Lights of Endangered Species
Lights of Endangered Species is the fifth studio album by Matthew Good, released on May 31, 2011. The album's first single, "In a Place of Lesser Men", was released via SoundCloud two months prior on March 21, 2011. Subsequently, "Non Populus" was also released four days later. Five days ahead of the album release, the entire album was available to stream online via ExploreMusic.[2] The album debuted at #5 on the Canadian Albums Chart.[3] The album was nominated for Rock Album of the Year at the 2012 Juno Awards.[4] Good has stated that it is his favourite of his own albums.
| Lights of Endangered Species | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | May 31, 2011 | |||
| Recorded | October 19th - November 20th, 2010 | |||
| Genre | Alternative rock | |||
| Length | 43:07 | |||
| Label | Universal Music Canada | |||
| Producer | Warne Livesey | |||
| Matthew Good chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Lights of Endangered Species | ||||
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| Review scores | |
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| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   |
Background
Produced by Warne Livesey, Lights marked the sixth album the two had worked together on (including Matthew Good Band discography). While Good's lyrics on Lights remain socio-political and personal in nature, the album marks a departure from Good's rock-driven style with layered arrangements and instrumentation featuring horns, strings, woodwinds and piano – a reflection of Good's musical upbringing and tastes, listening to big bands from Glenn Miller to Count Basie, as well as modern jazz, such as Miles Davis and Mingus. He also singled out the horn section on Simon and Garfunkel's "Keep the Customer Satisfied" as a particular influence for the album's fifth track, "Zero Orchestra". The musical style also marked an effort from Good and Livesey to create something that was not necessarily "commercially viable", an idea that the two first discussed when they were mixing 1997's Underdogs. Good has recalled writing what would be the eighth track on Lights, "Set Me on Fire", as having re-energized the concept.[5]
Good and Livesey first experimented with a Vancouver-based group of musicians to play the horns on the album, but described the results as "horrifying". They subsequently contacted Nashville-based Terry Townson, who they ultimately stuck with, on the advice of The Odds' Craig Northey. Townson, in turn, brought in other musicians to complete the recording. Lights also features Good's daughter singing in the background on "Shallow's Low".[5]
Track listing
All tracks written by Matthew Good.
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Extraordinary Fades" | 2:54 |
| 2. | "How It Goes" | 4:02 |
| 3. | "Shallow's Low" | 5:06 |
| 4. | "What If I Can't See the Stars Mildred?" | 5:11 |
| 5. | "Zero Orchestra" | 4:46 |
| 6. | "Non Populus" | 8:21 |
| 7. | "In a Place of Lesser Men" | 3:10 |
| 8. | "Set Me On Fire" | 5:23 |
| 9. | "Lights of Endangered Species" | 4:21 |
Credits
- Matthew Good - piano, guitar, bass, claratron, vocals
- Stuart Cameron - guitar, lap steel
- Blake Manning - drums, percussion, glockenspiel, backing vocals
- David Harding - viola
- Andrew Brown - viola
- Mary Sokol Brown - violin
- David Brown - double bass
- Brenda Fedoruk - flute
- Fracois Houle - clarinet
- David Owen - cor anglais
- Ingrid Chiang - bassoon
- Warne Livesey - organ, mellotron
- Terry Townson - trumpet, flugelhorn
- Rod Murray - trombone
- Oliver De Clercq - French horn
- Bill Runge - baritone saxophone
- Jeremy Berkman - trombone
- Brad Muirhead - bass trombone
- Avery Grace - backing vocals
- Jennifer Zall - backing vocals
- Warne Livesey - producer, mixer, engineer
- Joel Livesey - engineer
- Rob Sommerfeldt, Jennifer Zall, Paul Dutil - session assistants
- Tim Young - mastering at Metropolis, London, UK
- Bernie Breen - management
- Jenn Pressey and Sarah Osgoode - assistants
- Shawn Marino - A&R, Universal Music
- Matthew Good and Susan Michalek - art direction
- Susan Michalek - design
- Miriam Aroeste - cover artwork
- Recorded and mixed at Vogville Recording, Port Coquitlam, Canada
- Strings, brass, and woodwinds arranged by Matthew Good and Warne Livesey
References
- O'Brien, Jon. Lights of Endangered Species at AllMusic
- "Matt Good: Lights of Endangered Species Album Premiere". ExploreMusic. Retrieved 2012-02-07.
- "Canadian Albums - Week of June 18, 2011". Billboard. June 18, 2011. Retrieved 2011-06-14.
- "2012 Rock Album of the Year". junoawards.ca. Retrieved 2013-02-20.
- Marchand, Francois (2011-05-29). "Matthew Good looks back 14 years with Lights of Endangered Species". The Vancouver Sun. Archived from the original on 2011-08-15. Retrieved 2011-08-30.