Search - Matthew Good :: White Light Rock & Roll Review

I admit. I Miss New Wave.

warrian | Minneapolis, MN United States | 05/10/2005

(3 out of 5 stars)

"Well, it's been several months since I received Matthew Good's "White Light Rock & Roll Review" which was by far one of my most eagerly anticipated releases of 2004. Not much struck me on my first listen except how different the whole approach was to this album from his previous "Avalanche" (an absolute MUST purchase BTW) but I had read a bit about its development and felt I knew what to expect. My interest was peaked and it became clear that unlike just about all of Matt's other releases, this one was going to have to grow on me if it had any hope of taking hold. As I said, it's been months and dozens more listens and there's still not much happening. I appear to be in the minority of Matthew Good fans who seem to really like this (if fellow Amazon reviewers are anything to go by), but I find this album to be a curiosity at best, and largely unsatisfying.



It has a decent lead off single "Alert Status Red" although despite some topical lyrics even that has a -we've heard it all before- kind of vibe. The opening two tracks start loud and never take enough to time to even bother to go nowhere quickly. "It's Been a While..." & "Bad Idea" seem to harken back to songs that were better done on "Beautiful Midnight" but might appeal to fans of his more radio friendly stuff. "We're So Heavy" holds the promise of a well made tune but then reverts to an incongruous medley of sorts held together only by its lyrics. The Who homage "Ex-Pats..." sounds like it might have made a nice b-side someday.



Even the stuff I've grown to like quite a bit is flawed. "Blue Skies Over Bad Lands" seems to have everything you would want out of a MG epic, but it's minimalist arrangement doesn't seem to build along with its escalating ideas. It runs out of steam. I get the feeling I'd have to actually be in the room with the guy for this tune to have its full effect. "North American Life" is very good material but at 2:07 if you blink, you'll miss it. There's a sort of alt-country bonus track here that has a lot of charm too.



Matthew Good is a real virtuoso in a lot of ways. I was quite spoiled to first hear his whole catalog just prior to the release of "Avalanche" a couple years ago. It was deluge of sound and ideas and really got me excited about a new artist in way I hadn't been in quite a while. I'm still in the Matthew Good camp and can't wait to hear what he has in store next. After all, even a 3-star album like this has a multitude of moments that impress: a break, a turn of phrase, a strategically placed crack of the voice. The difference between this album and most of his others is that here these moments don't seem to add up to anything lasting.



And I really have tried to give it a fair shake."

Aint no blue skies over bad lands, even if it aint raining.

Sebastian, J.F. | Toronto, ON Canada | 02/24/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"For 8 years I have called Matthew my favourite artist of all time - and he's the only one I've ever bestowed with that title. And with "White Light Rock & Roll Review" we have finally, after many ups and downs, arrived back at where we should be. Matt is making his music and having a blast again.



"White Light" is a protest album, done in the classic fashion of 60's-style rock and roll, country, ballads, you name it. It's raw and unpolished. There's hardly any effects. The staple string section is now gone. And my God is it awesome.



Every song can be counted as one of the best songs on the album. But the best examples are "We're So Heavy," which starts off with an uptempo drive and then abruptly slows down into a searing power ballad with one of the best guitar solos on the album; "Empty Road" is the first to re-introduce the folk-country influence that marked Matthew's earliest work. With slide guitar and all it may sound hokey in description but in practise it's as catchy as anything you're likely to hear; "North American For Life" is probably the loudest, angriest, most humorous protest song ever made and makes no apologies for the subject of its contempt.



By this point the album is already at a 5 star rating but the best is yet to come.

"It's Been A While Since I Was Your Man" is a picture-perfect love ballad. "Buffalo Seven" is worthy of being named among the best late 60's rock songs. "Ex-Pats Of The Blue Mountain Symphony Orchestra" is about as Who or Zepplin-esque as the album gets. But it's one hell of an epic closer (discounting the hidden track). All of these are brilliant songs, easily the best from the album. But one song stands off in its own category. It could very well be the best song Matthew has ever written in his entire life so far.



"Blue Skies Over Bad Lands" is one of those slow-boiler, endlessly building songs that never erupts into a caucophony of loud noise. Instead it builds to a point when it's about to burst and then burns like a flame for over a minute. Again this is done through another one of the best guitar solos on the album. To fully appeciate how impacting this song is, you have to see it performed live, with the lights turned off and strobe lights flashing randomly on the walls and the roof giving the impression that the bombs are falling.



It gives you shivers.

And if that sounds lame to you, then this probably isn't your bag. For shame."