Sound check

Facing folk

Matt looks back to the ‘60s

Matt Costa
Unfamiliar Faces
Universal

Unfamiliar Faces is the third album from gifted singer-songwriter Matt Costa, and his first release on a major label. Costa is an ex-pro skateboarder who turned to music full-time after a serious accident.

Despite his all-American pedigree, Costa’s music and singing voice seem to be mainly inspired by 1960s British pop. There’s a distinctly British tinge to the whole style of Unfamiliar Faces.

From the Donovan-like hypnotic folk of “Never Looking Back,” to the Belle and Sebastian infused “Vienna,” Costa channels ‘60s style folk-pop, but somehow manages to recreate it in his own style. Other highlights include the Beatle-esque title track and first single, “Mr Pitiful.”

Unfamilar Faces may not change the way you look at folk-rock music, but it’s an interesting indie pop album with soul. If you’re a fan of folk, acoustic-rock or even bluegrass, you should pick it up. There are enough quality songs on this album to make it well worth purchasing. — TB

	pedigree (n): a persons background and family history tinge (v): to add a small amount of a particular emotion or quality to something infuse (v): to make something have a particular quality bluegrass (n): a type of traditional American country music played on guitars and banjos