transitioned from a Windows based PC to a Linux based PC I lost some files in the process. Most of it was pretty inconsequential stuff, papers from semesters ago, shitty half-mapped out short stories or campaign ideas for RPG's, and stuff like that. One file, however, that was among the lost was my list I made in 2010 for this thread. So if you've been wondering why this has been dormant for the better part of a year, that's why.

Anyhow, while How Shadows Chase The Balance wasn't on my list, it definitely deserved to be, because it's one of those rare folk albums that penetrates my drug addled, instant gratification, oooo shiny object mind that has made appreciating folk music incredibly hard for me. As you've no doubt surmised by the song titles, this album isn't exactly full of happy songs one would expect on a more upbeat singer/songwriter. No, Boduf Songs, or Mat Sweet, excels in the ability to write horribly depressing songs that feel like your soul is being sucked out through your ass
hole, but, could still probably get you laid.

What Mat Sweet knows how to do is how to write a sad song, but not seem like it's all about self-pity. His outlook seems to be more of a fascination with the macabre, utilizing that imagery to accentuate his strange and dark lyrics. I haven't really delved much into the actual deeper meanings of the lyrics because they're hard to come by, and because his minimalist approach to the instrumentation and melody still manage to stay in the forefront, demanding your concentration. Speaking of instrumentation, his is almost entirely finger picked acoustic guitar based, and while I'm not an expert in this, it sounds like he's using a nylon string guitar. On the song "Quiet When Group" he does add a small drum loop, and even a small bass guitar riff. On his latter LP he does include a few electronic elements, but nothing like that are found on this album.

I'll admit I'm a little out of my element when it comes to reviewing a folk album because it's not something I listen to all that often in its own right so I apologize if this ends a little abruptly. Hell I can't even really say "If you like artist X, you'll like this guy" so I'll just say this, if you like dark albums, dark imagery, and songs written in a minor key (or at least it sounds like it to my amateur music theory meanderings) then I can say you will definitely get some enjoyment out of this. Basically if you like the stuff CanwllCorfe listens to, you will get something out of this.