Phosphorescent Isn't Your Average Light Source

Matthew Houck, the one man show who goes by the stage monniker Phosphorescent throws himself into the canvas of emotions he's painting. During periods of "Muchacho", his new CD, this works to nifty effect. Take "Sun, Arise! (An Invocation, An Introduction). If I didn't know better I'd swear I was hearing cuts off of New Age star Ray Lynch's "Deep Breakfast" which is lousy with gently applied backdrops designed to ease you into your morning instead of leaving you in perpetual fear of when the alarm clock's going to roust you from your momentary serenity. He who lives by the Gregorian motif dies by the Gregorian motif. "Song For Zula" brings to the forefront the nagging recurring question of what love is. Heart firmly pasted on sleeve, Phosphorescent files love under "fickle" and "burning", both of which veterans of the romance wars would agree are valid adjectives. As for the dude himself, as tough a task as it sounds, he vows not to be broken. This goal, while laudable, is about as imposing as trying to juggle ten knives at once. Where Phosphorescent tacks on bonus points is with the echoing of the drums and keyboards. Stretching them out adds gravity to his ongoing quest not to have his heart skewered. If it sounds like he's inching down a long potentially ink black hallway, that's because he is. Want to hand clap on the open highways and byways? "Ride On/Right On is the drug pusher you want to drop dinero on. The bass guitar has that succulent T-Bone steak beefy attribute that makes this road trip worth the cosmic airspace. "Terror In The Canyons" is great for foot stomping. Here you find myself perched at the intersection of country and rock. If their SXSW showcase was any indication the sweaty young masses ate this up, cued up grateful belching and all. If a piano passage can be described as exhausted, "A New Anhedonia" does the trick. Phosphorescent gropes for the last ounce of energy in his possession. You hope he can rise from his lethargy because watching him agonize is brutal. He's battling more than doldrums. He's scrambling for the rudder that can lead him to crystal blue sky.   "Down To Go" screams honky tonk. Of course not too many honky tonks stake their artistic reputations on elegant horns but here Phosphorescent clears off shelf space for them. Piano figures in heavily here. Last call at the barstool sets in. One man's bleeding heart assumes prime control of the spotlight. Phosphorescent is worth the risk if you want to roll the dice with him and see if his fortune lands on "boxcars". Given the complex voyages he goes on you'll need either a power nap or some Power Bars to push your equilibrium back over to the "Satisfied" portion of the energy meter. To his credit it's not draining in an detrimental way. Getting to know him better does come with a solid upside.