I have a confession to make. I went to the REAX Magazine Benefit show the other night. Does that make me some sort of traitor? In my mind, I just love music, so I support any publication out there with musical content. But that's not the point. The point is, I went to this show with no expectations (I had never seen any of the bands before) and I left with a new obsession: King of Spain.
Picture this: a guy sitting on stage with his electric guitar gleaming in the stage lights and a little mac book sitting on a stool. Intrigued, right? Of course you are, that is not something you see everyday. This mastermind, and sole member, of King of Spain goes by Matt Slate. The entire show leading up to King of Spain was great, don't get me wrong. But it felt very chaotic and fast-paced. I had to sit down! When Matt took the stage, laptop and all, I didn't know what to think. A press of a button and a strum of his guitar and I'm gone. His ambient soft rock put me in a trance-like state where all I could do was listen (and drool). Tampa native, Matt Slate, mixes sharp, witty lyrics with spacey, reverb laced vocals. The result is a beautiful but edgy sound that brings you to your happy place. And this was a live show!
Entropy, King of Spain's debut album (New Granada Records) showcases all the great sounds and spine-tingling music I experienced at The Crowbar. Listening to it feels like a dream. The kind of dream where you feel like you're floating through the clouds. The kind of dream that when you wake up, you just want to go back to sleep and hear more.
This article appears in Sep 2-8, 2009.