Matthew Dear

★★★ Preacher’s Sigh & Potion: Lost Album GHOSTLY INTERNATIONAL. CD/DL/LP

Texan electronic musician’s 2009 LP, now off the shelf.

Back in 2008/9, in-between releasing his third and fourth albums – 2007’s housey Asa Breed and the moody cinematic pop of 2010’s Black

City – Matthew Dear experimented with a different direction. Borrowing his country guitar-playing father’s instruments and taking a loopbased approach to traditional finger-picking styles, often layered over sparse beats, he produced 11 tracks before deciding not to release them. In some instances, it’s easy to see why, with the scrappy post-modern blues of Crash And Burn being a less successful take on Beck’s early records. Far more cohesive are Muscle Beach’s tale of a juvenile delinquent (with his “fingers caught in the windowsill”) and the sub-aqueous atmosphere of mumbly bad habits confessional Supper Times. But overall, Preacher’s Sigh & Potion… has a sketchy feel that will likely only appeal to those keen to hear every stage of Dear’s musical development.