MATTHEW LIAM NICHOLSON - Universal Outsider
Universal Outsider by Australian artist and composer Matthew Liam Nicholson. Recorded and produced in Los Angeles over the past 5 years with veteran co-producers and a hand picked musical ensemble, Universal Outsider is a cut above for an artist who has long been making music that touches hearts. On Universal Outsider, Nicholson expands his cinematic, mystical approach in catchy pop-psychedelics and modern folk-rock meditations through an emotionally rich suite of songs. The compositions are original & strangely timeless, ebbing and flowing between rocking and soothing, ethereal and muscular.
The latest single, "Time Machine" hearkens to the pastoral and psychedelic while lush guitars and pedal steel guide his ruminations on cycles and revelations. "The Worm Turns" is a rhapsodic indie-rock anthem crafted as a word of encouragement during these dark times.
Released album opener, "Hanalei", gently strolls, the lilting piano welcoming you out the front door into a fresh mysterious breeze. In contrast, songs like "Bodies" take a more robust approach, each crashing cymbal and snare hit keeps you pleasantly grounded to this rock floating in space. From the depth and intricacy of instrumentals like “Sirian Song” and “Motefish”, to the epic psychedelic ambient rock of “Priests and Magistrates”, to the rarified melancholy of “Alone by the Sea” - "Universal Outsider" is a monumental work of multi-dimensional beauty.
Nicholson elaborates: 'Universal Outsider' (2022) and 'Nine Movements' (2021) happily signify the breaking of his long drought on regularly releasing material - the first waves in an incoming set. His intention with this record was to create a songs-focused, hi-fi studio album - unlike his previous eclectic offerings which were recorded all over the world with a wide range of qualities & players. He wanted this album to be more cohesive and contiguous - accessible to aficionados and casual listeners alike. So, it was all produced in Los Angeles, starting with big, well recorded drums and bass. In some sense the album is a musically rendered chapter of this enchanted ordeal of life and is my humble attempt to gift everyone something of beauty and substance while they collectively navigate these rough seas. I hope people feel uplifted, transported, inspired and refreshed by spending time with this work.
Enjoy!
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