Audio Of Being

[el tripoli]

would anyone agree that audio of being beats beautiful midnight by far? i think this one deserved to be their huge album, although it had no hugely radio friendly songs. but beautiful midnight is always raved as their best work which i believe is untrue.

[Longroad]

I would tend to agree with you on this one. I hold Audio of Being in a higher regard than Beautiful Midnight but that isn't saying much as I love both albums. But if I had to chose one over the other it would be AOB. Just fantastic work on that album.

[soundless_space]

Audio of Being is my favourite Matthew Good Band album. That I state with certainty.

[Prometheon]

For sure. AoB is light years ahead of BM to me, and Anti Pop, Carmelina, and arguably Workers could have been smash singles.

[oneeighty]

Its beauty is its diversity. Just taking the first four tracks from the albun is an indication of just how much the album offers. I wouldn't say Audio of Being is light years ahead of Beautiful Midnight, but it's a darker, more accomplished effort I would say.

 

Although I'm still scratching my head as to how "All Together" didn't make the cut.

[Kitch_Man]

All a matter of opinion really.

 

Of course any person who actually knows of/enjoys great rock&roll music would have a tough time convincing anyone that AOB isn't brilliant and bold, both lyrically and musically, in scape...

 

In turn, I would say the same for most of Matt's other LP's (as well as the Loser Anthems EP)...

 

I don't think there is a single track off of Beautiful Midnight that is weak or lacks substance. The album as a whole is arguably the best Canadian band effort from the 1990's.

[Guest Prosis]

Personally, I like Man of Action, Tripoli, Advertising..., I, The Throw Away, The Rat Who... and Protest Song...that's it

 

I listen to BM from beginning to end maybe with the exception of Time Bomb

[Bladeso]

I have to disagree with everyone as good as both albums are Beautiful midnight comes out on top. the reason is BM was the frist album that I bought of MG, and it showed me how amazingly divres he is. AOB is a good album but as a hole it is too dark due to the trouble that the band and matt were going thourgh. My fear is that becasue AoB was so dark due to the rough times that the next album that Matt puts out may be very dark, and thus not as good as Avalanche...

[Guest Prosis]

I just want to point out that you technically agree with me ;)

 

Also, both Avalanche and BM were written from a dark point of view as is all the MG catalogue bar Song For The Girl. Even Catastrophe is dark, it just has a lighter beat. So basically, even if it has been a dark year for Matt, his new stuff will probably as good if not better than his previous. The problem you see with AOB has more to do with inner band turmoil than MG darkness. I mean, four individuals who are not getting along who try to do something collective end up with something that is pretty confused

Edited October 8, 2006 by Prosis

[Detigr]

For me, I have to say that they both come out tied for quality of lyric, song and atmosphere. I love so many songs from both, but for me the most comprehensive work for Matthew Good is Avalanche.

 

Every song on that record speaks to me in ways other songs by him just fall a bit short of doing.

 

I started listening to Matt during WLRR (I know, I know; newbie), but I fell in love with Avalanche.

 

S'all subjective, really...

[Rebabaluba]

AOB is the best album in my opinion (and my opinion should matter the most).

 

I like the fact that it's darker, gets the listener into a mood.

 

The cd is a rollarcoaster ride that hits you hard then softens up. I love it.

[Jay]

BM has a greater variety of music, but AoB has more of my all-time favorite MG songs, and it's helped me get through shit in life, so I'll always give it props.

[ben is a sandwich]

well, i'd say BM is more cohesive. it works better as an album.

 

funny, those two are the msot obviously related mg(b) efforts in my opinion, as they are both a lot darker and more... neurotic, maybe, than most of the others. but they also have a similar sound. i love them both, but i think i'd hold AoB in higher regard if it BM hadn't been released. as it stands i sort of think of it as a SLIGHTLY less interesting version of the same album.

 

yes, i know. "blasphemy."

[Prometheon]

I dunno, to me I just feel like AoB has a higher "quality density." I love every single song except Carmelina. Beautiful Midnight is also amazing, but personally I'm just not a fan of Strange Days, Let's Get it On, or Going All the Way. The latter two just seem like filler, and for me, Strange Days just seems like Apparitions lite.

 

Edit: Alright, after listening to all of those songs, maybe I'm wrong ;)

Edited October 8, 2006 by Prometheon

[Shiri]

I think I like Beautiful Midnight better, but not a lot better. Both are my favorites.

[icantremember1989]

they are both very different albums but equally amazing.

[cringleman]

In direct contrast to the 'diversity' arguments proffered for each album, I'd argue that BM is the superior effort (just slightly, mind you) for the incredible cohesion the songs sustain. Audio of Being is a fantastic album, but the atmospheric thread that runs through Midnight just isn't there, for me.

 

Of course, this is a view that totally ignores preference for individual songs; I do truly love Strange Days, Jenni's Song, Giant and Suburbia, but there are probably more individual tracks on AoB that I hold in especially high esteem.

 

It's a tight race, says I.

 

Edited to fix some failed tags.

Edited October 8, 2006 by cringleman

[AnOceanPearl]

I've had the whole Beautiful Midnight vs Audio of Being debate in my head for years now, and really, I can't pick between the two. It all depends on my mood, what's going on in my life etc etc. Right now I'd have to say AoB because I'm going through a shitstorm of mental problems right now, and I do think that album is the darker, more neurotic and more cynical of the two albums, which, is generally how I feel on a day to day basis as of late.

 

I love all the tracks on both of these albums, and they both strike a chord with me deep down, in their own way, so really, I can't pick.

[hum-an-ole]

I'm going to go with Audio of Being, but tomorrow I might change my mind. I really have a hard time chosing between MG albums, even between songs. As I've mentioned before in another post similar to this, the diversity in his music is the reason I love it so much and therefore my song/album preference changes depending on my mood.

[reckoner]

tension can bring out the best results. thus, i think AoB is the superior. it has higher highs and lower lows, it doesn't seem like it's walking on a thread of commercial success that i hear when i listen to BM. BM to me seems like a radio-friendly album (despite it's dark lyrics), and almost as a response to capitalize on Apparitions success. as opposed to AoB, which doesn't seem like it has song that could've been a huge single (there's a reason Carmelina did mediocre, and Anti-Pop went nowhere). perhaps it's have been a huge success if it had the support of touring and more media interviews.

 

however, despite the sense that it's meant to be the more diverse of the two records, i find also that AoB may come across as more redundant at times. matt once sid of the tragically hip something like, "how many songs can you end with a guitar solo?" then AoB has mostly verse/chorus/verse/chorus/outro, with the outro being a solo or a drawn-out riff or strings or something of the sort, it doesn't seem to have much diversity in structure. BM might not either, but this is something i've just noticed about AoB.

 

none the less, AoB wins by a hair.

[badlittlemonkeyboy]

I think I would have to say that my favorite album is Matt's first solo effort "Avalanche" . . . every track on that album is great Near Fantistica, Hunting Rabbits, 21rst Century Living, Song for the girl . . .

[hello_time_bomb]

I have to say I listen to Beautiful Midnight from beginning to end most times, but with Audio of Being I only ever listen to the first 3-4 songs. Having said that, 'Tripoli' is my favourite MGB song.

Personally I do prefer BM, but there's no denying that both are great albums in their own right

[sodamntired]

My prediction: Audio of Being will be an album that a lot of college aged music fans will discover in the future and talk about how awesome the album is and wonder whatever happened to the MGB or why did they break up

[MS_DOS]

Like a lot of people it depends on my mood, but IF I had to choose, I would have to go with AoB. I just love the dark nature of the songs and the amount of emotion that was put into the record.

[Guest Prosis]

Matt seems to be getting into it lately what with Man of Action and Rat being streamed off his website