White Light Rock And Roll Review

[Manchalivin]

I don't know about you guys but I have come to really enjoy this album a lot. It was great for a real change from the awesome but usual sound. Not at all to say his albums aren't all different but they still all have a generalized similar overall sound as pretty much any artist's albums do and this one has a more distinctly different sound. You know what I mean (it's not a criticism in the least). Anyway, when I first heard it I enjoyed it but I set it totally apart from his other work (and not just because of the obvious reason). Now I think it stacks up well against his other material in terms of quality and I have to say I like it better than Last of the Ghetto Astronauts and might put it above Hospital Music or tied at the very least. I could see people thinking it's generic based on hearing a little bit on the radio but Matt makes it his own. Simple, hooky, skillful and tight musicianship. It's got great tasty guitar playing and Matt's presence of course makes it that much better. Nice to see more upbeat Matt Good.

Edited September 20, 2009 by Manchalivin

[Audio of Being]

I give it a 4, it does have a good sound, stripped down rock, which is what I am really into.

[bryce]

It's my least favorite other than maybe astronauts, but I still enjoy it. We're So Heavy and Blue Skies over Badlands are highlights for me... ironically, these are the less stripped down of the songs.

[noise_pollution]

Put Out Your Lights And Fell in Love with a Bad idea are two dirty little numbers. Great anthem rock. Also Blue Skies and We're So Heavy in my opinion are two of the better songs Matt has ever wrote. But I will say as a whole it is my least favourite album, which isn't to say that is not good. I would give it a 3 or a 3.5. Poor Man's Grey just really irks me. I think it is the only MGB/Matt Good song I dislike.

[MrsSmith]

It is my least favorite of his solo albums as well. Of course, I still listen to it, as there are some really awesome songs on it. Blueskies being my favorite song on the album. But unlike with Beautiful Midnight, where I put it on and listen from start to finish, I usually skip the more poppy, radio friendly songs.

[Prometheon]

I like White Light more than Avalanche, and maybe more than HM. It's a well paced album with a lot of great tracks, as well as a few that don't excite me (Poor Man's Gray and Buffalo 7)

[Gomo]

Heh, funny, it's not my favorite album but Poor Man's Grey is one of my favorite songs off of it.

 

The best song is It's Been A While Since I Was Your Man.

 

Oh and i just noticed that I am a Hassel Hoffer! ;)

Edited September 27, 2009 by Gomo

[thewickernightmare]

I really like the first 5 songs on it but it trails off for me after that....Poor Man's Grey and Empty Road are awesome! The only real problem with Blue Skies that I have is that it kind of feels out of place on the record in that there are a bunch of 2- 3 1/2 minute songs and then an 8 minute song out of nowhere....just breaks the flow of the album a bit.....I give the album a 3 overall.

[Curtster]

I really like the first 5 songs on it but it trails off for me after that....Poor Man's Grey and Empty Road are awesome! The only real problem with Blue Skies that I have is that it kind of feels out of place on the record in that there are a bunch of 2- 3 1/2 minute songs and then an 8 minute song out of nowhere....just breaks the flow of the album a bit.....I give the album a 3 overall.

Yeah, I agree. Blue Skies does feel out of place on that album, both in sound and in how it is so long. I really like parts of Blue Skies, but there are long periods of that song where not much really happens (like the beginning).

[Devil On Rollerskates]

Oh and i just noticed that I am a Hassel Hoffer! :angry:

 

Soon you'll be a Bowflex Enthusiast! ;)

 

I think it's a great album. Like someone else said, I feel that We're So Heavy and Blue Skies Over Badlands are two of the better songs Matt ever wrote. I also enjoy the catchyness of Alert Status Red and In Love With A Bad Idea. Put Out Your Lights is great with it's unfinished feel. Poor Man's Grey is a song I change my mind about often, sometimes I like it, sometime I don't. Empty Road, It's Been A While Since I Was Your Man and Hopeless are all great, especially in that out of all the tracks on this album they give us something different from what we had heard previously from Matt. I love the energy of North American For Life, and although short, I love the guitar solo. The other three are solid tunes. I clicked 4 but I would say 4.5.

[here is no why]

i give it a 4/5 for sure. which is what i would say for Underdogs as well.

 

BM / Audio of Being / Avalanche / Hospital Music : if i were to rate these, they would be perfect. once i listen to the new album as well, i bet it makes a 4 or 5 easily as well.

 

Ghetto would get a 3/5 for sure. Not nearly as strong as later efforts.

[Manchalivin]

Yeah, I was thinking maybe a 2.5 for LOTGA but definitely no more than a 3. Listening to it the other day I just found it very bland overall compared to most of his other records. Still appreciate it though and it has a few solid songs.

[noise_pollution]

LOTGA is a great album. I would rather listen to it anyday over WLRRR.

[bishopx]

I like them all pretty much equally for different reasons. There are very few bands that I can say that about every release, in fact only 5, Matt falls into that group.

[noise_pollution]

Yeah, at least with Matt's albums they all bring something entirley different to the table.

[here is no why]

Ghetto is a good album but definitley not great. It's got great moments though, that's for sure.

[c0micb0y]

I like White Light more than Avalanche, and maybe more than HM.

 

Same. I've listened to it more than any MG/MGB release besides BM. Man, I recall hearing 'empty road' for the first time on tour between avalanche and WLRRR, the words spoke to me immediately. It's such a refreshing album, very uncomplicated, focussed and full of soul. It's a blues record through and through. 'Little Terror' is the only track I'm not particularly fond of at this point.

I give it a 5.

[Gomo]

LOTGA is a great album. I would rather listen to it anyday over WLRRR.

 

Agreed. LOTGA is one of my favorite albums. I could listen to it all day. It has a quality that I really enjoy.

[Moonlight_Graham]

LOTGA is a great album. I would rather listen to it anyday over WLRRR.

 

Damn right. It's my favorite album, maybe Audio of Being and Avalanche are right underneath. LOTGA isn't an epic album like some of his have been, its more folkish and subtle but still amazing. I adore it.

 

WLRRR is probably Matt's weakest album in my opinion, i'd give it like a 3.5. I like Put Out Your Lights, Empty Road, Alert Status Red, Blue Skies, and Its Been Awhile Since I Was Your Man, and Hopeless. The rest of the songs are crap.

[c0micb0y]

WLRRR is probably Matt's weakest album in my opinion, i'd give it like a 3.5. I like Put Out Your Lights, Empty Road, Alert Status Red, Blue Skies, and Its Been Awhile Since I Was Your Man, and Hopeless. The rest of the songs are crap.

 

Not a fan of 'We're So Heavy'? Really? 'Ex-Pats' is a pretty damn good ride too.

[borntohula]

this is the first album of his that i thought was really patchy. when he was saying that WLRRRwas going to be a stripped, raw set of songs that he was just putting to tape so he could play them live, i was really excited, but the final product really didn't resemble that at all. the songs were bare in that they didn't have much going on in terms of arrangements and instrumentation, but they've still got a studio gloss all over them that really prevents me from enjoying their potential rawness. it also doesn't help that the album is fairly front-loaded, as most of the songs i revisit are all at the beginning. if matt really was just looking to play these songs live, he should've just toured them, got them down the way he liked, and then recorded them live. many artists have recorded live albums that exclusively feature new material. neil young's time fades away comes to mind. recording it live would've given the album a much needed sense of life and urgency that really isn't captured in the version of WLRRR we ended up with.

[Devil On Rollerskates]

Soon you'll be a Bowflex Enthusiast! ;)

 

I think it's a great album. Like someone else said, I feel that We're So Heavy and Blue Skies Over Badlands are two of the better songs Matt ever wrote. I also enjoy the catchyness of Alert Status Red and In Love With A Bad Idea. Put Out Your Lights is great with it's unfinished feel. Poor Man's Grey is a song I change my mind about often, sometimes I like it, sometime I don't. Empty Road, It's Been A While Since I Was Your Man and Hopeless are all great, especially in that out of all the tracks on this album they give us something different from what we had heard previously from Matt. I love the energy of North American For Life, and although short, I love the guitar solo. The other three are solid tunes. I clicked 4 but I would say 4.5.

 

I've been listening to some live bootlegs and I've come to these conclusions: 1. I really do like Poor Man's Grey. 2. I agree with borntohula about it being recorded live and having less studio gloss. Pretty much all of this album is even better live than on the album (except the great pedal steel that's on the album but not live).

[here is no why]

We're So Heavy seems to be one of the standouts for me when I listen to the album.

[prototypepariah]

It's my least favorite other than maybe astronauts, but I still enjoy it. We're So Heavy and Blue Skies over Badlands are highlights for me... ironically, these are the less stripped down of the songs.

 

boom x2 to the letter exactly what I was gonna say.

[MountainMan]

Blue Skies and We're So Heavy are definately two great songs and my favourites on this album, but I think that Alert Status Red is one of his best singles to date. It has a really catchy opening riff and it's a solid song throughout. Overall I'd give it the album a 4.