It may seem like an odd juxtaposition to hear of The Tallest Man on Earth covering Frank Sinatra. After all, the Swedish musician, né Kristian Matsson, has a distinct folk-rock sound pervading his solo career. It becomes less of a surprise, however, in light of the fact that the cover is of the tune “Cycles” (which, for Sinatra, is rather folksy) and that his performance is a guest spot at an Idiot Wind show – that is, Matsson’s wife Amanda Bergman.
Despite having styled her stage name after a Dylan song, Bergman’s sound is much more imbued with piano and crooning vocals than Matsson’s, and expectations of a Sinatra cover would hardly seem off the mark.
The team-up on “Cycles” is a beautiful one, and it seems almost as though the tune was written solely for Matsson’s dreamlike strumming and for the duo’s harmonizing. It’s a down-and-out kind of song, yes, but it’s a hopeful one and an uplifting one. What’s more, the duet hits just the right balance of Matsson’s raspy folk and Bergman’s gorgeous vocals and any lyrical slip-ups toward the end serve only to add to the song’s charm. Enjoy.
Idiot Wind and The Tallest Man on Earth – Cycles (Frank Sinatra Cover)
Check out more Idiot Wind at her website and from The Tallest Man on Earth on Myspace.
By now, no one would bat an eye to hear that a singer from the ’50s or ’60s was recording an album of heavy metal tunes. 
