“Here lay psychological metal, verbose pop, queasy balladry, and odd trips, all in all, the general detriment of a life well spent, for all who have known me or tried to understand.”

Those are the words the late Matthew Grimson used to describe his own music. You may not recognize his name and, sadly, Grimson passed in 2018 at the age of 50 without many people being aware of the large body of phenomenal work he had written. As a musician and songwriter, however, Grimson could scarcely have better references than Joel Plaskett and Chris Murphy (Sloan). The two monoliths of East Coast music have recently collected some of his unpublished work to create Matthew Grimson: Prize for Writing — an LP showcasing 15 of his songs that were recorded in 1994.

Plaskett and Murphy, entrusted with the multitrack master cassettes by Grimson’s family in 2018, went to work remixing and rerecording at Plaskett’s New Scotland Yard studio, making sure at least some of Grimson’s creations would see the light of day. With Grimson’s vocals, guitars and keyboards as well as some of his bass intact, they were able to add drums and remaining bass parts played by an all-star ensemble that included Andrew Scott (Sloan), Chris Murphy and Matt Murphy (The Super Friendz) as well as Clive McNutt (Erin Costelo), contributing slide guitar on one song.

“The prospect that more people will hear Matthew Grimson’s music is exciting, but of course it’s devastating that he didn’t get much, if any, recognition during his lifetime,” says Murphy. “Obviously, there will be no tour to support this record. The low fidelity might also scare some people off and will definitely keep it off the radio, so please spread the word about this astonishing artist and his ‘Tender/Brutal’ songs that have been sitting unheard for 25 years. There are a lot more where these came from…”

Grimson had previously recorded a few albums onto cassette for friends and fans but released just one album, A Life Played For Keeps, on CD in 2001.

While Grimson’s personal recordings were only ever heard by a handful of people, his upbeat groove “Stood Up” was covered by Sloan on their 1997 release Live at a Sloan Party. The light-hearted keys in this recording are bound to make you forget it’s a song about realizing your date is not showing up. As soon as the album opens with this track, it becomes clear that this is not an album to be casually thrown on in the background while multitasking. This is arresting brilliance.

Plaskett had also paid homage by performing Grimson’s “Drifters Raus” on his 2009 record Three and by releasing a 7” of Matthew performing his songs “Matthew Doesn’t Live Here Anymore” and “For a Song” in 2011. Plaskett’s latest album 44 even included a biographical ode of sorts to Grimson on the song “Matthew Grimson Songs,” singing “If you’re looking for Matthew you might have to squint; Go read the liners, he’s in the fine print; Outside the margins, he’s writing you one; Matthew Grimson”.

In addition to the songs performed by Plaskett and Sloan, Grimson’s work was also taken up by Québecois folk duo Bette & Wallet, who recorded the Grimson/Al-Tuck co-write, “Family Photo”.

While the general public may not have realized it, Grimson’s impact on east coast music was no small thing. With so many East Coast artists intermingling with his work, hearing these recordings is like discovering you had a favourite band all these years that you didn’t even know about, as if first exposure is actually a reunion with an old friend.

Overall, throughout the tracks that Murphy and Plaskett have recorded on Prize for Writing, there’s an air of raw, relatable and nonchalant disclosure on difficult subjects that are discussed almost casually. Many of the songs, such as “Breaking Up Drunk on New Year’s Eve” and “We’ve All Got Scars,” grapple with pain, both past and present, in a down-to-earth, familiar way. On other tracks, he dissects the age-old mysteries of life, including on “To Kill a Catholic,” where he poetically explores religion:

What makes a prayer leave this world stillborn?
Whose distant hearts are secretly warmed,
By your definition of obsolescence?

Many of the lyrics read more like diary entries, logging his day-to-day going-ons and leaving the listener feeling as if they’ve accidentally invaded Grimson’s privacy. Peppered with a mixture of behavioural habits and introspection, the words he has written may very well leave you feeling as if you knew Grimson in real life.

I feel good right now,
At this place, at this time,
I climbed to where I am right now,
Came up here with a deck of cards,
And cigarettes from Saint Pierre and Miquelon

Given Murphy’s comments regarding how much of Grimson’s work exists, there seems reason to hope we might be gifted with further music or, at the very least, hear covers from other East Coast artists. Either way, they’ve managed to pay an exceptional tribute to a friend.

It is doubtful that Grimson ever had any expectations for such an LP, and it is poignant to think many listeners are experiencing his genius only posthumously. Low-fidelity may keep it off the radio, but it only serves to add to the charm and veracity of the release. The LP fits in seamlessly with his Halifax contemporaries, such as Thrush Hermit and The Super Friendz, and it has held up over the years.

While it is clear that it is not from this decade, Matthew Grimson: Prize for Writing possesses a level of genius that transcends the time gap. Even after 26 years, it demands your undivided attention with its potency. Listening to it is akin to having dug up a time capsule that was buried in the ‘90s and getting to experience an authentic east coast piece of musical history.