OriginalSpecies

I feel I must amend this post: Lights of Endangered Species is probably neck-and-neck w/ Hospital Music in regards to its overall "completeness" as a record. Hard to say which one I'd rank above the other--honestly, it just sorta depends on the day I guess lol... But there's no time like the present, and right now I'd argue LoES is Matthew Good's best work.

Interesting. Kinda surprised by his good-but-not-great sentiments toward Lights of Endangered Species. I know this sort of stuff is all subjective, but it's like splitting hairs for me between that album, Hospital Music, and Avalanche (toss in Beautiful Midnight if we're including MGB)... though when push comes to shove, I might have to concur with HM standing above the rest (though only by mere millimeters, imo): it might not reach the peaks of Avalanche or become as adventurous and daring as LoES, but, to my ears, it's his most complete record.

I know it's kind of a cliche, but Song For the Girl is rancid dick. Granted, music is subjective, so whatever. But the objective failure of the song is that its deleterious to Avalanche as an album, and that just exacerbates my contempt for the tune. The lyrics are hollow, the melody is uninspired, and it taints a record that would otherwise be, imo, a masterpiece. edit: i really just don't like this song.

Missed the song unfortunately, but I just wanted to chime in and say that I'm really liking the lyrics. They don't really have any answers But they're great at pointing fingers It's a pretty simple, straight-forward line--doesn't specifically scream "politics!"--but goddamn, who can read this and not think of the GOP? It captures a sentiment that happens to be political rather than painting a picture that is political, if that makes sense. Also: And baby you know that I’ve wasted a lot of time A lot of time just thinking When thinking’s overrated Compared to reactionary blinking So I’m sitting here reflecting On what I could’ve done And ya, it’s been one of them years This segment is just great. I love the setup, and the punchline is a gut-punch. Rather than just an attack on the right, the lyrics progress to a state where we're forced to reconcile the necessity for rational discourse with a call to action (or at least that's how I read it). But yeah, lots of great lines, and I can't wait to hear it. Thanks for stimulating my ossicles all these years, Matthew Good

lol I'm still waiting for him to announce a Louisiana date

Lucky you! I'm not holding my breath for a tour stop in New Orleans lol

Haven't heard Night Orders, but it seems like I may have potentially missed something that was kinda sorta possibly something quasi-special. Now I'm curious... I wonder which of MG's songs has gestated the longest--what's the oldest tune from genesis to prime time deliverance? Is there a good chance Night Orders will show up on a future record, or is every album "of the moment," where nothing old is borrowed?? Now I want a documentary on MG's recording process. How does each album start? Just a series of late night/ early morning jam sessions that slowly reveal something to cling to, or is there a specific theme in mind before a single string is strummed? So many questions. So many.

(y)

Listening to "So Close" via Live Road has increased by liking to it.

"Arrows of Desire" is officially my wake-up song for the week (maybe month). I loooove ittt

Really enjoying this one--it's definitely surpassing my expectations! The notion of a "back to basics"-type record after the brilliant LoES... I dunno, I just thought he knocked that one so far out of the park that to continue down any other path would be a disservice to what, IMO, that record achieved :dg: Of course then I actually listened to the latest record, and, as usual w/ Matthew Good, it surprised me in familiar ways--I've noticed that, w/ Good's solo outings at least, there's always some apprehension, as a fan, of where Good is going musically. "What?? No more Matthew Good Band?? Going solo?! Just go and "hug it out, bitch" w/ the guitar player so I won't be disappointed with whatever you're puttin' out..." Of course, Avalanche comes out, and I think it's one of the greatest things I've ever heard. "What?? An ACOUSTIC album?! But that's not your thing--you're a rock guy. Just pick up the electric guitar so I won't be bored to tears. Pretty pleeeaaaaase??" And then I listen to Hospital Music, and it's just one of those records that I'll always remember--you know the ones that come out at just the right time, and you can sorta shape the melodies around what you're going through (even moreso than with most of your favorite songs); it's easily one of my favorite records. "C'mon, Matt, don't go there--there's a lot to be said for just crafting a strong melody! The music will just be way too cerebral and completely lacking in the visceral. I lost Radiohead earlier this year; I swear I won't be able to take it if I lose you, too!" And of course Lights of Endangered Species turns out to be, IMO, the closest thing Matthew Good has come to crafting the perfect album. "Alright, alright, so you're just gonna drop the brilliantly beautiful experimentation you achieved w/ LoES and instead focus your musical prowess on crafting... a rock album, one that is deliberately stripped of innovation and made to sound like a relic from the early '90s." And, obviously, I'm lovin' the hell out of Arrows of Desire (for the time being, I've changed my homepage to one of the sites streaming the record). But my reaction is still a bit different this time--there seems to've been a kind of pattern with Good's records in the past, where I'll be just absolutely floored by one album, and then have a somewhat tepid response to the followup (these 2 being "WLR&RR" and "Vancouver"). So while I enjoyed "Had it Coming" and "We're Long Gone" when I first head 'em, they didn't do much for me. But after hearing the album as a whole, they're clearly integral to the overall feel of the record (though, to be fair, most of Good's albums have a cohesive thread to them). I'm really kind of shocked, honestly, by how much I'm enjoying this somewhat brief collection of songs, and perhaps even more impressed that, by the time "Letters in Wartime" comes to an end, a simple imitation of this period of music that had a tremendous influence on Good could evoke such an enthusiastic appreciation for that music from me. oh and also here are my song rankings XD 10. So Close 09. We're Long Gone 08. Had It Coming 07. Guns of Carolina 06. Hey Hell Heaven 05. Arrows of Desire 04. Mutineering 03. Letters in Wartime 02. Via Dolorosa 01. Garden of Knives

Cool. Thanks for that! I like that Good referenced U2's, "Faraway, So Close" ...I've always loved that song XD (also, Bob's Burgers is great)

Love what he had to say about music award shows Also, lol @ "dora the fuckin' explorer"

Listening to the stream right now! Garden of Knives is eeeexcelleeeentttt And "Hey" is also one of my favorite Pixies songs! I love that one, "Where is My Mind?" and "Motorway to Roswell" oh yes

Oooh just listened to the samples :b: :cd: :cel: ... :dg: Sure they're only clips, but they're enough to maintain my excitement :siren: