So I worked for a summer, both on my web design business (which I co-own with my housemate), and at another job, as technical/secretarial support. (Erm... basically fix everything when it breaks, and answer the phones while you're at it.) It was a lousy summer, and come August, I decided it was back to school for me, as no "real" job was forthcoming. Now, the important thing about that summer was actually the music on the radio. Music keeps me sane. (The one decent radio station in our area has since changed format and DIED, but that's another rant for another time.) And the music that kept me sane, and actually happy, was most often "Smooth." Yeah, that one. ^_^ Love it or hate it, I think everybody and their dog knows Santana's "Smooth" by now. Now, I wasn't a Santana fan -- I wasn't even really a rock fan until recently. I was raised on Country (*cringe*), and then went into a voluntary media brownout for close to three years of university, during which time I only turned on the radio a handful times and relied on the Internet for entertainment as I had no T.V.. Fortunately, as I said, I've regained my sanity, started listening to the radio, and become addicted to rock'n'roll. ^_~ So here was this "Smooth" song, by Santana and "that guy." My thoughts ran along these lines, "That guy has a great voice. Wonder who that guy is? Wonder if he sings anything else?". But somehow I always managed to miss the artist info (as rare as that is to get on stations these days). Finally, though, I caught his name: Rob Thomas. And a band name too: Matchbox 20. Paying more attention to the rotation, I eventually picked up a few song titles, learned to recognize Rob's voice, and the band's sound. "Push" I wasn't keen on at first, mostly because all I could catch was the chorus, which turned me off. But "Real World," now *there* was a song! And "3 AM." oooo ^_^ Aside: remember this is Canada. Nothing was released up here until '98, even though "YoSLY" was released in the States in '96. These songs were all relatively "new" to our radio stations. I went back to school (taking Electronics Engineering Technology at the local college, if you're interested), and was very happy for the over-exposure Matchbox 20 were getting from constant radio rotation. Then came October, and *birthday* money! Happy happy Tav got to buy the CD!!! I soaked it in. A taped copy of the disc lived in my car tape deck (I am, alas, too poor to have an CD-player in the car). The songs became old friends, the lyrics able to fit any mood, the music strong enough to wake me up, or detox me from a long day of labs. Spring rolled around, "Bent" hit the air, and a new album was eagerly anticipated. This was one CD, I thought, that I'd definitely buy without waiting to hear more tracks from it. So I did. ^_^ But when I played "Mad Season" for the first time, I thought "what the hell have they done?" I tried to listen with an open mind, but I was fully expecting music like "Push," "Busted," and "Argue." Sure, "Bent" was that kind of music, but the rest of this disc.... ??? ok, so "Crutch," yeah, that's a Matchbox 20 tune. I admit, I didn't make it past Bent on the first listen. The CD got shelved, and I went back to "YoSLY." Comfortable, real Matchbox 20. "Mad Season" indeed. For who? had the band gone mad? It nagged at me, and I thought I really had been unfair. Maybe it wasn't just Santana's influence that had prompted them to include all those horns in the background. Maybe it wasn't just the record company telling them to be more "pop," and less "alternative" (or whatever they were considered before). Maybe, just maybe.... I taped the CD and went for a long drive. I let the music wash over me, stopped comparing it to what I thought Matchbox 20 should sound like, and just let it be. And I discovered it was Good. Maybe what really happened is that they got to play. They got to be creative, got access to resources that they just didn't have for the first album, and they had some fun.
"And it's good that I'm not angry Oh yes. Those were Rob Thomas lyrics, most definitely. And getting past the pre-judgement, the instrumentation was really tight, really strong. Bouncy, but not pop, not drivel. There was still that message behind them. "Not angry," indeed. "YoSLY" had had so much about being angry... was this announcing a fresh start?
"I'm not angry but I've never been above it Or not. ^_^ The point being, I guessed, that there was going to be *more* to this album than angry getting-through-life songs. (Look out, song by song analysis coming up. ^_~ ) "Black and White People;" more horns. hrm... But again, the overall feel of the song is really strong. Many varied threads, but all woven into one. "If it's just that you're weak, can we talk about it?" <-- that I could relate to. (It's become one of my faves. ^_^ ) "Crutch," as I said before, is the kind of song that made "YoSLY" popular. But it doesn't feel out of place on "MS". "Last Beautiful Girl:" hullo... wot's this? Matchbox 20 meets the 50's? Images of soda shops and bobbie sox and greasers. But they manage to pull it off. Ok... it took some getting used to. "If You're Gone:" *swoon* How did I miss this the first time? This, and "Rest Stop," and "Bed of Lies," have to be the three most GORGEOUS songs on this album. Soft and sweet and lyrical, but still saying so much. Never once descending into pop drivel, because Rob knows how to turn a phrase. (Storyteller, songwriter, musician, singer...) And the band... they are so tight, so together, so... man. ^_^ They kick ASS. "Mad Season" and "The Burn:" bouncy, in a "gotta-love-me" sort of way. ^_^ I mean, who can't relate to things like "I feel stupid, but it's something that comes and goes/ And I been changin', think it's funny how no one knows," and "Thought about leavin', but I couldn't even get out of bed.... / Breakin' but I couldn't get the pieces apart"? With different instrumentation, they would have fit on YoSLY, but here, they're allowed to shine. If you listen to everything that's going on in the background on these two songs... wow. They are convoluted masterpieces. "Rest Stop:" I WISH to ghod I had had the courage to do this to a (now) ex-boyfriend. Would've saved me four years of grief and trying to be what I wasn't. "Bed of Lies:" drown yourself in it. That's all I have to say about it. It is a beautiful piece of music. That leaves "Leave," "Stop," and "You Won't Be Mine." The latter two didn't fit on the tape, so I'm still not opinionated about them. "Leave" only half-fit, but I like the lyrics. It's another one of those "been there, done that, but you say it much better" type songs. The tape flipped, "Real World" came on, and I found myself smiling. "Mad Season" indeed. Life is crazy, why not have a mad season and just do what you want to do? As hypercritical as I was ready to be about it, this CD is not a bowing to the record company, and not complete "have they lost their minds" breaking away from their first album. It's an album that speaks of growth, maturity, creativity, potential. (And besides, I bet Rob knew that if they made another album full of songs like "Bent" and "Crutch", he'd have wrecked his voice singing them before a third album could be made. But that's just my opinion. He has such a rich, varied voice. Listen to him sing when they play acoustic. *swoon*) How do I feel about Matchbox 20 (Twenty, whichever)? Well, (leaving aside personal opinions about Rob Thomas himself, ^_^ cuz the frontman always gets the attention, but the band as a whole deserves just as much) they are a really solid band that sounds comfortable with themselves and each other and their music. They fit, they synch, in a way that a lot of bands don't these days don't (leading to splits and solo projects). I could go on and on about how awesome they are, but better yet, go listen to the albums - either one. There's something there for everyone.
The Official site: Matchbox 20 (links will open in new windows)
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