Jump to content
AnOceanPearl

Vancouver Megathread

By AnOceanPearl, in Matthew Good

Recommended Posts

borntohula

borntohula

Posted
Posted (edited)

i don't come around very often so i have way too many people to respond to. big ol' quotefest/quotsterfuck ahead:

 

I hope a lot of you (naysayers) have chilled out at this point and at least considered considering and accepting the fact that this is another album, period. You know if you're a MG fan you will eventually enjoy and probably have your mind blown at some point by the majority of his material. Right now I'm excited as hell to see which songs will be incorporated into the live sets, and how.
'accept the fact that this is another album, period'??? yes? what? your writing is hilarious, please post more. tell me how much more of an album this album is than the last album. how many more albums is it?

 

fuck yeah, I've seen them twice, last time in Guelph a few days ago, talked to them before and after the show, bought them some shots, got a McClusky song dedicated to me, and a fucking beat up drum stick with electrical tape on it.
that's a bitchin story for many reasons. they do a mclusky cover? which song? have you heard the new future of the left record?

 

Long gone are the raunchy rock tunes of the MGB era
raunchy? were we listening to the same MGB?

 

He just has that rare ability to reach inside of you & grab hold of that place within you that music is supposed to touch. He emotes like very, very few can.
as opposed to the places inside you that music isn't supposed to touch? tell me more.

 

But also I find some spots to be bland such as well.
the first time we've ever agreed on here, ever.

 

Something to note, it might just be me, but his voice seems notably "lamb"-ier on this album than in previous, if that makes sense. As in, he does that thing with his voice that makes him kind of sound like a lamb. It doesn't bother me per se, I just always notice it.

 

Lyrically, I'm finding this album a little more engaging than the last.

i think it's called a vibrato. and yes, he uses it a lot, and it gets really annoying. for whatever reason, on this record he's decided to whip it out any chance he can get, just like those goddamn strings, because when used in conjunction, people think that you're writing something emotional and profound.

 

-The drums sound more processed than a drum machine and lack creativity and energy. Maybe this was Matt's intention?
this could be intentional, but the overall effect seems to make the songs sound generic and plodding. dude needs to find a decent drummer.

 

listening to the CD now, and i haven't warmed up to the things i didn't like about the album when i first heard it as a stream. the vocals and strings are overbearing, and are so in your face that they're seemingly trying to hide the fact that the dude can't find a hook these days. whats worse is that he's trying to pass it off as 'experimentation' to varying degrees of success. the beginning of the album works well and i enjoy how it fits together, but then it trails off... it recovers again at the end, but the middle is just a snooze.

 

the closest thing resembling a pop song is 'us remains impossible' a horribly titled, awkwardly worded song that i really can't stand. matt's pop songs never really struck a chord with me, but after becoming a fan, i was drawn to how his shorter, more structured pieces were really intelligent and often spoke volumes more than his longer songs. theres more brains, passion and subversion in the two minutes of 'poor man's grey' than anything else on WLRRR, for instance. it also helps that the song is a fucking joy to listen to. don't get me wrong, i love the bold experimentation on avalanche and what followed, but there's very little experimentation going on here. matt's done strings before, and we all know he does a great job at writing arrangements, but there's no new ground being broken. he just sounds like he's suffering from a lack of new ideas, direction-less, and simply treading water.

 

the saddest part about this whole experience is that his sense of humour is completely absent. i don't expect jokes, or samples from sexlines or anything (been there, done that) but when the subject is obviously a heavy one, taking oneself too seriously is a really easy misstep to make, and i definitely think that vancouver is far too earnest in that respect. the songs that best feature his biting wit and vitriolic criticisms are often his most enduring, and also happen to be his most creative. i really like the one-two-punch of "girl wedged under the front of a firebird" and "i'm not safer than a bank." those songs are actually experimental, but they're also smart, funny, scathing, and most importantly, affecting. yet, mat isn't communicating his anger and frustration to us by tugging on our heart strings with cheap, well worn tricks like string arrangements, slow-builds and crashing cymbals.

 

so many people are saying that they're mad that they heard the demos first, but i'm almost feeling the opposite. very few of these songs are really doing anything for me, and i'm really interested in seeing if this would change if i heard the songs in their infancy stages. are the demos in the NF store? where can one get his hands on them?

Edited by borntohula
Link to comment
Share on other sites
Prometheon

Prometheon

Posted
Posted

Borntohula is being a bit harsher than I am, but I agree with many of the comments, particularly the criticisms of the vocal style and repetitive drumming. I thoroughly enjoy the album, but it's literally almost all on the back of On Nights Like Tonight and a few other tracks that stand out. There are a few guitar sections that just sound odd: the intro to Us Remains Impossible for instance. The guitar tone seems sloppy and overly high.

 

I actually really like this album, but there are a few choices made concerning its production that I feel take away from what could have made it even better.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
RileyLewis

RileyLewis

Posted
Posted

I think the first three and the last four songs really carry the album. The middle three are the weakest (just in my opinion!)

 

Yeah, the drums may be a little generic, and yeah, he layered his voice more than in the past, perhaps. But overall it's an incredibly solid album.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
jeef47

jeef47

Posted
Posted

I am just wondering if the '64' silkscreen is officially 604? it does make sense that it would be the area code, but the appearance of how the numbers are sized and positioned still leaves me uncertin if that was the intial intention.

 

Is there any background information that might be able to support theory?

Link to comment
Share on other sites
noise_pollution

noise_pollution

Posted
Posted

I see no reason why the demos can't be posted in the store now. I also don't see why the whole Massey Hall acoustic show isn't available on iTunes. The show has already been professionally recorded(by Duncan from OLP) and I mean it seems like a win/win for Matt financially. I mean realeasing the two bonus tracks was a nice start, but why not do the whole thing. It is one of the best shows he has ever played. From his mood, to the fans, to the setlist(two encores), it was perfect. I have a sick bootleg of it, but its quality isn't even close to the iTunes versions. I am sure Matt has lots of unreleased materiel sitting around that could be making money on iTunes. Just my two cents worth.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Guest jjazz

Guest jjazz

Posted
Posted
I see no reason why the demos can't be posted in the store now. I also don't see why the whole Massey Hall acoustic show isn't available on iTunes. The show has already been professionally recorded(by Duncan from OLP) and I mean it seems like a win/win for Matt financially. I mean realeasing the two bonus tracks was a nice start, but why not do the whole thing. It is one of the best shows he has ever played. From his mood, to the fans, to the setlist(two encores), it was perfect. I have a sick bootleg of it, but its quality isn't even close to the iTunes versions. I am sure Matt has lots of unreleased materiel sitting around that could be making money on iTunes. Just my two cents worth.

 

Apparently Matt already touched on this and said that because of Massey Hall union laws or something, anything that is released costs a shitload of money to do so, even if it's just posted as a free stream or whatever. Also, he was sick and there are too many mistakes in the show. You can already hear a pretty nasty one at the end of Silent Army In The Trees.

 

And yes, I agree, it would be incredible. It was by far the greatest concert I've ever been to, the double encore was awesome, especially Fated in particular (he fucking nailed it hard!). I have the bootleg, and although it's a nice to look back and hear the greatest show I've ever been to, the quality is nothing compared to the itunes version.

 

Anyways, thought I'd give you some insight.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
noise_pollution

noise_pollution

Posted
Posted
what was the setlist for the acoustic massey hall show?

 

Main Set:

Girl Wedged Under the Front of a Firebird

Strange Days

Load Me Up

Avalanche

Born Losers

I'm a Window

99% of Us is Failure

Silent Army in the Trees

Black Helicopter

Alert Status Red

She's In It For the Money

Generation X-Wing

Odette

Prime Time Deliverance

Champions of Nothing

Apparitions

 

Encore 1:

North American For Life

Suburbia

Pledge of Allegiance

The Fine Art of Falling Apart

 

Encore 2:

Metal Airplanes

Advertising on Police Cars

Fated

True Love Will Find You in the End

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Moonlight_Graham

Moonlight_Graham

Posted
Posted
No Tripoli, but it will have to do.

 

I agree, Tripoli is a must for that set. But we'll always have this amazing version:

 

If only it wasn't missing the first few seconds of the songs. This one has the start, but the end maybe cuts off early and the recording doesn't quite pick up the same amazing vocal/guitar reverb acoustics as the 1st video:

Link to comment
Share on other sites
eclipse

eclipse

Posted
Posted
this could be intentional, but the overall effect seems to make the songs sound generic and plodding. dude needs to find a decent drummer.

Or write more interesting drum parts. I'm assuming it's intentional as the demos have the same sound and what not. There is little difference on Last Parade, whether you're listening to the demo or the song itself.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
noise_pollution

noise_pollution

Posted
Posted

On Last Parade, he should of left the second piano line in. Instead he has guitar and the sound just isn't as good. It could just be the guitar effect he is using, but I didn't like it. And the kick drum didn't seem as profound in the album version. The Boy Who Could Explode is still fantastic and the album version of the Vancouver Nation Anthem is way better than the demo. All in all I like the album, but I still prefer Hospital Music.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
Go to topic listing
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

We have placed cookies on your device to help make this website better. You can adjust your cookie settings, otherwise we'll assume you're okay to continue.

  I accept