Customer Reviews

White Light Rock & Roll Review

5 star:		(18)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

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.

This is not a patch on "Avalanche". "Avalanche" was possibly the greatest album in pop/rock history so this can't top it, but it has some great guitar sound and is a homage to what sounds to me like 70's classic rock.

To me, that can only be a good thing, and anything by Matthew Good would be worth picking up and listening. I can't put my finger on all the sound but "Buffalo Seven" has a "Don't Fear The Reaper" thing to it and "Ex-Pats Of The Blue Mountain Symphony Orchestra" is the Who's "Won't Get Fooled Again" in sound.

I love guitar rock and this has some excellent guitar sound to it. If you are looking for another "Avalanche" you won't find it here. This goes back to Good's earlier work and it is not as mellow or does not have many long epic tracks. Still, an excellent album from a top notch performer. It is a pity that he is basically undiscovered in Australia as he should do very well here.

While this is a great album and all, it just seems to be lacking something. It's ever so slightly missing the "listen to it over and over again appeal" of his first 2 solo albums. If you were drawn to songs such as "Truffle Pigs", or "The Workers Sing A Song Of Mass Production", this may not be the album for you. You won't find that slow, lyrically intense type of song on this album. However if you are a hardcore fan, you will appreciate this album for all it's worth. It hints of the early days when he put out songs such as "Requim for Rosemary", and my all time favorite, "Raygun". All and all, this is a great modern rock-n'-roll album, and I highly recommend to the dedicated fan. You will not be disappointed.

Matthew good is back on top form with an album that albeit quite different to avalanche, is just brilliant. If youve only known MG for his avalanche album then maybe youll be abit suprised, Its quite faster but still has those emotion grabbing lyrics and great tunes. A must for MG fans.

A complete departure from the epic and artful Avalanche, White Light Rock and Roll Review is vivid and immediate -- an album which, as we have come to expect from Matthew Good, is a complete suprise. He brings the lyrical flair he has always possessed to bear on issues he has always discussed. It has been Matt Good's modus operandi since day one to release "different" albums; he has gone from folk, to indie-rock, to alt-rock; from to 3:30 pop rock to 8:00 orchestral masterpieces. As always, each of his records alienates a certain number of people who expect him to release "Weapon II" or "Hello Again Time Bomb", and most of this album's detractors belong to this group. Trust me, and pick it up for yourself, even if you weren't a fan of Avalanche.

Polished rock has never been an appropriate podium for protest, and on some tracks Matt Good is perhaps guilty of over-production, making his pertinent lyrics seem sometimes contrived.
But tracks like Alert Status Red have a rusty smell to their riffs, reminicent of Young, and the smoking edge to Good's voice as he spits out "In the wilderness...." remind us how terribly little real music we hear these days. And there are others too, where Good's guitar and words wake you up and shake you from your passive listening.
I heard my first ever songs of Matthew Good when I was on Vancouver Island a couple of months back - I now have my hands on his latest album, and a some older stuff too and am really enjoying it. I'm not yet in a position to compare this work with Matthew's previous works or those when he was "banded", but this album asks questions Western war-mongers don't want to hear with tunes that I do! Pity over here in London - Mr Good gets no coverage. I'll wait for the small venue tour....

Matthew Good, despite falling into the trap of being a celebrity who fancies himself a politician, (though he is less annoying than some) is a genius. The man cannot write a bad song, his vocal and lyrical style is just plain ruthless, and the music, though stripped down, is just as brilliant.

I almost want to say that it is a shame that the American music industry has not embraced Matt Good, but I believe he wants it that way, and I also believe that it's probably better off that way. I honestly don't think America would know how to handle him.

Buy every record.

This is an album that should not be compared to Avalanche because it is not a follow up to avalanche but a completely different album. It sounds more like the old MGB. Every song is political and it sounds like The Who meets Matthew Good. Songs like Poor Man's Grey and North American for Life are bound to catch your ear and the hidden track Hopeless will keep you happy even after you think the album has closed. Matthew Good said himself that he didn't want to make another avalanche because he did not want to make the same album twice, he said that if you want to listen to songs like that then put avalanche back in your cd player. I am a huge fan of MG and Avalanche, and when hearing of a 60's rock album i was sorta bummed, but after hearing it I love it. Pick it up it's worth every penny.

Great music. Go beyond the surface, and the songs tell a chilling tale of the current state of the world. A line I will always think about is "Alert Status Red-but the sun comes up instead." It was hard to ignore the daily warnings on TV in the US a few months ago, back when I occasionally watched the news, what color was it that day? Was it "safe" to go outside? Matthew Good uses music to express what many must feel: the weight of sadness and futility in the wake of horrible tragedies and the continued exploitation of people's fear and ignorance to further the ends of a few. And for those of you not interested in any kind of meaning, it rocks, too.

This cd is not typical Matt Good. Where most of Matt Good's previous works are mid-tempoed alternative rock songs, this here is pure adrenaline-pumped rock. After listening to this cd one time through, the first thought to my head was "wow!". Last year's Avalanche was a much more mellow experience, and I didn't prefer it to his previous albums, but White Light is the total opposite. This is a hard hitting album about the world at large, as opposed to Avalanche, a slow-burner album about one's redemption. Every track stands out in it's own way.
Overall, this disc is Matt's finest accomplishment. It shows a side of Matt that comes out rarely, the upbeat, catchy, hard rocking Matt. I consider this to be a great change of pace for Matt, and if he builds on this music, his music will be even better on the next disc.