American exile Matt Boroff has been releasing music for the past decade from his adopted Austrian homeland. The environs have turned a dark outlook even darker, as tales of mortality are laced in these songs ever so touched by the influences of Tom Waits and Mark Lanegan. Boroff’s own voice is throttled by introspection and a need to pass through the frustrations by any means necessary. “Dead Dead Leaves” turns autumn into a funeral march.
The stereoscape rides a wave of instrumental starbursts that crack down hard and evil. “Oh, The Horror” plays like a bucolic walk through the woods where something unfortunate threatens to step forth from behind every tree. “Going Blind” opens the sound to grander tones while the lyrics close in on obsessive self-identity. “Things You Should Know” blurs the line between fact and fiction with a waltz towards eternity. “They’re On Their Way” pleads for a rational voice in a world based on fear mongering. It’s an album that celebrates life by looking it square in the eye and settling for what beauty can be scavenged.

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Reaching for Sparks

Title : Reaching for Sparks
Release Date : January 1, 2010
Format : CD