Review Summary: Matthew Good is Breaking Barriers on "Moving Walls"
My most distant memory with Matthew Good, as far as I can recall came in the form of his single, "Weapon," which resonated with me at the time as I was in the middle of my first real crush in junior high school. I thought it was a more sophisticated song compared to most of the other singles on the radio, with its clever lyrics, atmospheric tone, and sincerely emotive vocals. I thought it would impress the girl and so I even learned the song on guitar, alas to no avail. Despite this, as the years went by I was still a fan of his and found my taste moving from rock to more softer acoustic music. As it happens, Matthew's musical direction shifted with me on his acoustic effort "Hospital Music," which I still adore to this day. In fact, honestly speaking, I love all his records flaws and all. Which brings me along to his latest release, "Moving Walls."
As mentioned earlier, I'm more partial to acoustic based music these days, and while I still enjoy rock and other genres, there is something more vulnerable and personal with just a vocalist and his instrument. This is where the 'breaking barriers" aspect comes into play. It's not breaking barriers, or in this case walls, in the sense that this is something entirely new and never heard of before. But it's taking down the barriers in that the extra noise or distraction is gone and all the emotion is laid bare, exposed, unable to hide. It is in this setting that one can more easily discover nuances and or mistakes in the performance, and also grasp what the vocalist has to say.
Take one of my favorites for instance on the record, "One of Them Years." It is lyrically speaking a classic Matt Good song with political commentary and a stripped down instrumental presentation echoing the bare bones future some scientists predict for Earth and civilization. Lines like "Oh the sea ain't really rising baby You're just getting shorter Never mind the science Them vaccinations cause dysphoria And them pictures of the planet Are doctored so it looks like a place akin to heaven But only from a distance" really present a hard hitting truth but in a more conversational way. I can't help but get Leonard Cohen vibes from this song, it's great.
Another standout is 'Selling You My Heart" from which the lyrics represented my own feelings when it was first released, and as with any good music, the themes behind the songs can apply to you given almost any situation. In that sense music is timeless. Specifically when Matt advises, "Gotta think, gotta think carefully The PR of inaccuracy Photographs of the back of me These photographs of the back of me." In my case, and honestly every person alive or dead, can relate that not everything is as it seems. Not every school kid that you see out in the hallway during class is a rebel or kicked out for misbehaving, and in Matt's case, I feel this in part has to do with his bi polar condition. Matt was once very popular mostly in Canada during the late 90's and early 2000's, however he at times said very controversial things. Whether it's fair or not to attest that to his bipolarism I don't know. Regardless we all say and do dumb things sometimes, and taking a moment to cover all aspects of the situations is always appreciated.
When all is said and done, I adore this record. Matthew Good is at his best when he slows things down, lets it breathe, and does so earnestly. The inclusion of strings, and small ambient portions add to the musical depth of the record and adds a bit of diversity but does not overshadow the largely acoustical component of the album. In "Moving Walls," the path is cleared for further records that add to his already impressive discography, and I for one look forward to it.
