IN REVIEW: Matthew Good - "Moving Walls"

If Matthew Good's eighth solo album (2017's Something Like a Storm) found him taking stock of the past (as he did most effectively on that record's standout Decades), then his ninth finds him living decidedly in the moment. Moving Walls' opening track, One of Them Years, is an earnest and honest portrayal of our politically divided and tense times. Good has always been an astute observer of modern issues, and on One of Them Years he brings anyone who hasn't been paying attention up to speed in increasingly frustrated tones as the song builds over its five minute indictment of modern society.

That opening track holds the key to what makes Matthew Good so effective and affecting as a songwriter; yes, there is tension, but it's a quiet tension, the kind that's bubbling under the pristine surface and waiting to erupt. Good weaves this tension throughout Moving Walls' marathon fifteen songs (at 65 minutes, this is his longest outing since Avalanche, his solo debut), always writhing under those plaintive acoustic guitars and lush, vibrant musical backdrops.

His knack for going big on instrumentation had been somewhat tempered for the better part of the last decade, following the perhaps-too-orchestral Lights of Endangered Species in 2011; on Moving Walls, there are string sections, choral backing vocals, hushed pianos and all manner of layered acoustic guitars. There's also the inclusion of Lumière Noire, Good's first french-language song (which, and I mean this in the nicest way, sounds exactly like you'd expect a french language Matthew Good song to sound like).

If the picture I'm painting leads you to believe that Moving Walls isn't the loudest or most upbeat record of Matthew Good's career, then I'm doing something right; to be sure, this record is very subtle and slow moving. It's heavily influenced by folk and, as such, energetic moments are few and far between while Good focuses most of his energy on wordplay and building the melancholic, suffocating world of these songs. I can see what he was going for and applaud any artist who changes things up from one album to the next, but I for one could have used a slight reprieve or two along the way; Good's vision for this album is as black as the suit he wears on the cover and, if not for the orchestration present, I imagine this would be an absolute chore to sit through.

Still, Matthew Good didn't become a national legend by being anyone's go-to for feel-good rock n' roll, and he's usually at his best when he's at his most emotional. I'll certainly not fault the man for offering listeners a glimpse into his head space, and Moving Walls feels intensely personal, heartfelt and earnest. So as to say, though it's a slog to get through, it nonetheless serves as a reminder to Good's undeniable talent for soundtracking our darkest days.

February 21, 2020 • M.Good/Warner
Highlights One of Them Years • Radicals • Selling You My Heart