Matt Costa: Songs We Sing
Rating: 
(Brushfire, 2006) Matt Costa’s Songs We Sing was originally released in 2005 on indie label Venerable Media, where it apparently caught the attention of Jack Johnson, so the album is being re-released (with a slightly different tracklist) in 2006 on Johnson’s own Brushfire Records. This is wholly appropriate, because Costa is quite comparable to Johnson in certain respects. Both are excellent X-Games-style athletes — Johnson surfs and Costa skateboards, both make pop music armed primarily with an acoustic guitar and a songwriting style not of this era, and now Johnson is a mentor of sorts to Costa.
However, where Johnson tends to play mellow acoustic pop song after mellow acoustic pop song with his signature style and sound, Costa has no definitive style or genre. For sure, he writes top-notch guitar pop, but virtually every song on Songs We Sing is appreciably different from every other one. Lead single, first track, and standout “Cold December” is a gem in the vein of Shins-styled indie pop with soaring choruses and bubbly melodies, whereas “Astair” somehow manages to comfortably accomodate a hammer dulcimer. “Sweet Thursday” is a bouncy alternative song with a slight Pavement vibe on the verses, and “Ballad of Miss Kate” recalls Jethro Tull, Fleetwood Mack, and the Soggy Bottom Boys’ “Man of Constant Sorrow” all at the same time. The only common threads throughout the album are Matt Costa’s knack for writing impeccable vocal melodies and harmonies, which make every song is a sing-along, and his incorporation of music from days gone by. Costa is also a quite capable guitar player, and although his playing isn’t flashy, it’s creative, melodic, and perfectly suited to his music. With its 60s vibe and charming hooks, Songs We Sing is a consistently enjoyable disc, and a fine choice for fans of artists like Josh Rouse, The Shins, or Donovan.
1. Cold December 2. Astair 3. Sweet Thursday 4. Sunshine 5. These Arms 6. Ballad Of Miss Kate 7. Sweet Rose 8. Songs We Sing 9. Yellow Taxi 10. I Tried 11. Behind The Moon 12. Oh Dear 13. Wash AwayBuy album
– Kevin
March 31st, 2006 at 10:07 am
“‘Songs We Sing’ is a consistently enjoyable disc,” I can completely agree with this statement. I have been listening to Matt Costa for over a year, and it never ceases to fail me. I liked how they combined his EP and his full length album, but the one question is how could they leave off ‘Whiskey and Wine’?
April 3rd, 2006 at 5:35 pm
I really tried to like this CD. I thought the cover art was beautiful, one of the songs is named for my favorite Steinbeck novel, and it came recommended by Jack Johnson. But these songs are the opposite of everything I admire about Johnson. First of all, the guy sounds so strung out he makes me nervous, and he doesn’t ever resolve that tension by building to something with the music. I could maybe overlook that if the lyrics didn’t make me cringe constantly. It’s like reading a bored 15-year old’s diary. I get the feeling he just doesn’t have much to say because he hasn’t experienced much. Some of the things he does musically are skillful and interesting, but I can’t get over the feeling that I’m browsing through a Hollister store. The only song I liked was “Astair” -it reminds me of the Renaissance Fair.