- Record Label: Dead Oceans Records
- Release Date: May 12, 2015
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May 12, 2015Dark Bird is a devastatingly personal listen, much more so than his stripped-down efforts.
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May 19, 2015Everything here is well thought out and meticulously executed, it's just that Matsson makes it all seem so effortless.
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May 12, 2015An arresting song cycle that reveals a three-dimensional version of the modern folk singer.
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May 11, 2015In all, this is a triumphant and very adult summer record.
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May 7, 2015Dark Bird is lovely as it is.
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May 7, 2015There may be less outsider allure now that he’s opened his heart, but his fourth consistently good LP in a row casts his authenticity in emotional honesty for the first time while expanding his musical palette beyond all expectations.
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Q MagazineMay 6, 2015While these songs still have Matsson's trademark melancholy at heart, there is a new kind of gladness and hope to them too. [Jun 2015, p.112]
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May 6, 2015It is a cliché but it really shows the power of music, Kristian Matsson found himself in an awful situation, processed it through writing, and over the course of one album left you feeling excited for the future.
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May 12, 2015Matsson makes solid use of a band this time too, to flesh out the bare-bones folk-pop for which he has previously been renowned.
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May 6, 2015Sweden’s hometown hero has grown up. His innocent, childish charm didn’t leave; he’s battered and burned, but he’s smiling nonetheless, pushing himself to triple the melodies with buckets of instruments for a larger sound that still beats with the same heart.
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May 6, 2015Though Matsson more often sings solo, both on this album and throughout his discography, the supporting vocals add a new layer to his work, elevating it to a level he hadn't previously hit. [Apr-May 2015, p.86]
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May 12, 2015he more he opens up, however indirectly, the more Dark Bird Is Home is content to color his emotions through an opaque prism of expansive arrangements that belie a broken heart.
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MagnetJun 4, 2015More restrained and tasteful. [No. 120, p.61]
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May 14, 2015The songwriting here isn’t just adding superficial layers to Matsson’s previous sound, it’s a step forward in style. So while that may make the album his most pleasing first listen, the dulling of the edges of his previous work keep it from being one of the more memorable.
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May 12, 2015This more polished and tuneful exercise in modern-day folk-rock is effective and engaging music that speaks from the heart and soul.
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May 12, 2015Matsson might be offering another round of familiar sounds on Dark Bird Is Home, however impeccably arranged and played. The darkness and ambivalence that haunt its shadows, however, give the album depth and longevity well beyond its something-for-everyone first impression.
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May 12, 2015Dark Bird Is Home is melodically rich and emotionally resonant, even when some moments argue that bigger isn’t necessarily better.
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May 11, 2015It is his most personal record, but not because it's bare and raw, but because it's surreal and dreamlike.
User score distribution:
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Positive: 24 out of 30
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Mixed: 5 out of 30
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Negative: 1 out of 30
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Feb 23, 2022
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Jul 26, 2015
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Jun 13, 2015