Avalanche (Matthew Good album)

Infobox Album | Name = Avalanche
Type = Album
Artist = Matthew Good


Released = March 4, 2003
Recorded = Mushroom Studios, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada except track 2 at Warehouse Studios, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Genre = Alternative
Length = 69:15
Label = Universal
Producer = Warne Livesey
Reviews = *Sputnikmusic rating|4.5|5 [http://www.sputnikmusic.com/album.php?albumid=3528 link]

Last album = "The Audio of Being" (2001) w/ Matthew Good Band
This album = "Avalanche" (2003)
Next album = "White Light Rock & Roll Review" (2004) |

"Avalanche" is the first solo album by Canadian artist Matthew Good. It received high praise from both music critics and fans of the singer and songwriter alike. Released in 2003, the album marked a creative departure from his earlier work with the Matthew Good Band, and featured accompaniment by the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra on several tracks.

The album had three singles: "Weapon", "In a World Called Castastrophe" and "Near Fantastica", although "Near Fantastica" was released only to radio in a substantially shorter edit. The music video for "Weapon" won a Juno Award, which was shared between Good and co-director Ante Kovac (Good refused to accept the award, however, as he boycotts the Juno Awards).

While working on the album, Matt became disenchanted with several completed songs. Drum elements from one song, "Comfortable Criminals", were taken and reused as the basis for "A Long Way Down" while the song itself was later made available as a b-side on the secret website accessed by the multimedia component of the CD. Another song, "Villain of the Year" was also cut from Avalanche. However, the music for that song became the music for "Near Fantastica" and the lyrics would be used for an extended version of "Symbolistic White Walls" in subsequent live performances. A third song, "Annabelle", would be stripped of its musical elements, spliced with snippets of radio news broadcasts, and sold digitally in support of Amnesty International.

Producer Warne Livesey, who previously worked with Good on the massively successful "Beautiful Midnight", received a Juno Award nomination for his work on "Avalanche".

Track listing

#"Pledge of Allegiance" – 4:59
#"Lullaby for the New World Order" – 3:52
#"Weapon" – 5:58
#"In a World Called Catastrophe" – 5:57
#"Avalanche" – 7:26
#"21^st Century Living" – 3:10
#"While We Were Hunting Rabbits" – 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

Miscellanea

*The CD contains multimedia content, though the website accessed by the applet is no longer active. However, there is an "easter egg" hiding on the opening screen. Clicking just to the right of the main mountain peak brings up a picture of a raccoon standing on its hind legs.
* The radio edit for "Near Fantastica", which is a mere 4:23, actually represents the original version of the song. Good altered it to the 8 minute version during the mixing of Avalanche as he preferred it to the "simple verse, chorus, structure of the original."

Personnel

*Matthew Good - vocals, guitar, art direction
*Christian Thor Valdson - Guitar,
*Pat Steward - drums, percussion
*Rich Priske - Bass guitar