Album Review- Matt Berry- Heard Noises

There’s probably two paths to Matt Berry’s music. One is that you are a fan of the actor and heard he made music, so you checked it out. Or maybe you were like me, you heard a fantastic song and went to look to see who performed it and did a double or triple take. Surely not that Matt Berry of numerous TV comedy roles. 

But with apologies to Billy Bob Thornton, Berry is a fantastic actor and musician. While not particularly a parody or comedy artist like Flight of the Conchords, there is a certain chameleonic element about him like Ween or Zappa. My exposure to Berry began with his third album- his breakout 2009s prog rock tribute Witchazel. 2025s Heard Noises is album number eight. I have to admit that my knowledge of Berry doesn’t run much deeper than that one album. 

Still, Heard Noises has grabbed me more than most of his other stuff Yes, eighth albums in the catalogue don’t get rave reviews but critics seem to be pretty favorable to this one, and most agree it is one of his most accessible. At times, it feels like one of those 90s Britpop albums that wanted to be Scott Walker. Some times, it could be Neosoul or it could be modern day Rod McKuen. Is it Psych? Is it Folk? Is it an obscure circa 1973 album you picked up at Goodwill? It’s possible that it’s all of these. 

Songs build slowly and creep up on you. As will this album which may not surprise the initial listener but holds together amazingly well for repeat listening. Even surely when the joke goes over the top like the duet with Kitty Liv “I Gotta Limit”. The lyrics are ridiculous but it convincingly gives you enough to sell you that it’s not that much crazier than Lee and Nancy. 

 “I Entered as I Came” which features actress Natasha Lyonne seems like a misstep in the way that say the Moody Blues would have added a cringy track on their ambitious 1970s records. Wait, is the fact this feels like a throw away track mean it’s not good, or is this a 3D chess move that this album needs a song like this. Dang. I just blew my mind. In any case, if this isn’t Berry’s best album, it surely is near the top, and if you are hesitant at first, repeat listening will win you over