Dead Rails

genauer@math.stanford.edu

Folk. Just M. Mattei singing and his guitar work on all tracks. Nothing else. Lyrics are main focus. His singing voice is strong, unadorned, and clear with very occasional soft country twang. Vignettes, often told in 1st person, and they have a concrete message and/or paint a picture. His guitarwork features a lot of strumming and picking. It is both rhythmic and robust. His guitarwork is very busy to both good and bad effect. No FCCs.

Picks 2, 12, 14.

1) about how life throws curveballs and dealing with it.
**2) a waltz. one of few songs with a not-everyday kind of story. Nice melody.
3) 6/8 time. slow. lazy, peaceful and resigned.
4) angular guitar. about chance meeting between quirky woman.
5) bluesy. As it turned out, George was enlisted in the army.
6) depressing. about washed up guy with girlfriend troubles to boot.
7) guitar has anxious, threatening feel. about tough neighborhood in Detroit.
8) sparser more elegant guitar. about unhappy rich, refined people living in ivory tower.
9) as per song title "My Baby Left Here Walkin'"
10) herky-jerky guitar.
11) song about watching loser and wondering if songwriter might end up like him.
*12) Interesting rhythm with guitar, almost drunk and brash.
13) slower song guitarwork reminiscent of that in "Thug's Mansion".
*14) sad, quiet, sleepy song about death. more subtle guitar on here