Matt Berry’s The Blue Elephant

Jack of all trades, master of none may apply to most mortals, but not Matt Berry. When he’s not busy starring in some of the best comedy seen on either side of the Atlantic in Toast of London or What We Do In The Shadows, Berry is an accomplished multi-instrumentalist and musician producing vividly realized works in a mind-boggling number of genres that include pastoral chamber pop (2011’s Witchhazel and 2013’s Kill The Wolf), new age electronica (2014’s Music for Insomniacs) and country and folk rock (2020’s Phantom Birds). Now, with the release of The Blue Elephant, he can add sprawling progressive psychedelia to the list. Sporting an ambitious array of arrangements that evolve over a brisk, yet cinematic, 45 minutes, Berry’s minimalist lyrical approach and sonorous timbre are perfectly suited to the impeccably dialed-in drum and bass tones. The jangly “Summer Sun” gleams with late-’60s pastiche, sporting Berry’s most robust guitar playing to date while spotlighting the absurd drumming prowess of Craig Blundell. “Blues Inside Me” simmers with a raw, vibrant mod energy, equalled only in intensity by “Like Stone,” another melodic standout. Softer moments abound too, with the darkly funky and funny “Now Disappear” and moody “Life Unknown” serving as additional highlights. Guided by an obvious passion for music making, what Matt Berry has achieved with The Blue Elephant is nothing short of a masterstroke, made all the more impressive by the consistent excellence and good taste he’s exhibited over the course of his chameleonic career. To date, he can do no wrong and I eagerly await his next endeavor.

***

If you like The Blue Elephant, check out:

• Shades of Deep Purple by Deep Purple

• Brain Salad Surgery by Emerson, Lake & Palmer

• Radiator by Super Furry Animals

• Sun Structures by Temples

• Odyssey and Oracle by The Zombies