The radio-ubiquitous Matchbox Twenty's new release Exile on Mainstream, the first in nearly five years, is a unique disc that is a hybrid of an EP, a greatest-hits album and bonuses.
The greatest-hits portion is an all-encompassing repertoire of the band's radio releases, with a heavy dose from the first breakout album, Yourself or Someone Like You, with super-hits such as "3 AM" and "Real World."
The tracks are in chronological order, so it's easy to hear the development of the band. The early sound is basic guitar-driven alt-rock, with a good dose of brooding and pessimism. Yet the songs aren't overpoweringly angsty because the up-tempo beat and sound balance out the lyrics.
Later songs are more heavily produced with additional instrumentation and sound variation in the tracks from Mad Season -- "Bent," "If You're Gone" and the title track. The trend continues with the selections from More Than You Think You Are, concluding with one of the standouts, "Bright Lights," which starts with slow, quiet piano and crescendos powerfully into a climax with guitars and percussion.
The band had originally planned to pen only one new song to go with the greatest hits, but hit a creative stride and ran with it, resulting in the six-track "EP."
Though many familiar elements of the band's sound remain, they also introduce a few new ingredients that don't quite gel. With prior albums, lead singer Rob Thomas wrote the majority of the material. This set of songs, however, is truly collaborative, so some of the new elements are contributed by the other band members, making the sound more eclectic and less cohesive.
Matchbox Twenty has clearly embraced its previously untapped perky musical side with their new songs. "How Far We've Come" is the first radio release, a surprisingly catchy and upbeat-sounding track on feeling nonchalant about the inevitable end of the world. "I'll Believe You When" tells of a girl's distrust of her paramour's promises. It dangerously straddles the line between catchy and too cutesy, with its "whoa-oas," jingly glockenspiel intro and synthesized claps. Another example is the "ba-da-ba-dup" and "do-do do-do" background vocals of "All Your Reasons." The a-cappella-ish effects add to a fresher and lighter sound, but also sound out of place and verge on becoming annoying.
Lyrically, "These Hard Times" is the standout, with beautiful imagery: "Lose my breath in waves / knowing that every crash / is bleeding the hourglass / and taking the stride / from all our lives." Yet the tune itself is not much more than generic slow rock. "If I Fall" is another average song that too closely resembles older songs in theme.
The most successful is the last of the EP -- "Can't Let You Go," which is also arguably the most experimental. The sweetly romantic ballad is influenced by old-school R&B -- Thomas describes it as the band's "Sam Cooke-y waltz."
Overall, the Exile on Mainstream package is a decent release, geared towards both hardcore fans and casual ones. The EP is fair, hinting at the band's progression toward a different sound, which you may or may not enjoy. The DVD features interviews with the band and provides a nice history and inside look on the creative process of writing music. Other bonuses include a music-mixing program and ring tones. The disc provides sufficient new material for those itching for more, and plenty of old material for those feeling nostalgic.
Read More
The best albums of 2014
By Noah Zeidman | December 4, 2014Across genres, it has been a pretty great year in music.
Top 10 movies of 2014
December 4, 2014This has been an excellent year for film, offering everything from gripping blockbusters to innovative personal films.
Iggy Azalea is “Reclassified”
December 4, 2014It has become common practice among music artists to repackage their albums in an effort to simultaneously boost single sales and dish out new content by slightly renaming the album or slapping “Deluxe” onto the title.
