You're about to 1999

[Outtahere]

Gave it a second run through last night and I agree with everyones comments about the spaciousness of the recording and just the overall sound quality being amazing.  

 

Suburbia is such an infectious sound to it.  I want to dance to it, but then it seems wrong dancing to Suburbia haha.  Let's Get it On and Born to Kill are still my favourites after a second listen, although I appreciated I Miss New Wave more the second time around.  

 

Ah that's one comment I forgot. When I said Suburbia was poppier, it wasn't negative. It's just a comment on how different it is from the somber, gloomy, nightly version on Beautiful Midnight. I could hear the new version play on the radio but not the original. But it's definitely an earworm. 

[Manchalivin]

After 1 listen to the new EP I think I Miss New Wave is my favourite.  I dunno why, but the subtle musicalities and Matt's vocal rendition were very enjoyable.  I think Load Me Up is my second favourite, it's so different but really nice and spaced out.  I quite like some of the music on Born to Kill but either the production or Matt's vocals in spots sound kind of off or weak to me.  A bit buried in the mix maybe?  The original is just so dramatic and moody it's just kind of weird hearing it like this so I'm not sure if I like it yet.  I'm also not sure of Suburbia.  The beat is kind of neat and catchy on its own, but I don't know if I like it in this song.  Let's Get It On is pretty interesting, some solid vocals and a very different vibe, I quite like this one.

 

Overall, these renditions give a new dynamic to the songs and after 1 listen I am definitely interested in hearing them again so that's good.

[Manchalivin]

Has anyone noticed on Matt's site it says on the new release of Load Me Up "for Dale Jr."?

[Guest Idioteque]

Technically Matt is doing a cover of Matthew Good Band Songs, it's why he needs to credit the other original songwriters. 
 
Great E.P, I actually prefer this ending to Born to Kill, less noise & more notes. I still miss his falsetto in I Miss New Wave (he also doesn't do the higher range in Truffle Pigs anymore) which is fine. I would have liked a more raw drum sound imo, I felt like I was listening to a Radiohead album at times, not a complaint. There's a certain iconic keg-can snap sound to Ian's snare hits on Beautiful Midnight. Metallica would end up doing a worse version of that on St.Anger, but my god do I love them both!

Load Me Up, I wish would have been the upswing version he plays acoustically, something to boogie to.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Nf49zyaLOY

[ChadyzGroove]

I have listened through three times and the first four songs are amazing interpretations of the originals. In the long run I may end up liking them more than the originals, which is something I thought I would never say about Suburbia in particular. However, for me, Load Me Up misses the mark completely and almost seems out of place on the EP.

[Outtahere]

Has anyone noticed on Matt's site it says on the new release of Load Me Up "for Dale Jr."?

 

Says that on the back of the digipak too. 

 

Technically Matt is doing a cover of Matthew Good Band Songs, it's why he needs to credit the other original songwriters. 

 

Really? Is that really how it works?

[mackie1023]

The very first listen, I did a double take when born to kill came on and I thought it was Set Me on Fire from LOES.

 

 

Still digging Suburbia. It is so different, It can't replace the original but I love the feel to it and I think it will be amazing live. Same goes for Let's Get It On.

[Guest Idioteque]

Yes, it's everything to do with copyright & publisher mumbo jumbo. Basically, if Jon Bon Jovi wants to do a solo record & add a new rendition of "Wanted Dead or Alive" it will always be published as "Original by Bon Jovi: Written by Jon Bon Jovi, Richie Sambora" because those are the credited writers on Slippery When Wet 1986. 

You can't get a Cloudbusting cover on an album without crediting Kate Bush, is what I'm saying. I would think Ian, Dave & Rich would have some sort of royalty to any "I Miss New Wave" sold unless other reasons. I've read Matt owns Underdogs & Beautiful Midnight, whether that means he owns publishing rights or just the tapes? 

Edited December 4, 2016 by Idioteque

[Moonlight_Graham]

What stores can I buy the CD at?

 

When Chaotic Neutral came out I went to HMV to buy the CD, it was out maybe a week, I expected it to be in the new releases on the wall, but it wasn't even in the store.  I had to ask a worker there if they had it, and he went to the back to check, took him at least 5 mins to find, but he grabbed me a copy back there  Oh how times have changed...

 

Funny thing is the last few releases I can name on a few fingers how many times I've actually used the CD.  I just convert the CD into digital format through iTunes.  I guess at this point I just collect it for tradition's sake.  Almost 20 years since I bought Underdogs.

Edited December 4, 2016 by Moonlight_Graham

[Manchalivin]

Ok, second listen I'm already leaning towards this is a great EP.  The production is so much crisper and clearer and there are so many little touches that you can hear.  As a fan you kind of grow with the musician and these songs do have a lot more space and melody to them.  In a way Matt's older, more mature voice resonates with me more here than the original.  The original BM is so thick and moody it gets a bit much after a while.  Stu adds a very nice melodic flavour on these songs.  What's awesome is that this has yet another distinct change of sound for MG.  It sounds quite a lot different than both Chaotic Neutral and Beautiful Midnight and yet, he doesn't go beyond what sounds natural for him.  He is quite the versatile artist.  I Miss New Wave is still my favourite.  I love the little clicking sound in parts and it reminds me of Los Alamos in parts.  Does anyone know what instrument makes that clicking sound?  I like Born to Kill more now and the ending is a very nice, melodic, more subdued version.  I think the only thing that sounds kind of weird for me is the final "it's more than the less you say you do" and "it's more than the shot that gets you through".  It sounds weak on here and I don't know if someone else is doing background vocals or Matt, but it could sound better.  Let's Get It On has a fantastically different vibe.  You can't help but have an emotional attachment to the originals, but I could say there are definitely some improvements throughout these songs.

 

I thought I had my "album of the year" with John Paul White's 'Beulah', but this EP might top it for me.  And it's not even a full album.  MG is also much more special for me so that adds a lot.

Edited December 4, 2016 by Manchalivin

[MiffTuck]

I love the little clicking sound in parts and it reminds me of Los Alamos in parts. Does anyone know what instrument makes that clicking sound?

My gut feeling would be that it's the rim of one of the drums being lightly struck.

[emmit643]

my favourite part of Born to Kill is when he says "enough to be released" and goes up on "enough". Agh it sounds so good.

[Guest jjazz]

The very first listen, I did a double take when born to kill came on and I thought it was Set Me on Fire from LOES.

Haha yeah me too! The way he picks the first chord is identical.

[Outtahere]

Yes, it's everything to do with copyright & publisher mumbo jumbo. Basically, if Jon Bon Jovi wants to do a solo record & add a new rendition of "Wanted Dead or Alive" it will always be published as "Original by Bon Jovi: Written by Jon Bon Jovi, Richie Sambora" because those are the credited writers on Slippery When Wet 1986. 

 

You can't get a Cloudbusting cover on an album without crediting Kate Bush, is what I'm saying. I would think Ian, Dave & Rich would have some sort of royalty to any "I Miss New Wave" sold unless other reasons. I've read Matt owns Underdogs & Beautiful Midnight, whether that means he owns publishing rights or just the tapes? 

 

He actually doesn't own Beautiful Midnight, just LOTGA and Underdogs as they were recorded with his own money. My guess is that he owns the rights and tapes for both of those. Beautiful Midnight is probably still owned by Universal. 

 

For the credits, that sucks. He wrote the basis of the songs and the reworked version. I know it's not the end of the world but it annoys me, regardless of Matt's previous statetments on credits on MGB records. This time, none of the MGB members had anything to do with this release.

 

What stores can I buy the CD at?

 

When Chaotic Neutral came out I went to HMV to buy the CD, it was out maybe a week, I expected it to be in the new releases on the wall, but it wasn't even in the store.  I had to ask a worker there if they had it, and he went to the back to check, took him at least 5 mins to find, but he grabbed me a copy back there  Oh how times have changed...

 

Funny thing is the last few releases I can name on a few fingers how many times I've actually used the CD.  I just convert the CD into digital format through iTunes.  I guess at this point I just collect it for tradition's sake.  Almost 20 years since I bought Underdogs.

 

I know! I had to drive 1 hour to get it (I got it at an HMV though but they had one copy). Jesus can't we just get bloody physical releases anymore?

[Manchalivin]

This EP is like HD Beautiful Midnight.

[AnOceanPearl]

I can't help but picture Geoff playing the bassline on Born To Kill.

[uglyredhonda]

For the credits, that sucks. He wrote the basis of the songs and the reworked version. I know it's not the end of the world but it annoys me, regardless of Matt's previous statetments on credits on MGB records. This time, none of the MGB members had anything to do with this release.

 

Genuinely: there is nothing to be upset about as far as the credits go.  The publishing only applies to the basic musical structure and the lyrics - everything else is unrelated.  Who plays on the song and the arrangement have no relevance as far as who gets songwriting credit.

 

I'll give one example from my last band.  The original riff came out of a jam between the drummer and our lead guitar player.  (What the drummer played directly guided how the riff came out.)  We started jamming on that riff at a practice, and I wrote the song around it (as we were jamming), and later wrote all the lyrics.  (The riff survived as an intro and in the bed of the verse, but the music of the final song was completely separate from it - the original riff didn't have to be in the song at all.)  I'm not sure that the bass player wrote anything specifically, but his presence helped guide where the song went.  It was later credited to the entire band.

 

I could sit down and play a solo acoustic version of that song consisting only of parts written by myself.  But I would still credit the full band because they participated in the songwriting - the basic structure of the song would still be the same, and they had hand in that.  I would be ripping them off if I claimed they had nothing to do with it.

 

We know "Rico" was credited to the full MGB because it came out of an in-studio jam session.  Since "Load Me Up" is the only BM track credited to the entire band, it's possible that the same thing happened.  And we don't know who or what made the song happen - it's enitrely possible that Ian, Rich, and Dave all had a hand in where the song went.

 

Now, if Matt did write any of the songs by himself and still credited Dave - it sounds like they had a legal agreement at one time.  There are often good reasons for those agreements to exist - songwriting royalties is a dicey field, and bands often break up over them.  R.E.M. credited every one of their songs to the entire band, regardless of who wrote it, just to avoid the issue.  Every song Lennon or McCartney wrote for The Beatles, together or separately, is credited to Lennon/McCartney.  If Matt and Dave did have that agreement, Matt could always ask Dave to rescind it now.  But I wouldn't think it was necessary or worth the effort - it really doesn't matter that much.  And, again, it's entirely possible that Dave guided the creation of those songs in some way.

 

Also: the new parts are completely irrelevant when it comes to the songwriting credits.  If Beyonce covers "Hello Time Bomb" and comes up with a new vocal melody, she can't give herself a credit.  (Technically speaking, arrangements generally have to adhere to the basic structure of the published song.  If someone massively changes a song's structure, they technically have to ask permission from the original songwriters.)

Edited December 6, 2016 by uglyredhonda

[Outtahere]

Genuinely: there is nothing to be upset about as far as the credits go.  The publishing only applies to the basic musical structure and the lyrics - everything else is unrelated.  Who plays on the song and the arrangement have no relevance as far as who gets songwriting credit.

 

I'll give one example from my last band.  The original riff came out of a jam between the drummer and our lead guitar player.  (What the drummer played directly guided how the riff came out.)  We started jamming on that riff at a practice, and I wrote the song around it (as we were jamming), and later wrote all the lyrics.  (The riff survived as an intro and in the bed of the verse, but the music of the final song was completely separate from it - the original riff didn't have to be in the song at all.)  I'm not sure that the bass player wrote anything specifically, but his presence helped guide where the song went.  It was later credited to the entire band.

 

I could sit down and play a solo acoustic version of that song consisting only of parts written by myself.  But I would still credit the full band because they participated in the songwriting - the basic structure of the song would still be the same, and they had hand in that.  I would be ripping them off if I claimed they had nothing to do with it.

 

We know "Rico" was credited to the full MGB because it came out of an in-studio jam session.  Since "Load Me Up" is the only BM track credited to the entire band, it's possible that the same thing happened.  And we don't know who or what made the song happen - it's enitrely possible that Ian, Rich, and Dave all had a hand in where the song went.

 

Now, if Matt did write any of the songs by himself and still credited Dave - it sounds like they had a legal agreement at one time.  There are often good reasons for those agreements to exist - songwriting royalties is a dicey field, and bands often break up over them.  R.E.M. credited every one of their songs to the entire band, regardless of who wrote it, just to avoid the issue.  Every song Lennon or McCartney wrote for The Beatles, together or separately, is credited to Lennon/McCartney.  If Matt and Dave did have that agreement, Matt could always ask Dave to rescind it now.  But I wouldn't think it was necessary or worth the effort - it really doesn't matter that much.  And, again, it's entirely possible that Dave guided the creation of those songs in some way.

 

Also: the new parts are completely irrelevant when it comes to the songwriting credits.  If Beyonce covers "Hello Time Bomb" and comes up with a new vocal melody, she can't give herself a credit.  (Technically speaking, arrangements generally have to adhere to the basic structure of the published song.  If someone massively changes a song's structure, they technically have to ask permission from the original songwriters.)

 

Well I'm not upset perse, I do have a life ha ha! ;-)

 

I just think it's a shame he has to carry around the credits no matter what he does to the song. Credits are given (and should only be given) when work is done on the song. But Dave, Rich and Ian were in no way involved with this EP. And I'm not saying that only because it's Matt but for any artist. As a songwriter myself, I wouldn't be happy, no matter what I do to a song I wrote, that I'd have to give credit to the bass player because he wrote a bassline on the original version if I'm not using it anymore.

 

I thought there was a difference between the songwriter and, say, Beyonce ;)

[AnOceanPearl]

So I made a playlist I've called Beautiful Mixnight where I've dropped the EP tracks into their respective spots on BM and it works really really well IMO. 

[daniel_v]

What I Liked

-The production work is fantastic. Warne is getting better and better the older he gets.  All the instruments are crsip, clear, and yet not too overly polished. With the original Beautiful Midnight (and even AOB) there were certain of sections where different instruments would drown out others, but in these songs there's a very nice equilibrium where I can hear all the instrumental parts easily. I really appreciate that. Likewise, all the keyboards and background noises are perfectly placed and actually quite haunting. Hopefully Matt continues with him for the next album.

 

-I love a lot of the reworked instrumental parts for the songs and the different progressions Matt wrote (Stu’s lead at the end of LGIO and especially the chorus for LGIO were really surprising and cool). Also, even though I still prefer the originals, there are some beautiful guitar parts on Born to Kill and I Miss New Wave.

 

-Let's Get It On deserves it's own mention. I still love the original, but I might actually feel like this one tops the original. 

 

-Lastly, Matt really nailed the whole 80’s new wave vibe he was going for with I Miss New Wave, Suburbia, and Let’s Get It On. Very cool to hear these songs re-imagined in such a way.
 

 

What I Didn’t Like Quite As Much

-Anyone else a little…concerned about Matt’s vocals? I don’t think they’re bad by any means, but after listening to this I can’t help but wonder if his smoking is starting to take a toll (that or he was sick when recording. I know the poor guy has stated he has an auto-immune disorder which leaves him susceptible to getting sick far more than normal). Ether way, while there’s nothing wrong with not screaming or tuning songs down a half step to go easier on ones voice and stay in tune as one gets a bit older, there are parts in different songs (such as the ending to Suburbia or the lack of falsetto in I Miss New Wave) where it seems like Matt doesn’t even attempt to reach those higher octaves. There seemed to be some higher pitched backing vocals during Born to Kill which were maybe muted down a little too much imo (I would assume of course because backing vocals always are) but I’m not sure if those are his or Blake’s. Either way it would have been nice if there was a little more focus on the high end rather than the low throughout the album. 

 

-The climax for I Miss New Wave is pretty big let down for me. I like Blake as a drummer, and he does some nice work on this album (such as on Born to Kill) but he was way too contained between the 3:02 to 3:26 mark of the song, imo. His hi-hats were almost completely closed the entire time, there are no heavy fills (or fills at all for that matter), and only one symbol crash that I can hear. Not sure if that was his choice or Matt’s to have it played that way but it feels like that part of the song could have benefited from more intensity on the drums. 

 

-Not sure what to make of Load Me Up yet. Gonna give it some more listens before I make a call on it for myself. Didn't like it at first but it's slowly getting easier to listen to. Reminds me a little bit of Ryan Adams, though I'm not sure if in the case of this song that's a good or bad thing. Might have appreciated something with a little less country guitar in it. 

Overall

All that said, if Matt does read this, I hope the criticisms for the album don't seem like they outweigh the positive parts of it. As a fan, and Matt having been my favourite artist since I was 14, I honestly really do appreciate getting to hear new stuff and interpretations. Like I said, I love the New Wave vibe and am definitely looking forwards to the new album even more now :)

Edited December 6, 2016 by daniel_v

[emmit643]

Fun Emma Fact: I Miss New Wave is the reason I know how to pronounce Coquitlam

[adam_777]

haha I remember some fan years back wanting to visit Coquitlam to see this small backwoods town where Matt grew up. Someone had to shatter their image with the news that Coquitlam is a suburb of Vancouver with a population well in excess of 100,000 people haha.  

I love the local references.  Every time I'm in Vancouver I tour around to locations from the music videos, it still pisses me off about the Chateau Granville though 

Edited December 6, 2016 by adam_777

[andydanger85]

Fun Emma Fact: I Miss New Wave is the reason I know how to pronounce Coquitlam

 

Haha. My dad spent part of his childhood there, as did my aunt and uncles and grandparents. I was pleasantly surprised when I heard Matt was from there. 

What I Liked

 

-The production work is fantastic. Warne is getting better and better the older he gets.  All the instruments are crsip, clear, and yet not too overly polished. With the original Beautiful Midnight (and even AOB) there were certain of sections where different instruments would drown out others, but in these songs there's a very nice equilibrium where I can hear all the instrumental parts easily. I really appreciate that. Likewise, all the keyboards and background noises are perfectly placed and actually quite haunting. Hopefully Matt continues with him for the next album.

 

-I love a lot of the reworked instrumental parts for the songs and the different progressions Matt wrote (Stu’s lead at the end of LGIO and especially the chorus for LGIO were really surprising and cool). Also, even though I still prefer the originals, there are some beautiful guitar parts on Born to Kill and I Miss New Wave.

 

-Let's Get It On deserves it's own mention. I still love the original, but I might actually feel like this one tops the original. 

 

-Lastly, Matt really nailed the whole 80’s new wave vibe he was going for with I Miss New Wave, Suburbia, and Let’s Get It On. Very cool to hear these songs re-imagined in such a way.

 

 

What I Didn’t Like Quite As Much

 

-Anyone else a little…concerned about Matt’s vocals? I don’t think they’re bad by any means, but after listening to this I can’t help but wonder if his smoking is starting to take a toll (that or he was sick when recording. I know the poor guy has stated he has an auto-immune disorder which leaves him susceptible to getting sick far more than normal). Ether way, while there’s nothing wrong with not screaming or tuning songs down a half step to go easier on ones voice and stay in tune as one gets a bit older, there are parts in different songs (such as the ending to Suburbia or the lack of falsetto in I Miss New Wave) where it seems like Matt doesn’t even attempt to reach those higher octaves. There seemed to be some higher pitched backing vocals during Born to Kill which were maybe muted down a little too much imo (I would assume of course because backing vocals always are) but I’m not sure if those are his or Blake’s. Either way it would have been nice if there was a little more focus on the high end rather than the low throughout the album. 

 

-The climax for I Miss New Wave is pretty big let down for me. I like Blake as a drummer, and he does some nice work on this album (such as on Born to Kill) but he was way too contained between the 3:02 to 3:26 mark of the song, imo. His hi-hats were almost completely closed the entire time, there are no heavy fills (or fills at all for that matter), and only one symbol crash that I can hear. Not sure if that was his choice or Matt’s to have it played that way but it feels like that part of the song could have benefited from more intensity on the drums. 

 

-Not sure what to make of Load Me Up yet. Gonna give it some more listens before I make a call on it for myself. Didn't like it at first but it's slowly getting easier to listen to. Reminds me a little bit of Ryan Adams, though I'm not sure if in the case of this song that's a good or bad thing. Might have appreciated something with a little less country guitar in it. 

 

Overall

All that said, if Matt does read this, I hope the criticisms for the album don't seem like they outweigh the positive parts of it. As a fan, and Matt having been my favourite artist since I was 14, I honestly really do appreciate getting to hear new stuff and interpretations. Like I said, I love the New Wave vibe and am definitely looking forwards to the new album even more now :)

 

I agree with regards to Let's Get It On completely.

 

With regards to his voice, he has said elsewhere on here that he has noticed his voice deepening and changing with age. In fact, it's pretty common for male singers. You may be on to something when you talk about him being sick though, as he was recording this the same week/period he did TURF and he was very sick when he played the show. I noticed on social media he went back up to the studio after the show. At the same time, I think the vocals on the recording are fantastic. He goes for the high notes a lot more than he has been doing the last few years ... I think some of the lower deliveries may have been artistic choices.

[Manchalivin]

I actually quite like the lower "real intent" part on this version of New Wave.  I think some lower parts were artistic choices.  He definitely doesn't sound like he used to but I think he can still belt it out pretty good.  His younger and older voice, they both have great qualities.

[emmit643]

Haha. My dad spent part of his childhood there, as did my aunt and uncles and grandparents. I was pleasantly surprised when I heard Matt was from there.

 

 

I agree with regards to Let's Get It On completely.

 

With regards to his voice, he has said elsewhere on here that he has noticed his voice deepening and changing with age. In fact, it's pretty common for male singers. You may be on to something when you talk about him being sick though, as he was recording this the same week/period he did TURF and he was very sick when he played the show. I noticed on social media he went back up to the studio after the show. At the same time, I think the vocals on the recording are fantastic. He goes for the high notes a lot more than he has been doing the last few years ... I think some of the lower deliveries may have been artistic choices.

Yeah he was sick at the studio before TURF and after. But I don't think he made those vocal choices to accommodate being sick...that would make no sense. I think they were purposeful. And for what it's worth I really like the registers that got tapped into.

I actually quite like the lower "real intent" part on this version of New Wave. I think some lower parts were artistic choices. He definitely doesn't sound like he used to but I think he can still belt it out pretty good. His younger and older voice, they both have great qualities.

Agree.