OFF THE RECORD: Matthew Good - Vancouver

(Courtesy of Universal Music Group.)

As a die-hard Matthew Good fan, I was really excited to actually own his latest album, Vancouver. Even though I'd already heard demo versions of every song and listened to the complete album's stream on his website, having a hard copy mattered. I think Matt Good is the only artist whose albums I still buy physical copies of. Anyway.

As for the album itself, MG tells the story of his relationship with Vancouver: a love story about the city, its evolution and the people who live there. A distinct shift from the gloomier tone of Hospital Music, more upbeat tracks like "Fought To Fight It" and quirky decisions like using whale song in "Great Whales of the Sea" leave this album with a peculiarity that even long-time fans will find unconventional and refreshing. Matt's vocals are amazing as always, and I'm glad he has the range he does because it makes it easier for me to sing along.

In my opinion, one of the best demos posted was "On Nights Like Tonight". If my old computer hadn't crashed and lost everything I hold dear, I'd tell you what my play count was on that song. (It was a pretty big number.) The finished product is even better, with rich vocals and spiralling instrumentals. And with lyrics like, "On nights like tonight when no one's around / I turn off the lights and float off the ground / And I smile like I used to when you were around / But truth be told I don't know who's at the helm / But just sit tight / I'll make my way to you," the song is lyrically gorgeous enough to complement the music. It's enough to make a girl swoon.

Another song I find very strong lyrically is the album's closer, "Empty's Theme Park". What a great choice to end with. Deep, full instrumentals accented with strings start out low and gradually work up to guitar that alludes to rainfall; clearly a good choice for a song about Vancouver. It's definitely deserving of being the longest song on the album, almost hitting nine-and-a-half minutes. Also, check out "A Silent Army in the Trees". It makes me dance around my room, not because it's a happy song, but because it's got the kind of bassline that you have to move to.

I'm a little terrified I'm not doing this album justice, that MG himself will read this and be like, 'Seriously?' and I'll wake up in the middle of the night in a cold sweat because I know that somewhere, somehow, Matt Good is disappointed in me. Well, not quite like that. But close.

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Shannon Mackay is a past contributor to The Other Press and currently works for Renegade Productions.

EDITOR'S NOTE: I blame China.

(As you can probably tell by the yarmulke, Matisyahu has absolutely nothing to do with China. © 2009 Shandra Stephenson.)

I know, I know... I abandoned you all again.

But it's not my fault. See, it was all China. The country dragged me away in this horrible Chinese ritual known as a "vacation" and next thing I knew, I was out in the Asian countryside eating fried grubs (true story) and trying to stay away from pigs. Not only that, but The Great Firewall of China prevented me from updating ThatRockBlog.com since Blogspot's blocked in the Land of the Unfree (along with a whole host of other sites). So really, I'm the victim here. After all, do you think I seriously intended to miss Matisyahu and Motörhead while they were in town?

Bouncing back shouldn't be a problem though. This week, we've got our own Sylvia McFadden heading out to both Gossip at The Commodore and The Armadilettantes CD release party at The Beaumont Studios. Meanwhile, resident Matt Good expert Shannon Mackay is going to take us through his latest album Vancouver, while Pearce and I bust our balls trying to get an EP out for our band, The Best Revenge. Stick with us until 2010, at least. We won't be disappearing for weeks at a time again 'til then.

And if we do, well, tough titty.