1996 was a great year. The economy was on the upswing. The
polarization of politics, while clearly beginning to take on its current form,
was nothing compared to today (oh for the days of Newt Gingrich’s “Contract
With America,” rather than Rand Paul’s “Hypocrisy For America”). And, of
course, the Chicago Bulls were back in action, having completed a 72-10 year
which culminated with their fourth NBA championship. That year also saw the
release of a new band’s first album, Yourself
or Someone Like You. The band, then known as Matchbox 20, had something on
their side that made them seem different from much of the pop/rock scene in the
mid 1990s. A friend of mine at the time, Matt, was able to put his finger on it
sometime later. That something they had was angst, and it permeated the entire
album.
It really shouldn’t be a major surprise that Yourself became such a popular album,
anymore than it should be a surprise that the album resonated with persons in
their teens and twenties during the 1996 through 2000 period that it was at its
height. The album was written, in large part, by Rob Thomas, the band’s front
man. Thomas was 24 at the time of the album’s release, and, by most accounts,
was fairly angst filled in a relative way. A high school drop out, he was raised
by his mother after his father pretty much dropped out of his life following a
divorce. Thomas’s relationships weren't anything to write home about, and he
focused his energy and efforts on becoming a rock star. All of this makes
Thomas an every man in most respects. What set him apart was his unique ability
to write songs.
Yourself began
with the song “Real World,” which became a hit single off the album. This song
is something of a chorus to most 24 year old's who are simply struggling to get
by, and it resonated on the Top 40 charts. “Long Day,” the first official
single off the album, getting rock play, was more of the same. Throughout the
other singles (“3 A.M.”, “Push”, and “Back 2 Good”) a common theme is
unearthed. The songs paint a picture of an individual, or individuals, who are
struggling to figure something out. Whether it’s the real world continuing to
hassle them, the exasperation at the end of the day, or the confusion and
struggle of finding a meaningful romantic relationship, the hits off of Yourself spoke to young persons coming
of age. Digging deeper into the album, and the angst gets deeper, and the
feelings illuminate. Perhaps the two best songs on the album, “Kody” and
“Hang”, paint this picture brilliantly. And, in the end, Matt’s breakdown still
stands: Thomas sounds angry through many of the songs, and listening to the
lyrics you can understand why. After five singles, Yourself or Someone Like You not only became one of the surprise
contenders for the best album of the 1990s, but it also established Matchbox 20
as a force to be reckoned with.
The slow roll out of the album (released in 1996, picking up
momentum in 1997, and blooming fully in 1998) afforded the band years to work
on their second album without it really feeling like it took years. Thomas also
nailed a mega hit in his collaboration with Carlos Santana, as “Smooth” won
Thomas three Grammy Awards. By 2000 there was a good deal of build up for the
Sophomore effort by the band. Now known as Matchbox Twenty, Mad Season became that 2nd
album. The first song was a great indicator of the change that had occurred in Thomas’s
life in the years between 1996 and 2000; entitled “Angry,” the lyrics state
“it’s good that I’m not angry anymore.” If only that was the truth. Mad Season lacked the edge of the band’s
first effort, and it showed.
Of course, Thomas continued to be the lead writer, and his
life had changed considerably since 1996. Now married, and happily so, Thomas
was 28 and much seemed much more comfortable in life. That comfort showed in
the lyrics and mood of the album. The first single, “Bent,” had a bit of the
attitude found on Yourself, but the
rest of the album felt very different. Whereas the first album could be
described as a unique blend of rock, pop and alternative, the second album felt
much more straight pop. Thomas’s skills in writing a catchy song continued to
be highlighted, but the album left something to be desired for many fans. The
radio play for the album also paled in comparison to Yourself.
The group came together much quicker for their third effort,
More Than You Think You Are. The
album played with more edge than Mad
Season, but seemed to lack in the lyrical department compared with both
predecessors. The group then went their separate ways for awhile, and Thomas
released Something to Be as a solo
effort. More than anything, Something
made clear that Rob Thomas was a pop writer of great skill. When the group
reunited for a greatest hits compilation (which included a few new tracks) Exile on Mainstream they went on tour.
It was then that I first went to see Matchbox Twenty live, in 2008.
I expected something rather lacking, as it seemed to me that
every step along the way the band had lost a bit of what had made its’ first
effort great. Instead, I was blown away by the energy that Thomas brought to
the stage, and by how well the band played together. I thoroughly enjoyed the
show, and was hopeful that the tour would bring energy to the band’s creative
development, perhaps leading to a new album. More than that, I was hopeful that
if there was another album, it would be worthy of being held up alongside Yourself. Instead, the band again took
“time away” and Thomas released a second solo effort, Cradlesong. Honestly, I’m not even sure if I knew that he released
that album before I started researching the group for the post. At the least, I
can say that I, for the first time, didn’t go out and buy a new Matchbox
Twenty/Rob Thomas album. And the group subsequently faded from my field of
vision.
As I said when I reviewed the most recent Dave Matthews Band
Album, Away From The World, I am a
big believer that angst drives powerful music. My favorite Billy Joel songs
seem to have been written at a time in his life when he was pretty unhappy. One
album, written when he was … ahem … “seeing” Christie Brinkley, seemed to be
written when Joel was particularly happy. That album, An Innocent Man happens to be one of Joel’s best selling albums. It
also happens to suck. (Side note: how in the hell did Billy Joel end up …
“seeing” … both Elle Macpherson and Christie Brinkley?) One day, while surfing
the web I noticed that Matchbox Twenty had a new album, North, coming out in 2012. After getting it, I put it in …
… and was pleasantly surprised. The album features twelve
songs, with a wide variety of feel. The first song, “Parade,” starts the album
with good energy. More than anything, the bridge of the song has a 1990s Top 40
feel, giving the song a feel of a song that could have held its’ own on Yourself or Someone Like You, sort of a
combination of “Real World” and “Long Day”. The next song, “She’s So Mean,” was
the first single off the album, and felt a bit like a popped up version of
“Girl Like That.” But the real strength of this album was how the band seemed
to integrate parts of prior albums that worked with new takes on pop music.
“Overjoyed,” the third song on the album and the second single released, took
the slow pop approach that the group first displayed on Mad Season and shined it up a bit. Then, after three songs that can
easily be compared to prior work, the band placed the song “Put Your Hands Up,”
which is a bit more unique. One can almost imagine the group listening to the
radio, hearing the most recent dance club pop song, and saying “I bet we can do
that.” This song is a great illustration of Thomas’s ability to write pop music
for whatever the occasion requires.
Track five, “Our Song,” brings my mind to some songs the Goo
Goo Dolls have written in recent years, only it’s far better than anything the
Goo Goo Dolls have done. It has a manic feel, pushing through the chorus time
and again. The group then presents the song “I Will,” which slows the pace down
and simply showcases Thomas’s voice. With simple piano and guitar plucking
guiding him along, the song also serves as a bit of an intermission to the
album. The next track, “English Town,” fits as the group’s attempt at a big,
dark beast of a song. The transitions between the soft verse with haunting
piano and the powerful choruses are like night and day. The song also feels a
bit like a unique cross between a song like “Kody” and “Rest Stop.”
After the darker presentation of “English Town” the album
then moves on to a simple, short, poppy song in “How Long.” The ninth track,
“Radio,” plays well and takes the listener back to the time when listening to
the radio was the way to find out about new music, rather than downloading the
songs on iTunes or shuffling through Pandora. “The Way,” the first track
without Thomas on the vocals, has the feel of an 80s song, and does the job of feeling
out of place, yet somehow right. At this point, ten songs in, and without a
weak link, the band only needs a solid finisher to round off the album.
The eleventh track, “Like Sugar” feels like a song off of
their third album, which naturally makes it one of the weaker songs on the
album. But the listener will quickly forget about this when the end track,
“Sleeping at the Wheel” comes on. This song has a unique feel, almost a merging
of “Leave” and “Hang.” In reality, the song provides an emphatic answer to the
angst of Yourself or Someone Like You.
It is the mature Matchbox Twenty (and, really, Thomas) answering the confusion
and anger of youth with the resolute answer of adulthood:
And now these hands are tied
I can't help thinking
That I was in a daze, I was losing my place
I was screaming out at everything
I can't help thinking
That I was in a daze, I was losing my place
I was screaming out at everything
In February 2013, the day before Valentine’s day, I went to see
Matchbox Twenty a second time. My fiancé (UPDATE: she's now my wife!) got us tickets for Christmas, and so
we went to a much smaller venue than the first time I saw them and settled in.
As we waited for the group to take the stage, I overheard that the next day was
Rob Thomas’s birthday. His 41st
birthday. And I realized that, for me, he had been pretty much stuck in my
mind. In 1996. When the first album was written he was 24, angst filled, and
unsure about where he was headed. Now, at 40, he writes this most recent album,
and life is different. And what is he, and what is the band? Thomas is one of
the best pop writers alive today, and Matchbox Twenty is one vehicle which he
uses to get that music out. During the show, after playing “Real World” Thomas
announced “we’re going to stay in 1996 for the next few songs” and the crowd,
predictably, went nuts. We all wanted to stay in 1996 as well. But the band
wasn’t going to play Yourself or Someone
Like You front to back, and a unique thing happened: the biggest crowd
responses were for the songs off the first album, but the songs off of North seemed to register next in terms
of popularity (with the possible exception of “Bent” and, perhaps, “Bed of
Lies”). And, so, having taken it all it, I can give the following assessment of
the album:
North is not Yourself or Someone Like You. It is
different, and it illustrates Thomas’s ability to write a variety of pop songs
and styles. But it is comfortable to a Matchbox Twenty fan, and it plays well
front to back. And, in a way, it might be seen as an excellent merging of a
more mature Matchbox Twenty with their angst filled past. Thomas (and company)
may not be angry anymore, but they may have also reached their musical apex.
And they still put on one hell of a show.
Album Breakdown:
Parade – 5/5
She’s So Mean – 4/5
Overjoyed – 3/5
Our Song – 3.5/5
I Will – 4.5/5
English Town – 4.5/5
How Long – 3.5/5
Radio – 3.5/5
1 The Way – 3/5
1 Like Sugar – 3/5
Sleeping
At The Wheel – 5/5
Total: 3.8/5 album rating
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