i’ve mentioned this album before, but as i listen to it today i felt like i need to discuss its brilliance again. matthew good’s 2003 solo album, avalanche, is truly one of my all-time favourite albums. there just isn’t a weak spot on it. some days one song seems to resonate with me more than another. it’s one i can leave on repeat indefinitely – and often do. i’ve listened to it hundreds, if not thousands, of times and still manage to be in awe.
as soon as i hear the opening notes of “pledge of allegiance”, i instantly feel relaxed and calm. if i’m having one of those frustrating days where nothing seems to be going right, i can just throw on this album and instantly float away to another place.
“lullaby for the new world order”, “weapon”, and “in a world called catastrophe” float by and we get to my second favourite track on the album: “avalanche”. the way the song rises and falls is just awesome. trying to describe it wouldn’t do it justice, you really just need to listen.
from there we move on to the more rocky “21st century living” before slowing it back down a little with the great “while we were hunting rabbits” and “bright end of nowhere”. you can’t overlook “near fantastica” either – another excellent track.
“song for the girl” always makes me think of my wife and smile. i love them both. it’s hard not to sing along with this one. i should really learn to play this… maybe whenever i get around to replacing my busted acoustic guitar.
“double life” and “a long way down” are songs that i sometimes overlook as i scan the track list and wait for the final (and my favourite) track on the album, but once they start playing i have to listen. great stuff.
the album finishes with my favourite song from the album and one of my favourite matthew good songs, “house of smoke and mirrors”. i love love LOVE this song. layers and some excellent dynamics. i raved about this and the title track in a previous post, but it definitely deserves mentioning again. i can listen to this song over and over. most of the time when this track comes on i’ll have to stop what i’m doing, put in both headphones and turn the volume up. the crackely guitar solo still gives me chills sometimes. an amazing song.
so there you have it. a 13 song, 69 minute and 7 second masterpiece that everyone should have in their collection.
some youtube links for the songs… hopefully they all keep working… album versions of the tracks except where i couldn’t find them:
- pledge of allegiance [4:59]
- lullaby for the new world order [3:52]
- weapon [5:58]
- in a world called catastrophe (live video) [5:57]
- avalanche [7:26]
- 21st century living [3:10]
- while we were hunting rabbits (edited video) [8:00]
- bright end of nowhere [4:08]
- near fantastica [8:00]
- song for the girl [3:16]
- double life [4:22]
- a long way down [3:56]
- house of smoke and mirrors [6:03]
so what’s your favourite album?