New Album Review: Hospital Music by Matthew Good

*please note that Hospital Music will not be released until July 31st.

Matthew Good’s career spans over a decade at this point. In that time he has released 7 full albums and 3 EPs and 1 greatest hits collection. A lot of other things have happened to Matt during his career; he holds the record for the best selling independent rock album in Canadian history (1995’s Last of the Ghetto Astronauts), he has won several Junos (not that they mean anything), he has been banned from Winnipeg (and then let back in after a couple years), had a disease in his throat that lead to surgery and he actually had to learn how to talk again, he has quit smoking, he has broken up with his band, been married and eventually divorced, he has been diagnosed with bipolar disorder and, of course has taken up smoking again. However, there is one thing he hasn’t done, and that’s disappoint. Every release has been at least great, and occasionally phenomenal. I am glad to say that that does not change. In the last year, Matthew has been to the hospital a couple times, because during last year’s tour he collapsed with exhaustion, and more recently, due to taking too much medication. During his stays he wrote a lot of the album, which explains the title, Hospital Music. Most of his albums have been extremely complex and rich, however this is not the case here. His lyrics are no longer masked with metaphors but are straight to the point; the music is also more simple. This is not necessarily a bad thing as the most straightforward song is also the most emotionally effective (She’s in it For the Money). Some might say that on old material Matt hid behind his poetic writing but now, for lack of a better term, he is completely naked. He has nothing to hide, to hear this album is to become close to someone you have never met. The experience is at times heartbreaking, but we are better for it. Music naturally makes us feel alive, it unites us, but with such honest lyrics as on Hospital Music we feel in touch with humanity to an even greater extent. To understand another human being through his art, we take their pains with us and relate to it, and sometimes come out as better people then we were at first. The power of music is incredible but not usually used to it’s full potential like it is here. One thing has always amazed me about Matthew Good, the fact that every album he changes his style. You can never predict what his next release will sound like. I am not sure if there is another artist I could say that about, possibly Radiohead, but there aren’t many. On Hospital Music, Matt reinvents himself again, and we are treated to his most personal work to date. Because of it’s simplicity, it lacks the astounding depth of his masterpieces Audio of Being and Avalanche, but it still kicks the asses of most of the popular stuff around today. It may not be Matt’s best or the best album of the year but it makes for another worthy part of a truly remarkable career, as well as a worthy part of any music collection.