Devil On Rollerskates

Everytime You Go - The Tragically Hip

Metallica - Fade To Black

1) Last Parade 2) Sort of a Protest Song 3) While We Were Hunting Rabbits (tough one, both fantastic) 4) Going All the Way 5) Volcanoes 6) Empty Road 7) Load Me Up 8) Great Whales of the Sea 9) A Silent Army in the Trees (album)

The second setlist looks better I'd say, though just seeing him live is awesome no matter what. It would be great to hear On Nights Like Tonight, it's the only Vancouver track that hasn't been played live yet.

Shhh. We don't want anyone to find out. I mean, it's only mentioned in the rules... :angry: Yeah I remember the HOSAM secret site. Downloads included the acoustic Near Fantastica, Comfortable Criminals, Weapon (soundtrack), the acoustic Lullaby For The New World Order and I believe the making of IAWCC videos and I think a video of Matt answering fan questions (if anyone has that last one, it'd be appreciated if you put it in the secret place).

My Wave would be great to hear.

1) Indestructible 2) Suburbia 3) Put Out Your Lights 4) House of Smoke and Mirrors 5) Pledge of Allegiance 6) Double Life 7) Fought to Fight It 8) The Fine Art of Falling Apart 9) Near Fantastica

1) Tripoli 2) On Nights Like Tonight 3) Weapon 4) Born Losers 5) Hopeless 6) I Am Not Safer Than a Bank 7) Jenni's Song 8) Metal Airplanes 9) Flashdance II

Totally agreed. I actually didn't feel Pledge Of Allegiance really stood out the first few times I listened to Avalanche, but then I heard a live bootleg and it totally blew me away. After that I gained a new appreciation for that song. Same deal with A Long Way Down.

I actually just heard it on the radio yesterday, and it does sound odd, but this is from the point of view of someone who's heard the original numerous times. For any potential new fan, it probably sounds fine. Agreed. I lol'd. As for "wow" vocals, IMHO the first three tracks have that, and Volcanoes. Maybe nothing that quite hits the heights of While We Were Hunting Rabbits, etc., but I think that this album as a whole is his most consistent work to date. This album does not have a single song that I don't think is great, not a single song that feels out of place.

This sounds like an exciting possibility, but at the same time if it were to happen Pearl Jam would (once again) be looking for a new drummer.

Exactly. If you don't already have goosebumps from this song, that is the point in the song that makes sure you do.

Wow this is difficult, but I don't wanna cop out by giving too many answers (I could easily go with half of each list lol). Beautiful Midnight FTW for MGB (Giant and Running For Home) and Champions Of Nothing and Empty's Theme Park for MG solo.

I actually liked this, wish he had stuck with that version. Minor nitpick though. Awesome song either way. I guess I'll do my song by song review. I'll echo a lot of what others have said, no doubt, including the fact that it is very Avalanche-y (Avalanche-esque?). This isn't bad though, it's definitely different enough to have it's own distinct sound. The opening track is a good example of the Avalanche-ness. 1) Last Parade. Musically somewhat similar to Pledge of Allegiance (especially the way POA was played live). Love the lyric "Like we're taking pictures of a tidal wave / on the shore grinning a hundred feet away". Great song. 9/10 2)The Boy Who Could Explode. Blends very nicely with Last Parade and Great Whales Of The Sea. Love the slow build up to "Go explode..." Beautiful track. 9/10 3) Great Whales Of The Sea. As I believe someone else mentioned, somewhat similar to A Single Explosion (quiet beginning, silence, then the band kicks in loudly). Love the vocal delivery, especially towards the end. Great. 9/10 4) Us Remains Impossible. In my opinion, probably the weakest track here. However, that doesn't mean it's a weak track. Just not as good as the others. 8/10 5) On Nights Like Tonight. Fantastic. Although Avalanche (the song) is one of my favourites, and I love this song, I don't really get how they're especially similar as some people have said. Vaguely similar, I guess. Love the lyric "I don't know who's at the helm / but just sit tight / I'll make my way to you". 10/10 6) Volcanoes. Gorgeous song. I love the middle part "gonna find me a volcano..." and the note Matt holds on the last "born to dive". 10/10 7) A Silent Army In The Trees. Lyrically brilliant, and in terms of lyrical content very reminiscent of The Boy Come Home and Black Helicopter. Love the vocals in the "I'm on fire.." part. 9.5/10 8) Fought To Fight It. Sounds kinda like it could have been on The Audio Of Being, in that it's a rock song with a strong bass intro. Different from most of the rest of the album, "a breath of fresh air". Love the "miles away.." lyric, which may or may not be a reference to Life Beyond The Minimum Safe Distance. Great song. 9.5/10 9) The Vancouver National Anthem. Another one I feel is lyrically brilliant, as well as musically compelling. The "we all live downtown..." part is especially powerful. 10/10 10) Empty's Theme Park. The epic album closer. This is definitely among Matt Good's strongest songs. Gorgeous, and I love the chorus. "Tell me will I love / tell me will it be enough" may or may not be a reference to The Rat Who Would Be King. 11/10 <---yes I know that's a ridiculous rating, but this is a ridiculously awesome song. So I guess that's an average of 9.5, though I think it's closer to being a 10. Fantastic album from start to finish. Matt Good said (this may not be the exact wording, so paraphrased) he wanted to make an album that made a grandiose statement, but was also contained, and I think he achieved that. Minor things (IMHO) like the way the drum sounds (which I really like in some songs like Fought To Fight It and Empty's Theme Park) don't really detract from the album's quality. Besides, who listens to a Matt Good record to hear especially impressive drumming anyway (although I maintain Pat Steward is awesome live)? So yeah, two thumbs way up.

Only In Dreams - Weezer

Near the bottom of Important Things To Know

No, you're not stupid. It will all become clear. Just go about posting as usual, and soon a magical world will appear to you. Near the bottom of Important Things To Know

LOL I just noticed the similarity.

Thanks again for this, btw, and for the other shows including the Edmonton one. That was a great one on par with Massey Hall. Not just great for the songs, which are fantastic, but also for his stand up comedy in between songs ("Don't panic" lol).

Been wondering this myself.

Alas, I was not one of the lucky first so many hundreds of people to buy AOB.

"We're forced to bed but we're free to dream" Gift Shop - The Hip

I think it has to do with someone wanting to say something, to speak out about an issue, but is being silenced. "You're a nail on the tip of my tongue".

The song's about how two humpback whales must be taken forward in time to the 23rd century, in order to speak to a probe from the far reaches of space and stop it from destroying the Earth. Seriously. It's about Star Trek IV.

I just remembered that The Audio Of Being didn't come with lyrics either (no "musical redundancy beam") so there is really no correlation at at all between the packaging the CD comes in and whether or not it contains lyrics lol.