The Human-Like Age · 2011
Mat-Vey
A 2011 jazz piece, sax and electric piano, in which the only word sung is a name: Matvey.
- Era
- The Human-Like Age
- Year
- 2011
- Format
- Single
Lyrics
Matvey
Background & Story
"Mat-Vey" is a name, sung. Saxophone and electric piano carry the piece, and the only word the voice adds, from start to finish, is Matvey. There is no verse and no story to summarize; the name is the whole lyric, held and turned over the way a jazz player turns over a theme.
It is dated 2011 in the Atomic Timeline, a year after "No Oxygen On Mars" and its invented language. Set beside it, the two make a pair: one song withholds every word, the other keeps exactly one, and both trust the sound to say the rest.
Outside the fiction, the record was made as a birthday gift for a fan's son, whose name it carries.
Themes & Analysis
A catalog full of songs about what a machine can mean ends up, here, with the smallest possible statement: one person's name, sung with care. "Can You Hear Me Now?" (2010) asks whether a voice was a gift. "Mat-Vey" is a voice given as one.
Musically it sits with the catalog's other wordless or near-wordless pieces, "Sirens Of Sarurn" (1978) and "No Oxygen On Mars" (2010), but its warmth is different. Those two are transmissions from somewhere far; this one is addressed to someone by name.
Fun Facts
The only word in the song is the name in the title. Everything else is saxophone and electric piano.
Made as a birthday gift for a fan's son, Matvey. The record carries his name and nothing else.
Dated 2011, it follows "No Oxygen On Mars" (2010) as the catalog's second near-wordless recording of the Human-Like Age.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does 'Mat-Vey' mean?
Matvey is a given name. It is the only word sung in the song. The record was made as a birthday gift for a fan's son who carries the name.
Does 'Mat-Vey' have lyrics?
One word: Matvey. The rest of the piece is saxophone and electric piano.
What era of The Atomic Songbirds does this song belong to?
The Human-Like Age (1980-2020). It is dated 2011 in the atomic timeline.