Moving Walls
{{Short description|2020 studio album by Matthew Good}}
{{Infobox album
| name = Moving Walls
| type = Album
| artist = Matthew Good
| cover = File:Moving walls.webp
| alt =
| released = February 21, 2020
| recorded =
| venue =
| studio =
| genre = Alternative rock
| length = 63:56
| label = Warner Music Canada
| producer = Warne Livesey
| prev_title = Something Like a Storm
| prev_year = 2017
| next_title =
| next_year =
| misc = {{Singles
| name = Moving Walls
| type = studio
| single1 = Sicily
| single1date = October 18, 2019
| single2 = Selling You My Heart
| single2date = January 24, 2020
}}
}}
{{Album ratings
| rev1 = Exclaim
| rev1Score = {{Rating|6|10}} {{cite news |last1=Aquino |first1=Jenna |title=Matthew Good Moving Walls |url=http://exclaim.ca/music/article/matthew_good-moving_walls |access-date=June 3, 2020 |work=exclaim.ca |date=February 18, 2020}}
| rev2 = Punknews.org
| rev2score = {{Rating|4|5}} {{cite web |title=Matthew Good - Moving Walls |url=https://www.punknews.org/review/17085/matthew-good-moving-walls |website=www.punknews.org |access-date=3 June 2020 |language=en |date=March 9, 2020}}
}}
Moving Walls is the ninth solo album by Matthew Good. The album was previewed with a single, "Sicily", which was released on October 18, 2019, with an accompanying music video.{{cite news |last1=Magazine |first1=Aesthetic |title=Stream Matthew Good's New Single "Sicily" |url=https://aestheticmagazinetoronto.com/2019/10/18/stream-matthew-good-new-single-sicily/ |access-date= June 3, 2020 |work=Aesthetic Magazine {{!}} Album Reviews, Concert Photography, Interviews, Contests |date=October 18, 2019}} A second single, "Selling You My Heart", was released on January 24, 2020, with the album following on February 21, 2020.{{cite news |last1=Gregory |first1=Allie |title=Matthew Good Shares New Song "Selling You My Heart" |url=http://exclaim.ca/music/article/matthew_good_shares_selling_you_my_heart |access-date=June 3, 2020 |work=exclaim.ca |date=January 24, 2020 |language=en-ca}}
Background
The album was recorded after Good's divorce and during the time he was living at his parents house. He had gone to help his mum with his dad who has dementia and cancer.{{cite news |last1=Lau |first1=Melody |title='I don't like fame': Matthew Good is making music for himself, not to become a celebrity |url=https://www.cbc.ca/music/i-don-t-like-fame-matthew-good-is-making-music-for-himself-not-to-become-a-celebrity-1.5475723 |access-date=June 3, 2020 |work=CBC |date=February 26, 2020}} Good would work from eight in the evening, until 3:00 am the following morning, demoing songs in his parents garage. Some of the effects from the demos ended up on the album; on "Dreading it", the acoustic strumming at the start of the song is Good's daughter, Elizabeth trying the guitar, and the rain on "Fingernails" is as recorded hitting Good's parent's garage door.{{cite web |last1=Barber |first1=Jim |title=Matthew Good Digs Deep on New Album – Moving Walls |url=http://www.musiclifemagazine.net/matthew-good-digs-deep-on-new-album-moving-walls/ |website=Music Life Magazine |access-date=June 3, 2020 |date=March 18, 2020}}
In a press release, Good himself described the album as "sumptuous, orchestral, and wildly multifaceted."{{cite news |last1=Wallis |first1=Adam |title=Matthew Good announces North American tour, 28 Canadian dates |url=https://globalnews.ca/news/6278562/matthew-good-moving-walls-tour-new-album/ |access-date=June 3, 2020 |work=Global News |date=December 10, 2019}} The album was recorded with Warne Livesey, a long-time collaborator with Good, at the Bathouse Studio in Ontario.{{cite news |last1=Cooke |first1=Stephen |title=Matthew Good kicks off 2020 Moving Walls tour |url=https://infoweb.newsbank.com/apps/news/document-view?p=AWNB&t=&sort=YMD_date%3AD&page=2&fld-base-0=alltext&maxresults=20&val-base-0=%22Moving%20Walls%22&docref=news/177C5D1CAF891140 |access-date=June 3, 2020 |work=infoweb.newsbank.com |date=December 10, 2019|url-access=subscription}} One of the songs on the album, "Lumiére Noire", is sung entirely in French, something which Good ashamedly admits that he picked up when touring around Europe rather than from his own country.{{cite news |last1=Belsito |first1=Chris |title='It's going to be fun as hell,' says Matthew Good |url=https://www.sootoday.com/arts-culture/its-going-to-be-fun-as-hell-says-matthew-good-2153776 |access-date=June 3, 2020 |work=Soo Today |date=March 12, 2020 |language=en}}
Reception
Rob Miller, writing in the Pop Topic, described the album as "...a haunting and cinematic piece of art," and "Good's strongest solo record to date."{{cite web |last1=Miller |first1=Rob |title=Matthew Good's 'Moving Walls' Is A Haunting And Cinematic Piece Of Art |url=https://thepoptopic.com/matthew-good-moving-walls-album-review/ |website=thepoptopic.com |access-date=June 3, 2020 |date=February 26, 2020}} Jenny Aquino, writing in "Exclaim", said that; "While the sheer number of sombre songs make it a rather dreary listen, its thought-provoking lyrics make it worthwhile..."
Tracklisting
{{Track list
|title1 = One of Them Years
|length1 = 4:57
|title2 = A Momentary Truth
|length2 = 3:07
|title3 = Beauty
|length3 = 5:32
|title4 = Sicily
|length4 = 3:57
|title5 = Boobytrapped
|length5 = 4:18
|title6 = Radicals
|length6 = 4:34
|title7 = Dreading it
|length7 = 6:09
|title8 = Your Rainy Sound
|length8 = 2:52
|title9 = Fingernails
|length9 = 3:15
|title10 = Lumière Noire
|length10 = 4:33
|title11 = A Thousand Tons
|length11 =3:35
|title12 = The Heights
|length12 = 4:22
|title13 = Selling You My Heart
|length13 = 3:39
|title14 = Thorn Bird
|length14 = 5:06
|title15 = Parts
|length15 = 5:00
}}
Personnel
- Matthew Good - vocals, acoustic guitars, synth, electric guitar
- Blake Manning - drums, percussion, backing vocals
- Peter Fusco - bass
- Stuart Cameron - electric guitar, 12 string acoustic guitar, lap steel, pedal steel
- Warne Livesey - piano, omnichord, harmonium, organ, Moog bass, mellotron
- Timothy Dawson - double bass
- Terry Townson - trumpet, flugelhorn
- Elizabeth Good - acoustic guitar on Dreading it
- Andée Leclerc - backing vocals
- Hayley Mather - backing vocals{{Cite AV media notes |title=Moving Walls |others=Matthew Good |year=2020|first=Matthew|last=Good|author-link=Matthew Good |page=2|type=Digi-pack |publisher=WEA Int'l |asin=B07NRF4K65}}
Charts
| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center" |
| Chart (2020)
! Peak |
|---|
| {{album chart|BillboardCanada|49|artist=Matthew Good|rowheader=true|accessdate=June 3, 2020}} |
References
{{reflist}}
External links
- [https://www.matthewgood.org/moving-walls-lyrics Moving Walls lyrics page on matthewgood.org]
{{Matthew Good}}
{{Authority control}}