Review Summary: When the world was given a collective dose of conformity, Matthew Good was bent down tying his shoes.
Matthew Good is an intriguingly bombastic character. For starters, the man is hardly a household name outside of Canada. I'd hasten to bet that a large portion of the users here would not recognize a Matthew Good Band song having heard it. That's not to say that they haven't ever heard one of his songs; they probably have, at some point. The thing is, Good single-handedly prevented his band from playing shows south of the border. He loathed the limelight and after the release of this album, his interactions with the media were tense and strenuous. One might shake their head at the prospect of denying fans the chance to hear a band, but Good is a devout patriot that prefers to play only for Canadians and has stated that he always will be. He's also boycotted the Juno Awards despite being nominated for and winning several categories, claiming that the event is "unpure" because the event is open to American musicians (he believes it should be limited to Canadian musicians only.) Go figure.
"Beautiful Midnight" is considered by most to be the band's magnum opus, as it topped the Canadian Albums Chart upon its release and reached double platinum status a year later. This caused Good to experience severe anxiety issues and fear of playing to large crowds, which is kind of the opposite effect you'd think a pretentious and talented frontman would experience having been skyrocketed to fame. Despite the man's personal problems, he remains one of the most talented musicians ever to come out of Canada. His voice, which is at its peak on this album, is brittle yet powerful, jaded yet passionate and instantly identifiable to fans of the band. It's also the driving force behind the music, and that makes this one of the premium alternative rock albums to come out of the 1990s.
The first track, "Giant", begins with a chant from what sounds like a cheerleading team (K-I-C-K-A-S-S, That's the way we spell success!) and quickly progresses into a sedated look inside Good's head. His ethereal voice floats gently above the music, creating an almost entrancing experience for the listener. The lyrics are bitter and focus on a relationship that Good is envisioning in his mind. It's a fantastic opener and sets the tone perfectly for the second song and arguably the band's most successful hit, "Hello Time Bomb". The opening lines are cunning and abrasive, ("I found me a reason, so check me tomorrow. We'll see if I'm leaking, push and push and push till it hurts") and the music itself is catchy and infectious, which is obviously essential for any hit single to have. Great imagery is used here as well ("The Devil's on roller skates, down at the roller rink, pickin' up chicks for me"), making this an all-around hell of a listen. Moving into the third track, the band switches things up and the electric guitars are traded in for acoustics. "Strange Days" was my favorite Matthew Good Band song at first listen and continues to be to this day. Combined with the effective video that chronicles a cynic's view of society, this song is passion defined. Good's lyrics are tremendously jarring ("Good morning, don't cop out, you crawled for the cancer to land on your feet. Are you crazy to want this, even for a while?"), and in combination with his emotional voice, it's enough to hit me where it hurts every time. The fourth track, "I Miss New Wave", marks a return for the electrics and moves at a calm and steady pace. While being one of the weaker songs found here, it still manages to keep the listener's interest and delivers one of the few guitar solos towards the end of the song.
"Load Me Up" kicks things up a notch, and it's my third favorite song on the album. At a faster tempo than many Matthew Good Band songs, it contains some of Good's most memorable choruses ("I'm frantic, so load me up. Whatever puts me all the way out") and vocal melodies, as can be heard immediately as the song begins. It's just as catchy as "Hello Time Bomb", despite never being as popular in the charts. Next is "Failing The Rorschach Test", which begins with a military-style drum beat and a palm-muted riff. The bass is especially prevalent on this track, and it's a nice change for the listener. Good's lyrics are twisted and center on drug addiction ("I'm peeling off my skin, enough to fill it up again. Hey rabbit, into the pavement I'm caving in"), which Good suffered from for a portion of his career. The creepiest song on the album is "Suburbia, and it's a close second to "Strange Days" for my favorite track. An ominous bass-laden atmosphere sets in as Good whispers lyrics about being stuck in an abusive household, while a twinkling guitar part adds an extra aura of mystique. Some of my favorite lines on the album are present here, like "Is your whole life in the waiting?" and "You can be art when we melt", and it's truly a fantastic piece of music. "Let's Get It On" (not to be confused for the Barry White song of the same name) features the return of the acoustic guitars and has to do with a man pressuring a woman into having sex. The ironic title speaks more than many lyrics could, but there are still a few jems here and there ("Down came your blackbird to suffer in my arms.")
"Jenni's Song" ratchets up the pace from the moody middle section of the album. It's fairly unspectacular in the grand scheme of things in that it doesn't bring anything new to the table, but it's still a solid rock song and doesn't hurt the album at all. After, the suggestively-titled "Going All The Way" shows Good's misanthropic side again, as lyrics such as "Those missile men with their master plan don't get paid to understand, makes you wonder where we got those ***-eating grins from" dominate the melodic atmosphere. The song appears to be about suicide, despite the sexually suggestive title. Good seems to put a lot of stock into the naming of his band's tracks, as often times they give hints as to the meanings of the songs. "A Boy And His Machine Gun" is another acoustic track, and as referenced by the name it's about a school shooting from the perspective of the gunman. Some of his lyrics are downright disturbing ("It's amazing what velocity can do when human beings are in season") and show the downward spiral of a bullied child as he takes his revenge on his fellow classmates ("So *** you and your principals, and *** whatever made me. Perhaps you think I'm evil, perhaps you think I'm crazy.")
As the album winds to a close, the tracks remain as dark as ever. "The Future Is X-Rated" shows Good's vision of a future full of corruption and disrepair. Recurring audio samples in this song include an excerpt from a pornographic film, as a woman can be heard reciting several sexual lines in the background. It makes for a bleak experience for the listener, and it's almost like Good is scolding the listener for being turned on by the audio clips. "Born To Kill" is another look at murdering, only this time it's through the eyes of a serial killer instead of a confused youth. The tones are sharply contrasting, as the killer in this song expresses feelings of boredom at his actions ("You are sleeping in my memory, lonely like Satan. So I am with him, floating and loaded, enough to be released.") Finally, "Running For Home" is the only track on the album that is strictly vocals and piano. Good's voice really shines on its own, as it conveys the harshest of emotions with calm patience. The character in the song is strung out on drugs, as evidenced by the lyrics "They beam things into your head, the ghosts of your pleasure and contempt" and "Well it's too late tonight, and I'm sure you're right. So low for how high?"
In short, this album is a labyrinth of beauty, suicide, cynicisms, indifference and just about every other emotion in the human repertoire. It evokes responses from even the most dead corners of the mind, and tells every single sensitive topic exactly like it is. For any alternative rock fans that have never heard this album, get it as soon as possible. Otherwise, you're most definitely missing out, because this is an absolutely fantastic piece of music. Even though Good clearly doesn't have a soft spot in his heart for Americans, that shouldn't stop them from being able to appreciate the raw feeling that dominates every last second of this late 90's monument.
