Emily's Albums A to Z

Listened: Wednesday June 16

I don’t remember how I discovered Matthew Jay, but I am so glad I did. Draw is brilliant and sounds so effortlessly great. His sound can be compared to Nick Drake and Jeff Buckley. Sadly, this is the only album released when he was alive (his only other release is an EP, coming later in the project).

I was shocked as I checked BBC News during a break at work in 2003 and learned that he had died mysteriously in a fall from a high rise in London. We were nearly the same age, so it was distressing to hear of someone that young dying who wasn’t known for being troubled. It was ruled a suicide, but several inconsistencies surrounding the incident throw that into question. However, nothing new has come to light since then.

This album took on even more poignancy after that. It’s frustrating to think someone this good only got to release one album!