The Audio Of Being [IMPORT]

Matthew Good Band (Artist)

Product Details

• Audio CD (October 30, 2001)
• Original Release Date: January 8, 2002
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Import
• Label: Umvd Import
• ASIN: B00005V8VX
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (46 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #145,134 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com
There's no doubt Vancouver's Matthew Good can write the kind of hook-filled rock song that immediately imprints itself on the listener's consciousness. Ultimately, though, even if he and his band were able to fill a record with riff-monsters of the caliber of "Hello Time Bomb" (a hit off 1999's Beautiful Midnight) it would probably become a little tiresome. The Audio of Being has its share of big shiny rock tunes, but Good and his cronies want it all--commercial success and artistic credibility. So for every rock & roll blast like "Carmelina" there is an "Advertising on Police Cars," in which the band incorporates a few musical and lyrical ideas from British art-rock icons Radiohead. This subversion of Good's formula doesn't always work, though--the blustery singer still sounds more convincing warbling away on bull-headed tunes like the tense, explosive "Man of Action," say, then he does playing the paranoid android in the aforementioned "Police Cars" or album finale, "Sort of a Protest Song." Still, the Matthew Good Band's fifth studio album contains enough great moments--Dave Genn's guitar in "Man of Action," "Truffle Pigs," and "The Rat Who Would Be King," the chorus in "The Fall of Man," the new wave synth hook in "Carmelina" (even if it does echo "Hello Time Bomb" a little too closely)--to satisfy fans and bring a few new listeners to the fold. It might not make anyone forget Radiohead's OK Computer, but at least The Audio of Being dares to push a few envelopes, and successfully more often than not. --Shawn Conner

Product Description
2001 album for the Canadian alternative rock act. The followup to their breakthrough 1999 album, Beautiful Midnight. Highlights include, 'Anti-Pop' & 'I, The Throw Away'. 12 tracks in all.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Another Strong Effort, November 27, 2001

By	Drew Droffow "jawford" (Richmond, MI United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Audio of Being (Audio CD)

Relative to a MGB album, this is a pretty good record. Compared to the rest of rock music today this is a fantastic record. Although I don't find it as satisfying (as a whole) as Beautiful Midnight, there are some great songs here. And please stop with the radiohead comparisons. They don't sound like radiohead. They have a sound that is unique to MGB. Highlights include: "Advertising on Police Cars", "The Rat Who Would Be King", and "The Fall of Man". One of my top 2 records of 2001. The other being Rival Schools-United By Fate. I know you haven't heard of them either but believe me some great rock music. You just have to look hard to find it anymore.

PS-if you are afraid to buy this record because of import prices then don't. Go to HMV.com or cd-plus.com, both are Canadian online stores and will reduce your cost significantly.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Matthew Good Does It Again, November 17, 2001

By	"jbksauls" (Corvallis, OR United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Audio of Being (Audio CD)

As a U.S.-based fan of this Canadian band, the first question about any new release is "Is it worth paying the import price tag for?" The answer in this case (and with most MGB CDs) is YES! "Audio Of Being" is Matthew Good's most complex, challenging effort to date. None of the songs here are as radio friendly as his past hits in Canada ("Load Me Up", "Everything is Automatic") or "Hello Time Bomb", which made a tiny dent in the U.S. charts, but what this CD may lack in classic verse-chorus-verse structure it makes up for with great lyrics and just an amazing batch of songs. Tracks like "Advertising on Police Cars" and "The Fall Of Man" may remind some of Radiohead, while more up-tempo songs like "Carmelina" and "Anti-Pop" are classic Matthew Good. The disc's most stunning achievement is "The Rat Who Would Be King", an epic that is so rocking yet so beautiful it has to be heard to be believed. Nu-metal fans can look elsewhere and U.S. music fans jaded by the pure drivel we're fed in the lower 48 should order this CD now.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Beginning of a New Era..., July 13, 2006

By	Terra Firma X - See all my reviews

I had stepped into the Matthew Good Band because of the Stateside release of their popular (in Canada) "Beautiful Midnight". The incredible rock populated with Matt's presence both vocally and lyrically really left me without a clue as to where their following albums would go. Because of Matt's intentionally poor presence in the US, I didn't pick up on this album until a few months before Avalanche came out in early 2003, both of which (and all subsequent albums since then) I've had to import.

The album art sort of takes you off-guard, but that's merely the beginning. Page after page reveals colorful science book illustrations of various scientific concepts, such as Earth's core structure and as the cover reveals, the water cycle. These first few pages, a far cry from the generic garage band-style photos of "Beautiful Midnight" represent the point of no return: the beginning of Matthew Good's subsequent era in music.

Before working on this album, Matt underwent vocal cord surgery and recovered slowly in a hotel in Whistler, BC, while taking prescription painkillers. It was here where he wrote the twisted lyrics that would eventually see the light. He swore off smoking and adopted some incredible production values. His new soaring vocals and new backup choirs almost disarm you from beginning to end.

More of a "follow the white rabbit" than anything, this musical journey pushes you in and out of what is truly a terrifying and melancholy experience. "Advertising on Police Cars", "Tripoli" and "Under the Influence" only cement the demented pathway that this album ferries you along.

After a thorough listen, you'll experience a thorough paradigm shift of Matthew Good's musicology that becomes his trademark in all subsequent albums. The harder-rocking tracks almost exist as an obligation so you don't drown in the murk. And while none of them provide the same hits that, say "Hello Time Bomb" did on "Beautiful Midnight", that's really not what you're here for. A track that could've potentially filled that role, "Pony Boy" was released as a B-side and was also put on the "In A Coma" compilation. It's easy to see why it didn't fit.

While not as trendy as their previous albums, you can see Matt really wanted to get out on his own as this was the last effort of the Matthew Good Band before their dissolution. The next few albums serve as an almost pure siphon of Matthew Good-ness (yuckle!). If you start with Matthew Good solo, this is where he started. If you start with Matthew Good band, this is where it ends.

A fantastic crossroads for one of the greatest musicians in play today.