daniel_v

That really was an incredible performance/presentation/talk. Matt has always had a very laid back and casual demeanor when speaking in public, but this was still above expectations. Great subject and great theme that he came up with in response. It was very interesting to hear him talk a little more descriptively of his time in the hospital and I loved his comment about the how it's an artist's job to take ugliness and turn it into something beautiful. Very poignant video. Thanks a lot for the link!

A week later and I'm eating my words. It's funny how much of a difference a little time can make. I still maintain what I said abut wanting the bridge to lead somewhere else in Letters in War Time, but I take back what I said about it having dull chorus. That really is just an utterly peaceful pool of rock conclusion. Still think more could have been done with the lead too, but the atmosphere...I don't know...it feels like a soundtrack that says "even though there are things that are wrong, everything is still going to be alright". It's like a...lullaby, haha. Very cool.

Anyone know what he talked about? Was looking around on Youtube and I still can't find anything related to his appearence there.

Agreed. The song itself is okay, but the bridge (if you can call it that) really seemed like it was going to lead to something unique. It reminded me a lot of the live renditions that Matt was doing in the 02-04 era with Christan, Pat and Rich (see the extended versions of Giant and Near Fantastica for example). But then it kind of just flowed back into the dull chorus made up of those simple chords and weak lead. The song still has a conclusionary and dreamy feel to it (and I love the lyrics) but It's too bad because, for me, if Matt had decided to continue in the direction the bridge was going, it really would have brought the end track, and thus the album, a level higher and given it that rare texture of song writing that I've only ever seen from him live during the 02-04 era. That being said though, I am enjoying the album and it seems to be one of those that is going to grow on me. When I first heard the title track (AOD) I thought it was good, but at the same time was a little "Meh" about it. It's now one of my favorite songs on the album. Despite not enjoying the verses on Via, I really dig the the rest of the song and especially the lead at the end (gives it that extra texture and punch it needs to make it fly). Likewise, HIC and WLG are simple but have great energy and feel for me. The piano provided by Anthony in WLG particularly gives the song a great kind of umpf (I know that's not a word but you know I mean). In fact, I really enjoyed everything Anthony did in this album, especially his work in Garden of Knives, which is also my favorite song of the album. It has a very unique writing style to it and the instumentation effects laid down by everyone are just fantastically unique. It's weird, but for some reason I keep thinking the song would have fit well on the Oblivion soundtrack (maybe it's just the futuristic feel the song has). The rest (save for GOC)... are pretty filler for me. Interesting arragnements on a few of them, but the use of power chords and unispiring song structures on songs like So Close (even though it does have some interesting verses), Mutineering, and Hey Hell Heaven leave me feeling like they were pretty forgettable. Anyways, just some random thoughts on the album.

Uh...yeah, really not feeling the video. Opinions?

As far as the instrumentation goes, personally, HIC is probably my favorite single I've heard from MG since Carmelina, which was the last one that really managed to snag me right off the bat and make me feel something incredibly positive. It's like History Teacher meets Audio of Being, which both meet White Light Rock and Roll Review, but in a good way (always felt WLRARR felt a little forced). After singles like In a Place of Lesser Men and Born Losers I've reminded myself that initial singles are usually hit and miss for me, and that I'll usually like the album more than I will the initial single (although Last Parade was an exception). With this, however, I caught myself unintentionally air drumming the second the chorus started and feeling highly surprised that I was getting that old feeling in the pit of my stomach I used to get when listening to new MGB. Same goes for the lyrics and vocal delivery. Normally with MG lyrics I never expect the mood of the instrumentation to match the mood of the lyrics (In a World Called Catastrophie, anyone?) but with this one both are surprisingly upbeat. Love the lyrics about walking into the sea and finding out you can breath which is why I also love the delivery. Very unconventional (as other have noted it's very "Pixie"ish), but in a good way since the "off the cusp as fast as you can" style seems to match the mood of the lyrics. We're Long Gone is great as well for me. Wicked energy coming from the guitar and drums, which is layed and synced perfectly by the piano. It actually reminds me of Anti-Pop and 4 Minute Mile (and I don't say that as a bad thing since I know Matt hates Anti-Pop). Now, the video for Had It Coming on the other hand...

Hey everyone, been a looooong time since I've been on here. Came back for old times sake today, and was looking around at old threads, and came across two MG(B) tribute album threads that were started but never finished. One was from 2006 and another from 2008. Some people were able to finish covers and others weren't, but the original idea of creating a permanent page where they could all be viewed never quite materialized (or if it did, it didn't last very long). Anyways, I thought I'd start a new thread to see what, if anything, people thought about trying to create a new page for covers to be uploaded, possibly on youtube (mainly because you don't have to worry about the page being deleted or the songs getting lost). There are already some great covers up (and some not so great ones) which could just be playlisted, but I also always liked the idea of having covers from people on the board here mainly because of the community aspect. So yeah, just curious if anyone would be up for the prospect. Likiewise, if anyone has any other ideas on the subject (such as suggesting somewhere else other than youtube) please feel free to share.

...this blows. RIP and thanks for the great great contributions you made to 2 of my favorite albums of all time (LOTGA would not have been the same without your grooves). Just a stellar and utterly fresh bass player who will be missed. My condolances to his family and wife who apparently lost her mother 2 weeks ago as well. Can't and don't want to try and imagine what this must be like for her.

Saw it a couple days ago. It's your typical mystery adventure movie but it's done with a hell of a lot of style so I really enjoyed it....although I pretty much like anything with Rachel McAdams in it so maybe I'm somewhat biased on the issue. Best part of the show was RDJ's line to the maid when she finds him tied up naked in Irene's hotel room.

Depends what you mean by love song but I'd say "Fearless".

Really glad Dahle is still making music, he's a fantastic writer and it's a shame he doesn't get more credit for what he does. If anyone in the Edmonton area is looking for the record the Black Byrd Music Shop and whatever the other one is down on White Ave both have the album (or they did at least). Anyways, on a somewhat related matter I was wondering if anyone had any older demos from this record? I know a few were posted back in 05 I think but there's one in specific called "Marching With Horse Flies (at least I think that's what it was called) that I haven't been able to find and it's not on the new record. If anyone would be willing to post it I'd be much obliged.

No worries.

Explosions in the Sky- The Earth Is Not A Cold Dead Place

Lol, thought of the exact same quote when I heard him say that. And I agree too- it's not about whether human beings are inherently parasitic, it's about what our overall net effect on the world is today as a result of the type of society we promote. Hence, we are, right now, parasitic. Then again I suppose that depends on who we're actually talking about and what part of the world we're focusing on.... As far as the overall interview went I quite liked it. George always has been a great interviewer and gave Matt a chance to touch on some interesting subjects. Didn't agree with him completely about the political leaders and hot dog stands comment but whatever, just my opinion. Interview is here for anyone that missed it: http://www.matthewgood.org/2009/12/video-m...od-on-the-hour/

I've been catching the last couple espisodes mainly cause Alexis Denisof has been guest staring. Been a huge fan of his since his work on Angel and he does a great job as usual on episodes 5 and 6 that just aired yesterday.

If not you should. Really decent show.

Going to sit down venues are always odd for me, especially when it comes to rock concerts. Since I had driven 1 hour and 30 minutes to get Red Deer I didn't mind it much this time but I've always wondered how artists feed off of stand up crowds as compared to ones sitting down and wasn't sure how this one would be given that the Memorial Centre is a theater. Matt and the band came on and went through around 4 songs without saying anything which kind of gave the impression that he wasn't in the best of moods and right after the 4th song he started talking saying he was in a bit of a fog since he had woken up at 3 the previous morning (or afternoon...not really sure which he was referring to). He went into some funny banter after that about the lighting for a couple minutes but I don't think too many people knew what to expect at that point. However, when the opening to Load Me Up came on and everyone rushed to the stage...man did that ever change things. I really have to give it to Red Deer folk cause that is the first time I have ever been to a sit down venue and seen fans get up and rush the stage which completely gave a jolt to the atmosphere of the concert. I won't say Matt and co started preforming better because they already seemed to be into the songs, but it just seemed to become more of a rock concert at that point and I think Matt appreciated the fans doing it. I think it also proves his point about a lot of people (myself excluded) who really do appreciate the singles and him having to cater to that crowd as well. After Load me up he said some thing to Blake and they launched into HTB which was probably a good read on his part. To be honest, I could go my entire life without having to hear the album version of HTB again but I understand why he still plays those songs. Unrelated notes on the concert: -Why has no one mentioned the extended version of Great Whales of the Sea? This version kills. I really hope they start extending/reworking more of the songs like this (and how like the 02-05 line up did with some of the older songs) cause when they do it sounds great (ETP and Great Whales being the obvious examples but I think songs like Last Parade have a lot of potential given the way the outro is structured). - While I for sure enjoy Stu's guitar work (e.g- the new additions he added to Alert Status Red, The Boy Who Could Explode and especially A Silent Army in the Trees) does anyone think the echo effects he uses in Giant and in the bridge of Empty's Theme Park are a bit overdone? I don't know, maybe it's just me (or it could have been the theater too) but they sound like they drown out some of the other players parts more than they should. -Lastly, I wanted to say something about Milo. I know more than a few people have grudgingly mumbled that he never really seems that into the songs and looking at some of the videos from the 2008 tour I would have agreed. However, from what I saw last Monday and from what I've seen of the videos of the 2009 tour, I've really enjoyed watching the guy. Not only can he destroy most of the songs live (Last Parade and especially ETP, both of which are given a more organic sound because of how and what he adds to them), but he seems to be a lot more invested in the shows. I mean he's laid back but he doesn't seem to just be there because he's being paid. Half way through the show he started a little impromptu jazz session between him, Stu and Blake which was hilarious not only because it was out of no where but because of how Matt reacted to it by just staring at Milo for a good 2 minutes straight without saying anything before jokingly warning him about what happened the last time that he tried that. Anyways, wicked show.

To be honest, threads like this are the reason I rarely comment on boards any more. First of all, I'm not defending what Matt said and apparently neither is he given what Anton said. Next, I'm sure I'll get some slags and denials from this post, but with all due respect, to turn around and play the innocent "we're just fans discussing set lists" is a bit much imo. I'm not saying you can't discuss tours and songs obviously, but I would argue there is a difference between critiquing and complaining about something (especially in an unbalanced way). Despite what some of you have claimed, a lot of your comments were not pre or post faced by "but regardless I'll be glad to see and hear him play when I get the chance"- some of them were, but not a lot. How many of you called the set list "horribly disappointing" or choice of song for an opener or closer lame? How many of you complained about the band not being all that great? How many of you talked about wanting longer setlists? How many of you said you wanted to hear older material? Granted, there's no rule stipulating you can't complain or dislike Matt's concerts or voice simple improvements you'd like to see, nor should there be. But once again, balancing it with something positive never hurts. Put your self in his shoes and consider how you'd feel reading a thread about the beginning of your tour with all those types of comments from people who would generally be considered your die hard fans. I mean hell, the man practically put himself in the hospital to be ready for this tour and the general comments he gets are "horribly lame and disappointing" before it's even a week into the tour? Once again, not defending Matt's comment. But I am saying his response didn't come out of nowhere which some of you seem to be claiming. Believe it or not the man is human, and as such prone to making mistakes (such as losing his temper) just as we all are. Only difference between us and him is that more people notice it when he does. My advice to all of you would be to get over it cause in the grand scheme of things, it ain't that important. If you think it is, I would suggest you have bigger problems than worrying about what an artist you like does or doesn't say in a moment of stress.

They butchered it imo. After the first chorus the intro into the 2nd verse is also almost completely gone. They just have 1 or 2 rounds of the slow piano and then it inexplicably (and roughly I might add) jumps right into the verse. Fucking hate radio edits.

While I'm still pissed the piano riff in the original finished demo was replaced by a guitar lick (and that the 3rd layer of piano during the verses has been muted almost completely out) I honestly think this is one of the best things he's ever written. And I do agree the drums are fairly simple but I don't think that's actually a bad thing given that they are much more pronounced and focused than they normally are (see Hospital Music). Overall I'd argue they serve the song while at the same time standing out quite uniquely (love those symbol crashes and the kick drum in the intro). Anyways, just my 2 cents.

anyone know if the single will be available on Itunes?

Agreed on the genius comment. My cousin got me interested in him after he played a couple of his songs on a radio show. To be honest the man makes a good case for the idea that while quantity doesn't mean quality, it does lead to quality. Overall I'd say I don't like about 3 out of 5 songs I hear from him, but the 4th and 5th ones are just about always genius. Chicago, Detroit lift up your weary head and For the widows in paradise are probably my favorites from what I've heard of the guy so far. Chicago

Downloaded the album Monday night. It's definately polished Nickelback style and the lyrics in some songs are definatley a little dumbed down but I guess that's what you get when you sign with 604 records and you're trying to break into the U.S after 10 ten years of producing solid material that got ignored by most of the south. Personally even the hard rock polished stuff I enjoy in a guilty pleasure way since some of it is pretty catchy (see "your song"). Apparently the album was completed over 2 years ago but there was a lot of internal arguing that was going on between Thornley and 604 that posponed it till now; who knows whether that was about the album production or song selection or something alltogether different. Also apparently Dave Genn helped write "Make Believe". All in all, I'm glad they kept songs like "Better Side of Me", "All Fall Down" and "Be There for Me" which at least showcase some of his more bluesish or acoustic roots than just his "look at me I'm modern rock like three days grace and whoever else you want to pull out of the hat". For any Thornley fans out there I know of a few decent unreleased tracks from this album that are floating around the internet so if you want to check them out just PM me and I'll send out the links.

This may sound like a dumb question but are we sure he's wasn't just talking about Pete from his tour band and not Pete Yorn? I mean Pete did do backing vocals for the tour so I just originally assumed he was talking about him.

So I was listening to Weapon earlier today in my room and it got me thinking about the drumming in Matt's solo albums. Looking at Pat Steward's live work vs. his studio work I was always a little disappointed because it seemed like his studio work was...I suppose dumbed down is the wrong word but... at least muted down or simplified when it came to the studio versions of songs- Champions of Nothing and A Single Explosion being prime examples. Then, that got me thinking about Matt's entire live sound. I remember when I first started hearing live bootlegs of his first couple tours promoting Avalanche between 2002 and 2004 and how much stronger the structure of the songs and instrument arrangements overall were imo compared to even the album versions that I thought were a bit weaker (Long Way Down, Near Fantastica) along with the already well written ones (Pledge, House of Smoke and Mirrors). The same went for even older songs from the MGB era like Giant and Symbolistic White Walls during that time period and even when he started touring WLRRR (see Blue Skies and We're so Heavy) although admittedly I know he was going for a more stripped down sound on that record. Anyways, I'm just wondering if anyone else feels the same way- that Matt's live work is somewhat superior to his studio work both in instrument arrangement and at times song structures. Or am I just on crack and unable to understand what I'm talking about...