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Audio of Being

Matthew Good Band - Audio of Being Audio CD

A fair review of the Matthew Good Band "Audio of Being" 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: Audio of Being
Rating:

Release Date: 2004-09-07
Media: Audio CD

Tracks: 1: Man of Action 2: Carmelina 3: Tripoli 4: Advertising on Police Cars 5: I, The Throw Away 6: Truffle Pigs 7: Fall of Man 8: Under the Influence 9: Rat Who Would Be King 10: Anti-Pop 11: Workers Sing a Song of Mass Production 12: Sort of a Protest Song

Maturing rock for some of the masses
Instead they were mainly massive in Canada which then strangely dissipated when they go to America with only a smaller following. Matthew Good Band was one of those premier rock groups from Canada that didn't get the attention that other groups from here got like Sum 41 and Alanis Morissette or the widespread respectability of Rush and the Guess Who. Yet even then, The Audio of Being wasn't a massive release even here and the band disbanded soon after. But while the record doesn't really have that massive radio-ready hit of "Apparitions" or "Load Me Up" but it still contains some of the strongest songs of their career.

Man of Action: Starts eerie and quiet before it comes in with a fast delay line before it explodes with a massive guitar riff. With soaring vocals and a charged atmosphere, it becomes an appropriate opener. And doesn't anyone else but me hear echoes of "Star Trek" during the outro? 8. 5/10

Carmelina: One of those unfortunate radio singles where there's nothing wrong with it only it was the one released first. Big heavy rock riffs and soaring vocals are the thing here but some might lament the lack of immediate accessibility of "Hello Time Bomb". 8/10

Tripoli: An atmospheric rocker that's quite well-done with Matt's vocals providing some good melodies and hooks. One thing I especially like is during the outro with the children's choir, there's one kid that sounds noticeably different than the others. Quite cute. 7. 5/10

Advertising on Police Cars: Synth ambience and eerie guitar textures make this noticeably different than anything similar like "Suburbia" but it's probably not a song you'll revisit; the length might be unfriendly to some too. 7/10

I, The Throw Away: Similar to "Omissions of the Omen" but not as ominous sounding, it's entirely done on the acoustic, it's pleasant to hear and kind of fun to play but it's not really catchy by any means. 5. 5/10

Truffle Pigs: I might get lynched for this but I love this song way more than the hit "Strange Days". While it does contain a swear in its chorus, it's still more emotively delivered in the vocals and has a more powerful ending. 9. 5/10

The Fall of Man: If there's one word to describe this track, it would be "apocalyptic". Right from the onset, there's something foreboding and dark about the song and from the lyrics to the heavy riffs, I personally found this one awesome and wish they had more like this. 9/10

Under the Influence: Not one of my favorites and while I like it lyrically, musically it's a bit too simple and has shades of other songs they've done. Cool solo though but other than that, the track works, I just don't like it is all. 7/10

The Rat Who Would Be King: One of Matt's best vocals he's laid down. Kind of moody blues rock like what you'd find in bars and lounges, Matt sings lines with a bit more sustain on the notes and really shows how much range he developed over the years. Definate highlight. 9. 5/10

Anti-Pop: Ironic title considering this is the poppiest track on the whole record. With big riffs, hooks everywhere, including from a chorus of girls akin to the intro to "Giant" and this makes for a huge sing along. 9/10

The Workers Sing a Song of Mass Production: Odd title I know but I love the song. Matt does this catchy dip-and-dive thing with his voice during the prechorus and the chorus is suitably big with a huge riff-charged outro. 8. 5/10

Sort of a Protest Song: Even after buying the album first day, I never really cared for this song. While most of the closers tend to be emotive and softer, I just never liked this one all that much and prefer "Running for Home". 7/10

With a couple tracks that are decent, the rest of the tracks are very good and even contain some of their best so while The Audio of Being isn't the most accessible MGB release, that doesn't mean that there isn't anything worth listening on it.

The Beginning of a New Era...
The incredible rock populated with Matt's presence both vocally and lyrically really left me without a clue as to where their following albums would go. I had stepped into the Matthew Good Band because of the Stateside release of their popular (in Canada) "Beautiful Midnight". Because of Matt's intentionally poor presence in the US, I didn't pick up on this album until a few months before Avalanche came out in early 2003, both of which (and all subsequent albums since then) I've had to import.

The album art sort of takes you off-guard, but that's merely the beginning. Page after page reveals colorful science book illustrations of various scientific concepts, such as Earth's core structure and as the cover reveals, the water cycle. These first few pages, a far cry from the generic garage band-style photos of "Beautiful Midnight" represent the point of no return: the beginning of Matthew Good's subsequent era in music.

Before working on this album, Matt underwent vocal cord surgery and recovered slowly in a hotel in Whistler, BC, while taking prescription painkillers. It was here where he wrote the twisted lyrics that would eventually see the light. He swore off smoking and adopted some incredible production values. His new soaring vocals and new backup choirs almost disarm you from beginning to end.

More of a "follow the white rabbit" than anything, this musical journey pushes you in and out of what is truly a terrifying and melancholy experience. "Advertising on Police Cars", "Tripoli" and "Under the Influence" only cement the demented pathway that this album ferries you along.

After a thorough listen, you'll experience a thorough paradigm shift of Matthew Good's musicology that becomes his trademark in all subsequent albums. The harder-rocking tracks almost exist as an obligation so you don't drown in the murk. And while none of them provide the same hits that, say "Hello Time Bomb" did on "Beautiful Midnight", that's really not what you're here for. A track that could've potentially filled that role, "Pony Boy" was released as a B-side and was also put on the "In A Coma" compilation. It's easy to see why it didn't fit.

While not as trendy as their previous albums, you can see Matt really wanted to get out on his own as this was the last effort of the Matthew Good Band before their dissolution. The next few albums serve as an almost pure siphon of Matthew Good-ness (yuckle!). If you start with Matthew Good solo, this is where he started. If you start with Matthew Good band, this is where it ends.

A fantastic crossroads for one of the greatest musicians in play today.

Audio of Being
Not as good as "Beautiful Midnight" though. This CD is not bad. Too bad these guys called it quits.

matt good at his best
even in the end they were still on the top of there game.

Going out on top
Any hardcore MGB fan such as myself loved this album, and wish they could've done more. It's a shame that this was their last album.
Dave Genn, the great guitar player who plays solos so well, not even the greatest air guitarist can imitate! He kicks off the album opener, "Man of Action," with eerie chords before Rich Priske & Ian Browne blast in with their bass & drums. Lyrically, this track appears to be about Matt's late father ("this world it wore him out").
Rich takes over the next two tracks with powerful bass intros to the first single, "Carmelina", and "Tripoli," which is mostly comprised of Matt's Internet manifestos, as is the eerie look into the future on "Advertising on Police Cars. "
Matt gets mellow on the acoustic "I, The Throw Away," and a song that should be the next Strange Days: "Truffle Pigs," which consists of Matt's best vocal tracks.
"Under The Influence" and "Anti-pop" are two of my favourite songs on the album, the latter of which will be a huge single for MGB. A very catchy song with lots of "do-do-do's" and kids chanting "let's get this party started!" "Under The Influence" is a pounding, anthemic tune where Matt reminisces on his youth (Just wanna be like we used to").
"The Workers Sing A Song Of Mass Production" is another great example of musicianship combined with great lyrics. Dave, with his piercing guitar intro before Rich & Ian bring in the rhythm section, not to mention great lyrics from Matt, like "life's a dirty business, so be a prick and do it while the world's awake. ".

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.