New Album 2017

[NonPopulus]

I've only listened to it twice but Chaotic Neutral was a much stronger album to me. Cold Water, Los Alamos, Harridan, Kid Down the Well, Tiger By The Tail, Girls In Black, Cloudbusting are all range from very good to some of the best songs of Matt's career.

I feel like Chaotic Neutral sounds like a random collection of songs. I guess that was one of the points, but I really liked the way Arrows of Desire flowed, so it didn’t necessarily click for me the same way when it was released. I think Matt had said he didn’t even worry about tracking Chaotic Neutral, because of the way music is consumed these days. Something Like a Storm feels like it was composed and recorded to be an album with a strong statement behind it. It sounds very rich, polished, and professional. I also think the latter has stronger songs, even though I love all of the songs from both records. I also think it sort of helps that I didn’t hear any demos this time around.

Edited October 23, 2017 by NonPopulus

[Guest Idioteque]

Yeah I can see the heavy new wave 80's feel, so if the lack of leads is intentional then that's fine. All I'm saying is even Michael jackson knew to use Eddie Van Halen to his full potential, I'd like to see Stu work more of his magic.

 

I watched a 2017 live Tom Cochrane performance & his ability to play guitar has really dropped over the years. He tends to walk around with the mic and his guitar by his side or depend on the band for the rhythm, same can be said about Johnny Cash near his end or Willie Nelson.

 

Not implying Matt is anywhere near close to being an awful guitar player, I don't think I've ever seen him fuck up or lose the beat. But I've been really enjoying his performances without the guitar like when he walks in the crowd or sits on the edge of the stage.

 

I know I could watch an entire concert with him channeling his inner Gord.

[Coochiemudlo]

I've only listened to it twice but Chaotic Neutral was a much stronger album to me. Cold Water, Los Alamos, Harridan, Kid Down the Well, Tiger By The Tail, Girls In Black, Cloudbusting are all range from very good to some of the best songs of Matt's career.

 

Gotta agree.  Chaotic Neutral was better..

[Outtahere]

Had to go to 3 stores to find it but I finally got it! 

 

Concerning Chaotic Neutral, that record was never one of my favourite. It features the first MG record ever with a song I have never liked (No Liars) and some I usually skip (All You Sons and Daughters, Moments, Girls in Black). I prefer this record. As it's been said, there's no bad songs on it. But, given its style and length, I kind of see it as an extension of CN, a complementary album.

 

Bullets in a Briefcase remains one of his best songs ever. It's right up there with Weapon, Non Populus and other of his masterpieces.

[hoogie]

I can really appreciate this album as a whole.  This is probably the most cohesive album that he's ever done.  Nothing seems out of place compared to the other songs.  

 

I really like the vibe on this record.  Bullets is my favourite so far.  I was surprised at the length of the record, but 40 minute albums aren't unusual anymore.  

[foats]

After a few days and plays I am still loving  This Is Night.  I really hope it is a major part of the next tour.  This song back to back with Bullets  would be a perfect close to any concert. 

[andydanger85]

My review after sampling a few times over the last several days ...

This album is really an exercise in "coming full circle", for me. My favourite artist who influenced me creating an album rife with his own pubescent/young adult influences. I have to say, tunes like "There The First Time", "She's Got You Were She Wants You" and "This Is Night" rubs me a different way- but I say that as a good thing. I have a soft spot for new wave tinged music and my early childhood was defined by early 90's power ballads in the vein of Meat Loaf and Bonnie Tyler ... and I wasn't expecting to get that from Matt. But it's refreshing. One of the things that I have always loved about him is that he isn't afraid to burn the whole facade down and start again... from album to album it's kinda been that way for always ...

Between LOTGA to Raygun someone told him to buy an electric guitar because he was writing rock songs, not folk songs. From Raygun to Underdogs, he embraced late era grunge and was at the forefront of alt rock. Beautiful Midnight and The Audio of Being are two of the most epic, prototypical alt rock records that combine big sound with orchestral work and a raw emotionalism that saw him found his voice - one that I still maintain is one of the most unique and powerful to exist in music, period. With the breakup of MGB, we saw a further progression to Avalanche with a combination of the alt rock stuff that he had become known for, as well as swelling orchestral ballads and pop sensibilities. Between Avalanche and WLRRR, we see a shift from big, produced orchestral symphonies to short, stripped down, garage rock that features the centrepiece standout Blue Skies Over Badlands - definitely an overall career highlight. From there, he went back to his roots and wrote what is essentially a folk album with some alt-country and alt-rock elements with Hospital Music. A few years later, Vancouver was released and it embraces a concept album format; stylistically, the orchestra returned and was added to a soundboard that borrows from U2/arena rock inflection. LOES features the introduction of brass, owes a lot to jazz, and is really the first time since the MGB days that we get some prominent lead guitar work. Arrows of Desire is a straight up rock record which features a couple Audio of Being-era bangers near the tail end with heavy synths and a foreboding tone (Garden of Knives and Mutineering). Chaotic Neutral, as intended, is a little of all of the above ....which brings us to a new era ...."I still miss new wave"

You can draw a straight line from the BM revisited work to the new album, and it's glorious. Men at the Door reminds me of The Cure in the best way, and the above songs create that 80's sensibility that make this album something special. In my opinion, the singles are the weakest songs. That doesn't mean they are weak, just not as good as the rest of the record. Bad Guys Win and Something Like A Storm sound like they belong on Vancouver, Decades is an amazing song save for the choruses, and Days Come Down fits the audio aesthetic very nicely. 

All in all, as always, Matt has evolved and so have my own tastes in following his work. Sometimes he does things we don't expect, but that challenge is one I am always open to accepting. It's added so much value to my life, and Something Like A Storm is just the latest example of that.

EDIT: Oh, and I forgot about Bullets in a Briefcase because I posted in the thread dedicated to the song, but like many others, it's bound for my daily, ever changing Matt Good top ten list ( which I could probably never actually sit down and write out, because it's more of a top 25 ... even that's pushing it)

Edited October 23, 2017 by andydanger85

[patrickjnixon]

I was out of the country for the last few days and am just getting into the album now.  I've listened twice through so far and completely love it.  I was worried that MG was putting out the best songs (Bad Guys Win, Decades, etc) but it turns out he was doing the opposite.  Men at the door and Bullets are amazing!!!

[foats]

I was out of the country for the last few days and am just getting into the album now.  I've listened twice through so far and completely love it.  I was worried that MG was putting out the best songs (Bad Guys Win, Decades, etc) but it turns out he was doing the opposite.  Men at the door and Bullets are amazing!!!

I like Bad Guy Win but still can't get into Decades.  Men at the door and Bullets are great as is This is Night.  Those are my go to songs as well as Something Like a Storm. Repeat those songs often.

[adam_777]

I wonder if we will hear B-sides from this album?  Prior to the last tour Matt had gone into the studio and laid down seven songs.  At that point he said he had recorded about half the album and took a break to tour with the band set to reconvene in studio after the album to presumably record seven more songs.  I know I am guessing that the second session included seven songs as it was said roughly half was recorded, but I find it unlikely only two were recorded as well.  So did Matt decided to just not record certain songs which he may have demoed.  Or did the band record some that Matt then decided to leave by the way side? I was definitely surprised when the tracklisting surfaced with nine songs because I was thinking for sure we'd be looking at 12-14 songs.  

This isn't a complaint at all, I find shorter albums are often times more focused works, but I'm just curious if other things were recorded.  

 

[patrickjnixon]

I wonder if we will hear B-sides from this album?  Prior to the last tour Matt had gone into the studio and laid down seven songs.  At that point he said he had recorded about half the album and took a break to tour with the band set to reconvene in studio after the album to presumably record seven more songs.  I know I am guessing that the second session included seven songs as it was said roughly half was recorded, but I find it unlikely only two were recorded as well.  So did Matt decided to just not record certain songs which he may have demoed.  Or did the band record some that Matt then decided to leave by the way side? I was definitely surprised when the tracklisting surfaced with nine songs because I was thinking for sure we'd be looking at 12-14 songs.  

 

This isn't a complaint at all, I find shorter albums are often times more focused works, but I'm just curious if other things were recorded.  

 

 

Good question.  He usually has a few demos that don't make the album which often become favorite songs of us NFers.  Hopefully we can get our hands on them this time.

[Outtahere]

Matt's been switching to a 'do it like the 70's and 80's' way of working in the last years. Shorter records, song fade outs, live off the floor recordings, later announcements for a new record, etc. That's the way the bands he loved when he grew up worked so I'm guessing he prefers working that way himself. He does seem to miss that era in the music business.

 

That's just a guess (and I'm not saying it's negative by any means). 

[patrickjnixon]

My review after sampling a few times over the last several days ...

 

This album is really an exercise in "coming full circle", for me. My favourite artist who influenced me creating an album rife with his own pubescent/young adult influences. I have to say, tunes like "There The First Time", "She's Got You Were She Wants You" and "This Is Night" rubs me a different way- but I say that as a good thing. I have a soft spot for new wave tinged music and my early childhood was defined by early 90's power ballads in the vein of Meat Loaf and Bonnie Tyler ... and I wasn't expecting to get that from Matt. But it's refreshing. One of the things that I have always loved about him is that he isn't afraid to burn the whole facade down and start again... from album to album it's kinda been that way for always ...

 

Between LOTGA to Raygun someone told him to buy an electric guitar because he was writing rock songs, not folk songs. From Raygun to Underdogs, he embraced late era grunge and was at the forefront of alt rock. Beautiful Midnight and The Audio of Being are two of the most epic, prototypical alt rock records that combine big sound with orchestral work and a raw emotionalism that saw him found his voice - one that I still maintain is one of the most unique and powerful to exist in music, period. With the breakup of MGB, we saw a further progression to Avalanche with a combination of the alt rock stuff that he had become known for, as well as swelling orchestral ballads and pop sensibilities. Between Avalanche and WLRRR, we see a shift from big, produced orchestral symphonies to short, stripped down, garage rock that features the centrepiece standout Blue Skies Over Badlands - definitely an overall career highlight. From there, he went back to his roots and wrote what is essentially a folk album with some alt-country and alt-rock elements with Hospital Music. A few years later, Vancouver was released and it embraces a concept album format; stylistically, the orchestra returned and was added to a soundboard that borrows from U2/arena rock inflection. LOES features the introduction of brass, owes a lot to jazz, and is really the first time since the MGB days that we get some prominent lead guitar work. Arrows of Desire is a straight up rock record which features a couple Audio of Being-era bangers near the tail end with heavy synths and a foreboding tone (Garden of Knives and Mutineering). Chaotic Neutral, as intended, is a little of all of the above ....which brings us to a new era ...."I still miss new wave"

 

You can draw a straight line from the BM revisited work to the new album, and it's glorious. Men at the Door reminds me of The Cure in the best way, and the above songs create that 80's sensibility that make this album something special. In my opinion, the singles are the weakest songs. That doesn't mean they are weak, just not as good as the rest of the record. Bad Guys Win and Something Like A Storm sound like they belong on Vancouver, Decades is an amazing song save for the choruses, and Days Come Down fits the audio aesthetic very nicely. 

 

All in all, as always, Matt has evolved and so have my own tastes in following his work. Sometimes he does things we don't expect, but that challenge is one I am always open to accepting. It's added so much value to my life, and Something Like A Storm is just the latest example of that.

 

EDIT: Oh, and I forgot about Bullets in a Briefcase because I posted in the thread dedicated to the song, but like many others, it's bound for my daily, ever changing Matt Good top ten list ( which I could probably never actually sit down and write out, because it's more of a top 25 ... even that's pushing it)

Very well said.  I totally agree that there is a direct line with BM revisited to this new album.  

[Coochiemudlo]

Having listened to the album the past few days, my big regret now is listening to the first songs released early so much.  

[Prairieboy]

Having listened to the album the past few days, my big regret now is listening to the first songs released early so much.

 

Me too....I think I'm going to stop pre-buying songs from now on prior to an album release....

[Williammunny11]

Having listened to the album the past few days, my big regret now is listening to the first songs released early so much.  

 

I so agree!  I was not really into any of the pre-release songs (save for Something Like A Storm) but after hearing them within the context of the album I am totally blown away.

[andydanger85]

Andydanger85, I basically agree with 99% of what you said so thanks for saving me the trouble of writing my own review!!!! lol

 

 

Very well said.  I totally agree that there is a direct line with BM revisited to this new album.  

 

Thanks Marcy and Patrick. I've always felt that way and with the new album coming out, I felt it was a good time to integrate it!

[Gomo]

I finally got to listen to the whole album tonight for the first time. I mentioned it before, but I got married on the 20th and then immediately left town for a few days, so I wasn't really able to get alone with the album. I previously only heard Bad Guys Win and Decades.

 

Having heard the whole thing, I have to reserve judgment until a few more full listens. I will say "She's Got You Where She Wants You" is the song that I immediately went back to replay after the album ended. Instant classic. Also really liked Men at the Door and Something Like A Storm (even though it didn't resemble the demo at all). Days Come Down was definitely the weakest track on the first listen.

 

I know the album is short but that doesn't necessarily bother me. I think many shorter, more concise albums are better than some needlessly long albums, in general.

[Lifetime Good]

Which specific songs were co-written by Matt and Warne?

[PlasticSoldier]

Which specific songs were co-written by Matt and Warne?

 

There The First Time, Days Come Down, and Bullets In A Briefcase

[andydanger85]

A bit of a redirect, and if you're like me you won't be able to un-hear this, but the lead guitar fill that begins in the first breakdown/chorus when he says the line "The wire in your blood..." in "She's Got You Where She Wants You" sounds eerily similar to the lead line in ............Rico.  Great song, fill works...I just hear Rico playing in the background every time now. It's not EXACTLY the same, but similar/reminiscent.

[Guest Idioteque]

First time I've seen this, Matt on Global.

 

https://globalnews.ca/video/3828512/matthew-good-performs-decades

 

Not decades.

[foats]

First time I've seen this, Matt on Global.

 

https://globalnews.ca/video/3828512/matthew-good-performs-decades

 

Not decades.

did the host not do his homework and listen to the album?   I wonder how Decades would come across minus full band. I personally think Men at the Door> Decades  so I was happy to hear this.

[andydanger85]

First time I've seen this, Matt on Global.

 

https://globalnews.ca/video/3828512/matthew-good-performs-decades

 

Not decades.

 

 

did the host not do his homework and listen to the album?   I wonder how Decades would come across minus full band. I personally think Men at the Door> Decades  so I was happy to hear this.

 

I noticed this as well. I think it may have been an assumption on the part of Global that he'd be playing the single. It's labelled and was announced as Decades. 

[Guest Idioteque]

Makes me really wanna hear an acoustic version of Decades now.