White Light Rock & Roll Review

Artist: Matthew Good
Label: Umvd Import
Category: Music

Average customer rating:

Format: Import
Media: Audio CD
Number Of Discs: 1

UPC: 602498623787
EAN: 0602498623787
ASIN: B000294TVK

Release Date: 2004-06-08

White Light Rock & Roll Review

Related Categories:

General

| Alternative Rock | Styles | Music

Post Grunge

| American Alternative | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music

General

| Rock | Styles | Music

Pop Rock

| Pop | Styles | Music

Rock

| Imports | Stores | Music

Tracks:

Put Out Your Lights
Poor Man's Grey
We're So Heavy
Empty Road
Alert Status Red
Little Terror
In Love With a Bad Idea
North American for Life
Blue Skies Over Bad Lands
It's Been a While Since I Was Your Man
Buffalo Seven
Ex-Pats of the Blue Mountain Symphony Orchestra

Similar Items:

Avalanche
The Audio of Being
Last of the Ghetto Astronauts
Underdogs
In a Coma: 1995-2005 (Deluxe Edition 2 CDs+DVD)

Customer Reviews:

A bit disappointing............2006-06-22

I would like to start off by saying that I have immensely enjoyed all of Matthew Good's music up until now. I really anticipated this album and expected something genius like most of his other works (e.g. Avalanche or MGB's Audio of Being). However, after patiently listening to the album over weeks and weeks, although I have grown to like it, the album is definitely lacking something; the 'something' that was the reason I loved all of his other albums so much. Starting with Underdogs, all the albums have been incredible, and I feel kind of let down over this album. I don't really care for the country-vibe he's put on this one; he's much better doing the rock thing. Was rather disappointed with the lyrics as well, I've always thought he had the best lyrics especially on Audio of Being; which I personally thought had some brilliant stuff on it. I still have faith that he'll make more great music, and not that this album was a total failure. "Blue Skies Over Badlands" is a great track, as well as "We're So Heavy." The guitar playing on this album is probably the highlight. Really different than anything he's put out before. (like on put out your lights, poor man's grey, we're so heavy, and blue skies, and even certain parts in it's been awhile since i was your man). I think he could have made better use of his vocals on this one; maybe it just seems like that because I've listened to Avalanche too many times. Overall, good cd, if you're a matt good fan or were a mgb fan, definitely give this a chance. Hopefully he's just experimenting and the next album will be better.

as country as anyone needs to be.......2005-09-06

matt branched out into a sumwhat uncharted region for this cd, althought i hate country music it still has enough of a message in its rock roots too warrant it werthy of a listen.

I admit. I Miss New Wave........2005-05-11

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........2005-02-25

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.

Music Album:

Music Album

Music Album

Music CD

Live at Jazz Standard ~ Bill Mays Trio

Ballad Essentials ~ Kenny Burrell

A Reverie ~ Armen Donelian

Familia

To the Point ~ Stewy Trio Von Wattenwyl

City Jazz ~ West End Avenue

Your Trip/Deau Nara Kimi Shika Inakatta ~ Azure

Gongolo ~ Dinho Nascimento

Ost ~ Life on the Longboard

Saishin Enka Best V.16 ~ Various Artists