The Welcome Matt: Press

Matt Langlois has found the secret to truly personable songwriting, a fact evident throughout his band's latest release, Right Outside Your Door. Both lyrically and vocally, this fourth effort from the SF group is startlingly sincere, and instantly accessible.

Langlios is a storyteller at heart and emotes with a clarity and honesty that so many frontmen lack. The upbeat opener, "Longing" lays his signature vocals over a memorable, playful riff, while the superb "Painkillers" takes it slow. The offbeat cheeriness of "The Tipping Point" and catchy social commentary of "Politicians," too, round out the album's charm. "Normal Life," however, is the absolute standout, with a chorus evoking the Beatles circa Rubber Soul and verses all their own.

The precision in which The Welcome Matt presents both melody and sentiment is a rare find indeed, and this new release is more assuredly one to look into.

Right Outside Your Door, by The Welcome Matt is an album that begs you to turn your radio up. The fourth release from bay-area frontman Matt Langlois is filled with enough melodic pop-rock material to warrant repeated hip-shaking. The music is dominated by overdriven power chords and a strong foot on the kick drum. The instrumentation and arrangements are lean but frenzied.

By now The Welcome Matt has shaken out any amateur bugs, and created a product that is refined and crafty. Matt has obviously worked hard to ensure that each song has its own character. You won't be tired of this one, by the end of the album.

The Welcome Matt's sound can be characterized as a little Ray Davies, a little Cake, and a little Supergrass. Each verse reminds me of the sounds of a particular alt-rock giant, yet each chorus is unmistakably Matt's creation. Every chorus breaks a little bit more ground and move a little further beyond the expectations of the typical rock anthem.

Let's face it. There are hundreds of talented rock musicians on the scene today that crank the gain, and overwhelm us with their chops. What sets The Welcome Matt above all those other bands is the ability to write a good song. This album has 13 good ones!

Give a warm welcome to Matt Langlois and his latest foray into pop smarts. Meaning this is smart pop indeed. The man never keeps still musically and Matt always keeps it interesting throughout. Good references include Elvis Costello & Graham Parker with less vitriol and a solid measure of Freedy Johnston to boot. Chock full of sweet melodies, intriguing arrangements and generally cool vibes.

So while Matt Langlois labors toward releasing his next album, he so thoughtfully has thrown us a tasty beef jerky prequel of Empire Days he dubs Coping Mechanisms to snack on. Thankfully, it has nearly all the Welcome Matt trademarks - the same somehow raw yet comfort-inducing friendliness, the Cake-style vocals with all of the humor, none of the sarcasm - but not all the trendy accessories; Coping Mechanisms is marked with fewer political references, and although still heavy on the Dagwood sandwich layers, feels a bit more stripped down.

It's been awhile since I listened to Empire Days, and I truly forgot the extent to which I enjoy Langlois' voice; it owns this rolling hills quality that enables him to slur his transitions from quiet to loud. Good thing too, as The Welcome Matt - in the traditions of Filter, Soundgarden, even Led Zeppelin - creates a heavy-melodic dualism that swings from calming to high energy with ease. Additionally, he piles guitar splices so thickly anyone's at a loss for origins. The album's best track, "I Will," is perfect testament to this.

There's the unforgivably catchy "Forgive Yourself" that manages to still maintain a raw breakdown even with that pop-a-licious sound. The layers build up again in "Kisses" - vocals, then guitar, then more and more guitar, and just as you think you might explode with sheer awe, it all dissolves into a single guitar breakdown ... also known as sheer genius. While we're genre-hopping, can I mention that The Welcome Matt even pulls out a crazy Black Sabbath vibe at times in "Weird Way." Finally - no, I didn't inventory ALL the songs - although acoustic, "The Duel" is rich acoustically, vocally, as well as lyrically melancholy-optimistic. Definitely a solid second place best-song-on-the-album. If you're not completely certain you're ready to hear this - or completely hungry - I'm not sure what else to say, except check out this master of audio layers.

The Welcome Matt is singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Matt Langlois. Matt co produced this, his second release with Matt Boudreau who also plays drums on select songs. Other capable musicians support the two talented Matts on this sixteen-track collection. The Welcome Matt reflects hints of classic rockers such as Dylan, Steve Forbert and Lennon, yet Matt's diverse vocal styles and musical arrangements are modern and original. Langlois pens insightful, intelligent lyrics that he can deliver with an edgy rasp or silky, smooth inflections. The CD production is crisp and minimalist, not a lot of bells and whistles but clean allowing each instrument to present well constructed melodies. Empire Days is strong from beginning to end. 'Intro' has a pensive piano solo that bleeds into 'A Rise and A Fall Part 1', which lightly kicks up the pace as the drum blends in. It is followed by the captivating, hook heavy 'In San Francisco' that also features snappy, guitar grooves. 'What Are We Gonna Do?' starts slow as Matt gently strums his guitar as further instrumentation softly eases in, then the rhythm abruptly escalates before returning to a reflective, questioning mood. The song follows this trend until it ends and flows into the up-tempo 'Obstacle Course' which has its own innovative musical twist and turns. The Welcome Matt presents a diverse realm of stories and styles on Empire Days, a welcomed addition to the Kweevak catalogue!
. Recommended Tracks: (1,2,3,9,10)

Resurrecting Shannon Hoon's velvety harmonies to guide pop's light into a sleepy night, The Welcome Matt produces an intriguing thing of pure emotion with his second release, Empire Days. Sumptuously gliding vocals that not only slide easily off the tongue but also have something to say, paired superbly with a lilting minimalist musical construction, make for a record daring you to pass it by. Drifting somewhere between Wilco's Jeff Tweedy and Bob Dylan, Matt Langlois has mastered a sense of lyrical spacing and rasping and dreamy opinion to produce an album so perversely alluring, it's nearly obscured by its own charm.

Flipping sounds as effortlessly as a Vegas dealer his cards, The Welcome Matt simultaneously defies the singer-songwriter stigma and fills the niche so well it attains an entirely fresh plane of existence. From the silky deep echoes of "do you think you're getting closer to the middle of your heart" tied up in the pop melodies of "Intro" to the lush vocal mechanics of a gorgeous duet in "Love Too Much," The Welcome Matt proves his sound original and attractive. Just as versatile in lyrical content as his delivery, Langlois offers no reservations with his political/social commentaries in "Seed Song" and "When We Sleep." At the same time though, he's not adverse to singing about things slightly lighter, like love [etc.] and even the random "chocolate shooting star."

The Welcome Matt doesn't shy away from catchy hooks either; his "In San Francisco" sounds like a male Sheryl Crow. Whether poppy or pensive, it's evident Langlois is cheeky enough to match excellent lyrics with equally excellent instrumental composition.

It may sound a little strange, but when I first listened to this album, the first thing that popped into my mind was the catchphrase from the old 7-Up commercials . . . you know the one, where the Caribbean dude says "Crisp and Clean with no caffeine hah hah hah." No, there's not a hint of islandness in this release...but it is crisp and clean and, while it's got a punch - it's not over exuberant or jittery - so, no caffeine. The Welcome Matt is primarily Matthew Langlois, a New Englander who has relocated to San Francisco. The left coast politics are all over the place . . . from the album's title through the last tune. But people from all political persuasions can certainly enjoy Matt's music that sounds familiar while not sounding like anything you've heard before. The songwriting is great, the arrangements are minimal but not missing anything and the performances from everyone from Langlois to drummer Matt Boudreau to Michael Romanowski on bass to everyone else I don't have the space to mention here is almost perfect. Get this album today so you can say "I knew them before they were stars."

It is a rare day I listen to an album over and over again but this happened when listening to The Welcome Matt "Empire Days". Produced by Matt Langlois and Matt Boudreau, songs written by Matt Langlois, with the cd artwork a magical story within itself. Lyric sheet not included but that makes you really listen. Mastering by Michael Romanowski. Recorded at Broken Radio - Emeryville, CA.

"Do you think you're getting closer to the middle of your heart?" begins an escapade of lyrical songwriting creativity with steady, pure, crisp production and performance by San Francisco's Matt Langlois of WelcomeMattMusic.com. Matt's storyteller voice inspires one to extend their attention span beyond 3 songs—16 total songs, sleuths of words and music . . . hints of John Lennon, Jeff Buckley, Neil Young, Bob Dylan, Leonard Cohen, and friends gathering in the living room. Matt's journey into "Empire Days" travels through moods of an intellectual pop, rock, blues and world beat "balanced" into a smooth groove laden cd. Soft styled voice of Matt's wakes up, emoting to the edge of passion in the sensitive "Rainwater" and "Love Too Much". Guitars, backing instruments are creatively mixed in each track - I was surprised at the spontaneous feel of a studio production - harmonies, layered fluidity . . . The Welcome Matt has tapped into something and I hope a lot more comes out. 16 Tracks of note - I recommend 5*****'s to this album - songs that linger: Chocolate Shooting Star, 110%; A Rise and Fall Part I (which continues with snippets throughtout the music), Obstacle Course, Empire Days, "What are we going Do?", Seed Song, Rainwater....Hey, that's the whole album.

Like Scot Sax, Langlois obviously builds up his best songs from the beat up. From the opening “Guitar and TV Song,” the intent is clear. Keeping the instrumentation lean, it is the irresistible rhythm that provides the beguiling hook that sells track perfectly. Langlois’ preference for the acoustic guitar is perhaps derived from being brought up in a household where his mother sang and played folk songs to Langlois and his siblings. This approach results in a clean, uncluttered sound whereby Langlois is able to construct his uncomplicated, pleasing music. From the groovy “Be Thankful” to the ominously heavy “Haunted,” from the Lennonesque piano ballad “Master of Breath” to the Neil Young-ish folk blues of “Man From Indian Path Way” Langlois displays an eclectic vision that is always intriguing. Odd little gems like the offbeat “Yellow Horse” and the bizarre “Crutches and Bones” complete the picture. Strange and wonderful.

A beguiling, beautiful record that reminds me of one of the greatest records of the 90's, Grant Lee Buffalo's "Fuzzy," with its sleepy early Bowie melodies, lean but perfectly arranged instrumentation and hard-to-ignore sense of songwriting. While its wonderfulness is evident on the first listen, in its subsequent listens that a sense of greatness starts to seep in before your eyes, leaving a lasting impression. A record highly constructed yet simple. Highly recommended!!