Review Summary: They make beautiful noise together.
To the dismay of many, including myself, Matchbox 20 announced that they were breaking up after the completion of their third record More Than You Think You Are. I was one of the many fans who were ready to chide that glory hog Rob Thomas for his commitment to his solo career while his fellow band members languished outside the spotlight. Matchbox 20 was that band that you could always trust to release decent, sturdy alt-pop-rock music that existed in a sonic landscape that was never quite the same to the rest of its contemporaries. All of their albums, while differing slightly in theme and style, were always consistently good. So when Matchbox turned around and yelled “A-ha! Tricked you!”, I wasn’t angry anymore, because the Orlando boys were just having fun with me! But just to show there was no hard feelings, they presented Exile on Mainstream, and man, it was a breath of fresh air.
Rob Thomas’ voice has never sounded stronger than it does here. His vocal performances are always top notch and beautifully aware of when to embrace or rebel, and it does just that again. Whether driving the energetic
I’ll Believe You When or subdued and simple in
These Hard Times, it compels and directs the song with authority. In fact, Thomas and the band sound more congruent than ever, lending themselves to each other in a wonderful and organic blend.
All Your Reasons catalogues this union best on the album; while Thomas croons along during the smooth, building verses, the steady but firm drumbeat and simple and complementing guitar strums cement and explode into the indelibly vivacious chorus.
The most intriguing and oddly attractive aspect of Exile on Mainstream is the divorce between melody and lyrics, a furthered and refined ideal that began with the last album’s
Feel and
Disease. From the offset,
How Far We’ve Come depicts the apocalypse with startling immediacy, but the jaunty and upbeat flow of the song completely contrasts it, creating a carefree such-is-life atmosphere in the face of the end.
All Your Reasons follows the same theme, with a catchy “ba da da bap bap bap bap ba da” intro and an incredibly infectious chorus with Thomas’s punchy singing the driving force. Conversely, the song centres on the breakdown of a relationship, but how could that possibly follow with the high GI index of his song? Somehow it does, and it’s a pearler.
This is something to take note of. While Matchbox 20 have released a good amount of buoyant, beguiling songs on previous albums, the craftsmanship applied to Exile on Mainstream obviously benefits from their experience and is arguably some of their best work.
While there is a greater focus on frenetic, high octane songs, the lamenting ballad
These Hard Times and austere but thoroughly heart breaking
Can’t Let You Go hearken back to the well aged material. These songs help ground and diversify the album;
These Hard Times especially seems reminiscent of Yourself or Someone Like You with a little More Than You Think You Are thrown in. Mad Season-esque
Can’t Let You Go can be easily pictured humming through a blues diner with Thomas’ impassioned pleas for his loved one alongside the minimalist guitar.
If you were, by chance, plugging your earholes with rocks in the 90’s or simply weren’t alive/old enough to enjoy them back in their heyday, Exile on Mainstream comes with a second disc loaded with a “greatest hits” compilation spanning their three album, fifteen year career. While there are several defining moments from their discography missing (Kody and Downfall being two unfortunate exclusions) it acts as a tantalising sample of what Matchbox 20 have accomplished in their busy existence and is a great guide for younger fans.
When all is said and done, this is what makes Exile on Mainstream worth listening to; it’s Matchbox 20, and they’re in the best form they’ve ever been. The band has come together and crafted an EP that is amazingly fun and charming while just lasting long enough. Never have they sounded more in their element than this short but lively septuplet of songs brimming with head bopping tunes.
Rob Thomas said it best when he said “When we get together, we combine all our talents into one incredible whole. That’s the beauty of this band – we make beautiful noise together.” Indeed, Rob. Let’s hope for more in the future.
