Mathieu Santos is the bassist and one of the founders of Ra Ra Riot. I was surprised to find out he would be releasing his own album and upon listening I was very satisfied with Santos’ final product. I recently received an email from his promo company announcing a new remix by Friendly Ghost so I figured now’s the time to post about Mathieu’s new solo endeavor. Before we get to the music please read the story of how this album came to be:
“The songs that compose Massachusetts 2010 were first written last year in – you guessed it – the great state of Massachusetts. Following their recording, however, those demos were set aside and left to sit while Santos spent time on the road with his main band. In the winter and spring of 2011, he returned to the 10 songs with fresh perspective and a critical distance from the context in which they were originally written. Originally trained as a painter and applying his visual artist’s focus on only the most essential compositional elements, Santos borrowed a friend’s guesthouse in rural New Jersey where he finalized the album in just a few days. He worked quickly, maintaining the impulsive freedom of the original writing process but stripping down the palette and creating an arresting sonic environment that sparkles with tantalizing abstract imagery and finely-observed details, set against a backdrop of wide open spaces.”
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[audio http://dl.dropbox.com/u/9306550/01%20I%20Can%20Hear%20The%20Trains%20Coming.mp3]