Eric Matthews - The Imagination Stage

It’s heavy in here ... again. With “The Imagination Stage,” Eric Matthews is finally, fully back. Not only does his new Empyrean Records (in partnership album mark a return to glorious form, but it charts a stirring departure from the pop norm. Conscious craft drawn from a subconscious spark. Music conjured from “a deeper, more mysterious place,” as he puts it. Dream pop in the truest sense of the phrase. “There’s something new and different that’s happening to me creatively,” Matthews says. “There’s the music I imagine – music that I want to make – and then there’s the music I’ve been able to make. And those two aren’t necessarily the same thing. Now, what I’m making is akin to dreaming music – something ‘other-ly’. ” Matthews has never experienced this sensation before. Not with Cardinal, his critically adored ‘90's chamber pop outfit, and not with his earlier solo work, starting with “It’s Heavy In Here,” his acclaimed 1995 debut for Sub Pop Records. “I think it’s a pretty rare thing,” says Matthews. “But I’m not going to say I’m the only one it’s happened to, because it’s probably responsible for many of the special records we know about.” “The Imagination Stage” is, too, a special record. Matthews wrote and sang every gleaming note and glistening melody, played every instrument, and arranged every chord progression and horn chart. He also brought strings back into the fold, as well as producer-engineer Tony Lash, who’s worked with Matthews since his Cardinal days. The alchemy adds up to a lavish, louvered cathedral of sound inhabited by a breathtaking collection of finely etched portraits – liars and lovers, geniuses and fools, all presented with remarkable clarity, range and depth. The new sounds deployed – drum loops, more synthesizers than he’s ever used – surprised even Matthews. “Had somebody told me 15 years ago that I would use drum loops on a record,” he muses, “I would have scoffed!” What pleases him most is something decidedly less modern. “It’s impossible to separate strings from my vision of the way songs should sound, so that’s a return to form," he says. "I'm invigorated. I’ve reached the imagination stage. Now, it’s a matter of diving as deeply as I can into that.” Matthews has sold thousands of records, has a cult following worldwide, and was one half of the legendary duo, Cardinal. His music is adored by the press and has been praised by Rolling Stone, Details, Elle, NPR, SPIN, Billboard, Magnet, MOJO, Entertainment Weekly, Musician, New York Times, Interview, NME, AP, Guitar Player, Paste, Pitchfork, and the list goes on and on.

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