{"id":11499,"date":"2012-08-31T07:36:43","date_gmt":"2012-08-30T21:36:43","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/maytherockbewithyou.com\/mtrbwy\/?p=11499"},"modified":"2012-09-04T12:44:57","modified_gmt":"2012-09-04T02:44:57","slug":"matchbox-twenty-north-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/maytherockbewithyou.com\/mtrbwy\/2012\/08\/matchbox-twenty-north-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Matchbox Twenty – North"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>Back in 1996, before YouTube, before Facebook, before My Space and come to think of it, before the internet was what it is today, I stayed up for hours to hear a song on the radio, a song that half the time never got back announced, and all I knew was that the lyrics \u201cReach down your hand in your pocket, pull out some hope for me\u201d resonated with me and from that day I was a Matchbox Twenty fan.\u00a0 Watching them evolve over the years through albums has been a pleasure, I was concerned when Rob Thomas went solo and took on a little bit of a different direction that I was worried would come back to the Matchbox fold, thankfully with their new album, and first new material in five years, and actually their first full length album in ten years, \u2018North\u2019 it has not, well not completely.\u00a0 This is still the Matchbox Twenty I know and love. Let me tell you about \u2018North\u2019\u2026<\/p>\n

Lead track \u2018Parade\u2019 opens with simple a clean guitar, and instantly recognizable as Matchbox Twenty and a song that I can tell will become a \u2018classic\u2019 for the MB20 fans, a great rocker, well, as rock as Matchbox Twenty can be if you know what I mean?\u00a0 The reintroduction to Matchbox Twenty this time around was with \u2018She\u2019s So Mean\u2019 a perfectly fun, rockin\u2019 track that you seriously can\u2019t help but like, it hooked me straight away and actually, funny story, I found myself humming it on the way to work this morning, so they\u2019ve done well, not only with the track but also using it as choice for first single, a fitting welcome back, my only fear is that the rest of the album won\u2019t live up to it, so let\u2019s see. \u2018Overjoyed\u2019 slows it down a little and is a classy track but then \u2018Put Your Hands Up\u2019 brings the tempo back up and I actually had to check it hadn\u2019t skipped to a Maroon 5 track, here we get all trippy and keyboard friendly, I\u2019m not sure how I feel about this one and I hope this hasn\u2019t set the scene for the later tracks.\u00a0 Others may like this vibe, but it\u2019ll take a few more listens for me I think.<\/p>\n

Oh no, more of it\u2026 no\u2026 \u2018Our Song\u2019 why, oh wait, it\u2019s not as bad as I thought, there are guitars, we\u2019re safe.\u00a0 Catchy chorus, great feel but a little too produced for my liking on that one, although a good song I just felt there was a lot going on and there didn\u2019t need to be in my opinion.\u00a0 Ahhh, here we go, a simple guitar and vocal\u2026 this is what works for me nicely.\u00a0 \u2018I Will\u2019 is lyrically so well written, and musically it\u2019s simple and effective as there are no bells, no whistles, and that makes it a winner.\u00a0 A ballad that stands out in the midst of everything else going on here is something hard to do, but they did it well.\u00a0 Nice work!\u00a0 \u2018English Town\u2019 brings in some strings as the song builds, suiting the vibe of the song and I love this one, it\u2019s a rocker and musically as it plays out is shades of Matchbox Twenty of old, I love it when they just get on a musical play and run with it.\u00a0 OK, yes! \u2018How Long\u2019 has just given me my favourite part of a song on this album, the middle 8 here was great, that\u2019s what I want to hear from Matchbox Twenty, great production by throwing in that part and allowing it to become a great song because of it.<\/p>\n

\u2018Radio\u2019 sounds like it has come straight out of the 1950\u2019s in the verses and then into the DeLorean to give us a modern style chorus, so this is a Back To The Future song for me, I like the different vibes, the balance here is perfect and live this one will be a favourite, mark my words. \u2018The Way\u2019 throws us a curveball as guitarist Kyle Cook takes on lead vocals, and he does a bloody good job too, I knew it didn\u2019t sound like Rob as that was quite confusing on first listen, but it\u2019s a great song that\u2019s for sure and to me really shows the feel the band are going for song wise.\u00a0 I mean to be honest there\u2019s no \u2018Push\u2019 or \u2018Unwell\u2019 on this album, well not so far, but this many years on I wouldn\u2019t expect that as the band grows, they can\u2019t be looking back and why should they?\u00a0 A song such as \u2018Like Sugar\u2019, at times has somewhat of an industrial beat to it, with guitars over the top of keys but in saying that, they weren\u2019t overpowering enough to distract, you can tell it\u2019s a Matchbox Twenty song and a good one at that! \u2018Sleeping At The Wheel\u2019 is an absolute stand out, it\u2019s taken this long into the album for me to find a favourite and this is it.\u00a0 This is the one that finishes the album (besides the deluxe tracks) and to me the one that feels the most like Matchbox Twenty of old.\u00a0 This is a track that has heart, emotion and is perfectly written and that makes me a happy fan. \u201cEverything that\u2019s perfect falls away\u2026\u201d Rob sings and it couldn\u2019t be truer, as always with Matchbox Twenty, I believe what they\u2019re singing and this was no exception.\u00a0 This was a great way to end a really good record.\u00a0 So for a bit of fun, let\u2019s see what the deluxe tracks are like\u2026<\/p>\n

First up we have \u2018I Believe In Everything\u2019 which could\u2019ve been on the record itself, I would\u2019ve loved hearing this up in the mix, a cool middle of the road rocker and thankfully able to be heard on the deluxe version, if you haven\u2019t got that version, scope this one out, it\u2019s just a cool sounding track that doesn\u2019t necessarily build to anything amazing, but it\u2019s just such a good song. \u2018Straight For This Life\u2019 gives us Rob, an acoustic guitar and some harmonies to deliver a sweet track, almost feels like a demo that could\u2019ve been worked on to give us a killer track, yet works in this format, I like it a lot actually, but can\u2019t help but wonder what it could\u2019ve been, if it was ever supposed to be\u2026 Lastly, we have \u2018Waiting On A Train\u2019 and man, seriously, why wasn\u2019t this on the album guys?!\u00a0 What a cool track, it amazes me sometimes what ends up on the album and what\u2019s a bonus, this like \u2018I Believe In Everything\u2019 would\u2019ve fit on the album and fit in well.\u00a0 I guess we\u2019re lucky we get to hear them though, albeit it as a bonus track, but here it is and I dig it.<\/p>\n

I guess in closing, bands always need to grow with the sounds and the times, yes what they\u2019ve done here suits Matchbox Twenty, but liking it is a different thing and change from what you know and love can be a stretch sometimes.\u00a0 As the sounds and the band need to grow, I need a few of these songs to grow on me and I know they will, maybe I was looking for that song that instantly captured me back in 1996 and here\u2019s hoping that even though it\u2019s not on this one, well, with \u2018North\u2019 they\u2019ve proven they\u2019ve still got plenty more left in the tank, so maybe next time, how about it guys?<\/p>\n

Essential Information<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n

From:<\/strong> USA<\/p>\n

For fans of:<\/strong> Rock<\/p>\n

Release date:<\/strong> 31 August 2012<\/p>\n

Record label:<\/strong> Warner Music Australia<\/p>\n

Producer: <\/strong>Matt Serletic<\/p>\n

Website:<\/strong> http:\/\/www.matchboxtwenty.com<\/a><\/p>\n

Track Listing<\/strong>
\nParade
\nShe\u2019s So Mean
\nOverjoyed
\nPut Your Hands Up
\nOur Song
\nI Will
\nEnglish Town
\nHow Long
\nRadio
\nThe Way
\nLike Sugar
\nSleeping At The Wheel
\nI Believe In Everything (deluxe edition)
\nStraight For This Life (deluxe edition)
\nWaiting On A Train (deluxe edition)<\/p>\n\n

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