Loser Anthems

"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.

1. Flashdance II. The track begins after a short clip of some self loathing studio antics. This to me is the most with thick distorted bass and heavily processed drums back up Matthew Good's surreal and comedic yet poignant comments about himself and then he parallels himself to a stripper. The chorus in this song has some of Matthew Good's strongest and most powerful vocals ever recorded. My only complaint about this song is that it makes so many other of his excellent works pale in comparison.

2. The Man from Harold Wood. This track has a very lush, layered feel to it. Haunting piano melodies and strings build in a slow crescendo with a crowd cheering in the background. This sounds like something straight off Avalanche, and it's very moving. It's also very impressive to see the roots of his later work that were already so well developed.

3. My life as a circus clown. Matt certainly acheived the circus theme in this song. It is possible that this is another statement about himself. This time, he's the clown doing all sorts of ridiculous things and he's surrounded by other circus performers. Bizarre, surreal and light subject material.

4. Intermezzo - M. Good V M. Trolley. More of our beloved and outspoken Matt's antics in the studio.

5. Flight Recorder from Viking 7. This is studio experimentation at it's best. Very raw, airy and epic feeling. Electric guitars and strings back Matt's duet with Holly McNarland. This seems to be the main attraction for many people and it's not hard see why. This track is beyond words, you really have to hear it to understand the feelings it evokes.

6. Life beyond the minimum safe distance. This track begins with a distant feel to it, with Matt reciting his feelings of isolation. You can hear traffic recorded in the background, which adds to the overall mood. Check out the DVD from In a Coma to get another perspective on this track. Having established the base mood, Matt progresses to a more moving feel and it feels like you've just been taken miles away from the site where an explosion is now taking place. This track is another successful studio experiment.

7. The Fine Art of Falling Apart. On this track, Matt sounds very passionate with his acoustic guitar. Recorded in a single take, the track was left completely untouched and sounds very raw. This is quite an indulgence and it feels perfect with Matt showing his vulnerable side. As a side note, this feels like a precursor or companion piece to "Truffle Pigs".

Overall: 5/5
Summary: Matthew Good has given his fans a real treat. This is probably not a record for the uninitiated, but once you get to know what he's all about, this is probably the finest Matthew Good Band release. Also, be sure to check out his solo effort "Avalanche".