Reviews: OH TALL TREE IN THE EAR

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POP MATTERS: 9 out of 10

"Masterful work... Do I dare, then, call Oh Tall Tree in the Ear a classic? Grab that vinyl passenger seat and listen close: It is."

I’m dreaming of a round volume knob, a long tree-canopied road, and Roman Candle’s Oh Tall Tree in the Ear crackling loud out of the dashboard of a revved-up classic car of the kind that used to feature in the songs of Chuck Berry.

Muzzle Of Bees: Five Albums

I’ve dropped the ball on sharing the greatness of Roman Candle with you earlier. Their 2009 release Oh Tall Tree in the Ear has to be in consideration for most underrated album of the year.

The Chapel Hill group carries the North Carolina torch from Whiskeytown to the present day with their own blend of folk and Americana. Below, we’re happy to present 5 records Roman Candle enjoys via Skip Matheny:

PASTE MAGAZINE: 89 out of 100 points

"After three albums, this Chapel Hill, N.C. band has now written a modern-rock Masterpiece."

Oh Tall Tree in the Ear is part the kind of ragged, sprawling travelogue you'd imagine Paul Westerberg would pen if he was a roadie for Oasis at the height of Britpop, and part barrage of hallucinatory Dylanesque visions vomited up after a boozy, blurry night spent careening down dark, moonlit North Carolina backroads.

DAYTROTTER SESSIONS

"The music has a way of tearing us out of the present, despite such modern feels and scents.".

The members of Roman Candle were in a hustle at the conclusion of their taping here in Rock Island earlier this spring, needing to get to Indianapolis before bedtime - not their own, but that of some of their children who were staying with family while mom and dad were out on the road touring behind a soon-to-be-released at the time album, "Oh Tall Tree In The Ear." It got me thinking about what kinds of songs lead singer Skip Matheny might sing to his children at night.

PREFIX MAGAZINE:

"You can call Roman Candle the Wilco of the South if you want to."

You can call Roman Candle the Wilco of the South if you want to, but that ultimately just means that they're that much closer to the source of the Americana stream that informs their particular indie-rock subset. So when the occasional earthy twang or banjo riff pops up, they've come by it that much more honestly, if that means anything these days. In any case, fans and newcomers alike will soon have a variety of options for experiencing new music from Roman Candle.

USA TODAY: 3.5 STARS OUT OF 4

"These songs should accompany you on summer road trips."

Please ignore singer/guitarist Skip Matheny's twaddle that this set was inspired by playwright Tom Stoppard and early-1900s German poet Rainer Maria Rilke. These are simply witty, sturdily built and charming pop/rock tunes that owe their debt to Wilco, The Jayhawks, Ryan Adams, perhaps even My Morning Jacket. That's great company, and these songs should accompany you on summer road trips. Download:One More Road, They Say, Early Aubade

Jerry Shriver May 11, 2009

PASTE: Best Music of 2009 (so far)

TOP 10 BEST ALBUMS OF 2009 (so far).

"Oh Tall Tree in the Ear"

TOP 20 BEST SINGLES OF 2009 (so far).

"Why Modern Radio is a-ok"

as recently named by Editor in Chief of PASTE MAGAZINE, Josh Jackson

Jason Gross of Perfect Sound Forever:

"One of the best albums I've heard this year." About three years ago, I blogged here about a song I loved by Roman Candle called "Why Modern Radio Is A-OK," where they gracefully explained that they love stations because the music there sucks now and they'll never get broken-hearted from the playlists as a result. Wotta brilliant conceit.
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News and Observer: Music worthy of memory

"Roman Candle's, ambitious new album “Oh Tall Tree in the Ear”, is fantastic, 11 pure pop songs that would enliven any playlist."

Some songs arrive like a bolt out of the blue, fully formed. But others take a more circuitous route, only revealing themselves over time, like Roman Candle's “Why Modern Radio Is A-OK,” a humorously caustic look at the gap between quality and popularity on the nation's airwaves:

THE DAILY TAR HEEL: 4.5 stars out of 5

"Skip Matheny is most certainly a poet."

I had an English teacher in high school who told the class that the difference between a true poet and a simple writer is that poets are able to take the most miniscule, mundane elements and burst them open to find worlds of meaning. I’m pretty sure he lifted that from some literary criticism I’ve yet to come across, but, in any case, by this definition Skip Matheny is most certainly a poet.

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