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Matt Costa's album is very aptly titled. Every track on this is one that sounds both familiar and new. It makes me think of that old Coke commercial where everyone in the world just happens across this group of people singing about how they would like to buy the world a Coke and sit around and watch the world do stuff. Magically, there everyone is. They know the words. They're singing along. They're smiling at each other. All because of soft drinks. That song-like this album-is a shared experience that you learn the first time you hear it. You didn't know you knew it but you knew it.
The only thing I could liken it to would be the soundtrack to a Wes Anderson movie. It is that point in the movie where the song comes on and you get a tingle up your spine because you have been caught off guard by that perfect marriage of image and sound. Rushmore had that Zombies' song. Life Aquatic had Seu Jorge singing all those David Bowie songs. Sitting in the theater watching the movie, I was hitting my head, thinking to myself 'Of course you would have David Bowie songs sung in Brazilian. Why wouldn't you have David Bowie songs sung in Brazilian. It just makes sense.' Matt Costa writes songs that make you think 'It just makes sense.'
Highlights from this album include "Yellow Taxi", a driving song (pun intended) about a man who is trying to figure out another person's mystery, and "Astair", a song about someone who is a mystery to someone else. Much like the movies, I found myself hitting myself in my head thinking 'Of course that song would sound that way. Why wouldn't you have a song that sounds that way. It just makes sense.' Maybe Mr. Costa and Mr. Anderson should get together. The only problem might be that my head would explode trying to come to grips with the result. I'm not sure my head could take it.
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