According to Google, the tallest man in the world is the 8’5” Ukrainian veterinarian Leonid Stadnyk. He is not to be confused with The Tallest Man on Earth, who is the Swedish troubadour Kristian Matsson, actually less blessed in stature (he’s only 5’7”) and much more so in the gift of songwriting. Two albums deep, nobody’s disputing all the Dylan comparisons Matsson gets, and that’s because he’s able to channel Dylan’s legacy into his own folksy, narrative style instead of just shamelessly imitating it. Matsson’s croaking vocals and deft fingerpicking lend his songs a sense of melancholy and reminiscence; on his latest record, The Wild Hunt, he uses these tools to paint worlds of glaciers and canyons, wildcats and ghosts in trees, cold skies, and lonely cities. With S. Carey. ERIN K. THOMPSON

Thu., Sept. 9, 8 p.m., 2010