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Loser Anthem (B Sides & Rarities)

Matthew Good Band - Loser Anthem (B Sides & Rarities) Audio CD

A fair review of the Matthew Good Band "Loser Anthem (B Sides & Rarities)" Audio CD. Please note that the below review is the views of the authors, and authors only. You can get a complete list of all Matthew Good Band reviews here, or go back to the Matthew Good Band tabs.

Band: Matthew Good Band
Title: Loser Anthem (B Sides & Rarities)
Rating:

Release Date: 2001-06-05
Media: Audio CD

Tracks:

Loser Anthems is amazing
Being a huge mg fan, i had to have it. This CD really makes the difference for me. Got it off Ebay as a gift. was worth the fifty bucks, and it really can speak to me. Man from Harold Wood is a deep song, though i think some people dont see it that way. Just love it :).

And EP that's better than most LPs
I mean, tracks cut from some of their cds sound too good to be on most band's cds. Isn't it sad that MGB's EP has songs that are better than almost every other band's LPs? It is just pathetic.

This EP holds some of the best songs I have ever heard. Flashdance II is brilliant! Just a nice classic MGB rock song. The Fine Art Of Falling Apart did not quite grasp me at first listen, though after listening to it more, I can say that it is simply incredible! And. . . the best track on the cd, Flight Recorder. . . I cannot describe how beautiful this song is. I was just completely shocked the first time i heard it. And i still get in a trance every time i hear it. Very errie and slow, but it is just fantastic.

A Must-Own for MGB fans (35,000 MGB fans, anyways)
I just want to say that if you're a Matthew Good Band fan and you stumble across one of these gems, get it! You will NOT be disappointed. After searching high and low for this album, I was lucky enough to come across a copy of it at a local music store, so maybe it's not as rare as some people make it out to be (only 35 000 copies made, but now in 2002 I found a new one!).

"Flashdance II" (which continues smoothly into track two, "The Man From Harold Wood") is just a pure, great MGB song that's fun to listen to. "My Life As A Circus Clown" is a cool rock song, and would pretty much fit on a MGB album like Underdogs or Beautiful Midnight. The "Intermezzo: M. Good Vs. M. Trolley" is a hilarious account of Matt trying (and failing miserably) to play the Trolley song from Mr. Rogers.

In my opinion, though, the real money's worth of the album comes from track 5, "Flight Recorder From Viking 7". If this was the only song on the album, it would still be worth the twelve bucks I shelled out for it. I can't quite describe in words what this song is like - eerie, mysterious, haunting, beautiful. . . the words don't do it justice. It starts off with a lot of beeping and Matt taking deep, shuddering breaths that set the mood for the whole song. Holly McNarland is a great addition and fits really well with Matt's powerful voice. I think it's this song that really shows off why a lot of people consider Matt one of Canada's best musical voices.

The rest of the album flows really well off the pace set by "Flight Recorder. " "Life Beyond the Minimum Safe Distance" is another slower track accompanied by a nice guitar and piano track. Again, Matt's voice really shines here. The track really swells up towards the end.

And finally, there's "The Fine Art Of Falling Apart," a song that Matt just recorded once and left as it is. He's flat on some of the notes, but that only seems to add to the song. There's raw emotion here, raw sound quality, and that feeling of almost musical perfection.

All in all, this is the EP that many will be disappointed not to own, but you can see why they only released 35 000 copies of it - once you have one, it's just that much better. Loser Anthems is certainly a winner.

Loser Anthems a winner
Released June 5, 2001, there are only 35000 copies of this ep made available to the world. Are we high yet, crazy kids? This is what the Japanese on the cover of this album loosely translates to. It features 7 tracks which are out-takes from Beautiful Midnight and Underdogs.

The first track is Flashdance II which was previously released on the band's website in March 2000. Personally, this is my favourite MGB song because it blends a very powerful chorus with solemn verses. The intro where some guys is trying to "slam" the Matthew Good Band, but not to the satisfaction of Matt is quite amusing. This is the perfect song to blast on the stereo and sing along to when you think no one is watching. The Man from Harold Wood is meant to be a continuation of Flashdance II. It's basically just a piano solo with chanting from a crowd. Nothing really spectacular.

Another track worth mentioning is the fourth one: M. Good v. M. Trolley. Here, Matt's wondering how on earth a certain piano tune was played (the Trolly song from Mr. Roger's Neighbourhood), but claims it impossible, stating that only 2 midgets could do it. It's a fun amusing little ditty.

Holly Mcnarland appears for the song Flight Recorder from Viking Seven. This is the only track that I'm not too fond of. It's just something about the spaciness echoing of this song that I don't like. It has a really slow tempo and drags the pace of the album down.

The final track, The Fine Art of Falling Apart is original in that it was recorded in the first take, and no studio tweaks were made to it. Matt just went into the studio, sang the song with this acoustic guitar and when it was done, just left it as it is. I think this song was beautifully done, in that it wasn't over-tweaked by the wonders of studio equipment. It's presented to us in it's raw form.

All in all, it's an excellent EP for mgb fans to hold them over until The Audio of Being is released.

Excellent.
Some of the tracks on the album aren`t even songs, they`re just Matt talking. Even though the band apologizes for the poor sound quality of this album on the inside cover, it doesn`t mess up the songs. "Flashdance II" and "The Fine Art of Falling Apart" are quite possibly the best songs on the album. Holly McNarland sings in "Flight Recorder From Viking 7" and her voice is perfect with Matt`s. Buy this album, you won`t regret it.

You can see a complete list of all Matthew Good Band discography, or go back to the Matthew Good Band tabs. There is also a good guide on how to read guitar tabs here.