Customer Reviews

Beautiful Midnight

5 star:		(58)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

This is one of the few cds that I still listen to, more than a year after the initial purchase. That says a lot. There's an incredible depth to this album that makes it difficult to appreciate at first, but then impossible to become tired of. Rock is very tired lately, and I'm afraid this album is going to bomb stateside. I mean, c'mon. Britney Spears and Limp Bizkit rule the scene down there; I don't think there's room for the intelligent, passionate, sometimes subtle music of the Matthew Good Band.

This is not to insult Americans -- it's just a simple fact that good music isn't widely appreciated, anywhere. Even in Canada, Matt Good plays second fiddle to Our Lady Peace, who are, granted, a great band, but one that lacks the solid, creative vision of Matt Good.

It's hard not to love this band, and this cd. There are simple, thrashing rockers (Load Me Up, Everything is Automatic), spare, melancholy songs (I Miss New Wave -- unfortunately not on the American version), lyrically frustrated, desperate, and passionate tunes (Failing the Rorschach Test, A Boy and His Machine Gun) and then moments of sheer musical brilliance (Suburbia). The band throughout shows an incredible range of texture and sound, but there is a totality and wholeness to this cd that I haven't come across anywhere else. I think some of that might be lost with the American version, because some songs have been removed, and some hits from Underdogs (1997) have been slipped in. The added songs are great, but don't fit in with Beautiful Midnight as a whole. This shouldn't discourage you from getting this disc, however.

There are very few rock bands out there that can put together a solid album, nevermind one that as deceptively complicated, powerful, lyrically brilliant, and human as this one. This isn't some rap-rock 40 minute static-fest with one or two decent, radio-friendly songs. Heck, some of the best songs here would never make it to radio. This disc is a complete work, which can only be appreciated as a whole.

This band doesn't exist single-to-single. They make great videos, but aren't based on an image. Each album is a progression, an improvement from the last; they seem bent on creating the perfect rock record, and with this they've just about done it. I can't wait until the spring, when The Audio of Being is released in Canada -- I want to hear what an album better than Beautiful Midnight sounds like.

It is a shame that the Matthew Good Band serves as just one example of the idiotic choices or alternatives thrust upon the American radio listener. To echo another review, "Limp Bizkit or Britney Spears." Not much of a choice, I'd say. I wonder what acts of bad karma Americans committed to suffer the fate of being able to interchange the lyrics of Third Eye Blind's "Semi-charmed life" with its song "Jumper" while Canadians are treated to the likes of the Matthew Good Band.

To say this album is solid would be an understatement. This album will knock your socks off. I have mixed emotions about the American release - it has most of the best from Underdogs (minus "Rico" as another reviewer pointed out) and does yield "domestically" MGB's gem "Apparitions," the American version DOES suffer from the subtractions that appear on the Canadian version - "Let's Get it On" (credit going to the same reviewer making the "Rico" observation) is arguably one of the best songs on the disc. "Going All the Way" is a huge loss. Also, the subtraction of "I Miss New Wave" as song #4 deprives those unfamiliar with MGB of seeing the Band's talent at juxtaposition. In many ways, the Canadian release does not proceed track by track but rather movement by movement.

It has been said before, but I will say it again, "Running for Home" is a beautiful song - I was astonished (though I should have known better) to hear this song at the end of "Beautiful Midnight." After listening to the entire album, it was the last thing I thought I would hear - and perhaps, the only thing I should have expected after MGB pulled out all the stops on the first 13 songs.

Some reviews and reviewers for other bands (the crappy ones) have a threshold test to buy an album - "If this album has 2 GREAT songs, buy it... or 4 GREAT..." This album has 13 great songs so I guess that means you should buy it twice - or better yet, buy the import Canadian release (sorry, if I were deleting songs from the Canadian release, I would have left in "Let's Get it On" and deleted "A Boy and His Machine Gun.").

Incidentally, the "explicit lyrics" label is a sham since I have heard FAR WORSE in terms of explicit lyrics on an album that carried no disclaimer.

All I can say is Wow about this album. Tracks like "Apparitions", "Suburbia", and "Strange Days" fill in your moody side while "Hello Time Bomb" and "Load Me Up" help you through your angry moments. "Running For Home" is almost not even a song, it's rather just a pure emotion injected into your mind. The piano accompaniment makes that track a masterpiece. In a time where music is a big black hole of soulless pop and meaningless rock, Matthew Good Band comes in to save the day. The guy is a song-writing master, and everyone should be thankful that he decided to be in a band instead of being a history teacher. The hyperCD feature is a plus which allows you access special stuff on your computer. The only drawback is the fact that the version of the CD released in the US lost some of it's original Canadian tracks and were instead replaced with "Apparitions" "Deep Six" and "Everything is Automatic" from Underdogs. While they are definitely good songs, it detracts from the overall product of what was supposed to be a concept album. (That's the single reason why I gave this four stars instead of five.) I still emphatically push Beautiful Midnight for anyone who likes music with substance. Being that I don't have a car, I walk around town a lot. This album is practically permanently cemented to my Discman for when I'm walking around. I steal lines from their songs and write them on the walls of my room. I used to think the best band to come from Canada was the Barenaked Ladies, but Matthew Good Band is presenting BNL with some serious competition. Go buy this album! Now!

In an era where rock music was so relentlessly depressing that you could cry, the Matt Good Band was making rock (real rocking rock too, not indie/emo pseudo-rock) so relentlessly beautiful that you could cry.

And of their many, many awesome albums (namely: Raygun, Last of the Ghetto Astronauts, Underdogs, Audio of Being and Matt's solo stuff), this 1999 release is the best, the masterpiece, the Led Zepplin IV of the MGB catalogue.

I would say that these are the best lyrics of recent times, delivered by an absolutely stunning voice. Politically charged without being banally preachy (ala American Idiot) and with an absolutely impeccable band backing him up, Matt'll break your heart 14 times and leave you shaken / happy / thinking / occasionally air guitaring.

Of course, when I say this album I mean the real Canadian release. The disaster that Amazon sells is just that CD with the big-name out-of-place "Apparitions" and "Everything Is Automatic" in place of the original "Going All The Way" and "Let's Get It On" (both are tracks that I would deeply regret not owning). I'm guessing that those particular tracks were pulled due to their "racy" titles...

I'm also guessing that's the reason that they didn't just throw Underdogs' other hit "Rico" on this album (with its verses like: "Let it play out / Buy the rights to endless love / And if your friends don't like it / You can tell them for me to / F^$% off, f^$% off, f^$% off, f^$% off.")

And seriously, please explain censoring out Born to Kill and A Boy and his Machine Gun (Im not gonna get reported for using those words am I?!?) It reminds me of those James Bond movies: "Live and Let ____" and "License to _____". I guess that violence is OK if its mindlessly romanticized by Vin Diesel, but not if its criticized/satirized by MGB...

Even still, this CD is amazing. Just don't buy it here unless you have to.

I liked "Hello Time Bomb" when it came out, and I was immediately impressed. It's not angsty anti-rock like most of the current acts, but completely intelligent lyrics, brilliant music, and a man with the most beautiful voice I've heard in a very long time. Matthew Good Band won't fade any time soon. There's emotion in their music like I've never heard before. You can sense it. It makes you want to sing along forever. Out of all the wonderful songs on this CD, I'd reccommend "Giant," "Deep Six," "Jenni's Song," and "Running for Home." But listen to everything. It's an impressive album.

The original Canadian version of this album is simply one of the best album's made. Track it down if you can. It is a shame that MGB and MG (in his subsequent releases) have not achieved greater recognition and success, as the quality of the work justifies it.

I'd like to begin by saying that Matthew Good Band's Beautiful Midnight album is on HMV's "International" greatest music of all time list. And that's just what it is. Every song on this record is suitable to be a single, it is either inspirational or amazingly dark and intriguing. And a few are really great rock songs. My favorites (and I use that term lightly because i can call them all favorites) are Giant along with The Future is X-Rated and Born to Kill. Pick this recored up today it is simply an amazing creation of Canada's greatest musician.

This is the kind of CD that I want to learn to play on guitar and the kind of music that I like to listen to myself. It pulls all kinds of emotion from me that I might be embarrassed to have others see. The lyrics and music combine beautifully. Then again, I am eager to share the music with others; hence, I am putting down my review.

I just got done sending an email to my local 'alternative station' about how bored I am with their format. Knowing there are bands like MGB making outstanding music neglected in the United States is frustrating.

Beautiful Midnight is multi-layered. Repeated listens will not bore you, but garner you respect and appreciation. Strong music, distinct songs, honest approach, and unrestrained observational lyrics are contribute to a powerful CD. I particularly like 'Strange Days' because everyone can seem to relate easily to the song. Listen to it and let me know.

Get this CD.

First off, let me tell anyone interested in this album to buy the Canadian/import version of BEAUTIFUL MIDNIGHT because the three songs left off of the U.S. version ("Let's Get It On", "Going All The Way", and "I Miss New Wave") are three of the best songs off of this almost flawless collection. The band and/or label decided to include three tracks from the 1997 album UNDERDOGS instead, and while they are all good, their absence on the American version hurts the overall structure and feel of BEAUTIFUL MIDNIGHT. Check Amazon's imports or auction sites for the Canadian version. Almost everything here is high-quality modern rock because MGB seems to make every moment count with memorable riffs, lyrics, and chrouses coming at almost every second. What's also refreshing is that MGB, unlike so many American bands, is not concerned with anything but the music. They're not concerned with fads like rap-metal, masks or crazy outfits, or even making it big in the U.S. Instead they just want to make music with emotion and significance, and this they easily accomplish on BEAUTIFUL MIDNIGHT. Songs like "Suburbia", "Jenni's Song", "Strange Days", and "Going All The Way" are hard not to like because the lyrics and hauntingly beautiful melodies almost force the listener to keep hitting repeat. For those interested in driving rockers, MGB provides loud guitars and beats on "The Future Is X-Rated", "Hello Time Bomb", and the excellent "Load Me Up", which sounds similar but better than the 3 Doors Down hit "Kryptonite." Sometimes Good's laments about the world and teen-like anguish seem a bit repetitive, especially after three albums worth of these subjects, but this is only one small negative in comparison to the many qualities of this band and their work. As other reviewers suggest, get a hold of this and other MGB albums (UNDERDOGS, LAST OF THE GHETTO ASTRONAUTS, and the ep RAYGUN) to hear straight-ahead rock, period.

If the Matthew Good Band didn't have to release this album in the states they probably wouldn't simply because that's the way they are. They make incredible music because that's what they're good at and that's what they've chosen to do, not because they're in it for the fame, to win awards or to take over the US rock market. Lucky for you, this album is being released south of the border because it's unchallenged in every musical aspect that I believe a rock album should be. I don't think I'll ever find another album with the intensity, the lyrics, the hard hitting rock songs or the beautiful ballads of the all encompassing Beautiful Midnight. If you like the trash on the radio these days don't but this album. If you want an intense and meaningful rock album, you've found it. Matthew Good is a musical mastermind seemingly resistant to the conformity of today's mainstream and is greatly appreciated on the Canadian music scene. Do yourself a favour and buy this album and find out why.