Matt Dorrien is a songwriter from Portland, Oregon who has previously released music under the name Snowblind Traveler. It took me a long while to find his music and it was maybe about a year ago when I stumbled upon Snowblind Traveler on some web article that introduced Portland-based artists. After that I bought a download of the second album Confederate Burial and found it rather remarkable. I highly recommend the Snowblind Traveler material, if you were as clueless or badly informed as I was when they came out some years ago.
The current and at the moment far more relevant information is that Matt Dorrien has abondened the Snowblind Traveler moniker at least for the time being and is getting ready to release an achingly beautiful album under his own name. In The Key Of Grey is due out on 13th of April on Mama Bird Recording Co. I’ve spent hours of listening to it today. First at work while packing potatoes, then on the drive home and now I’ve been lying on this bed for hours with these songs as my company. Some might say that’s a waste of an evening, but I can’t agree with that assessment. I’ve loved every second I’ve spent with this charming piano-driven album. Sure it’s kinda sad and melancholic, but so am I more often than that I would like to admit. So we’ll get by just fine by leaning on each other. This is timeless music that echoes the work of maestros like Harry Nilsson and Randy Newman and carries on even further into the rich history of american songwriting tradition. However, I think I’m jumping the gun a bit now. The plan was just to share the first outtake from the forthcoming album and leave the far bigger praising and the announcing of my engagement with the song I Can’t Remember to the release week. Sorry for getting a little carried away. This is Baby I’m So Lost from the forthcoming Matt Dorrien album In The Key of Grey.