Originally conceived in the mid-'90s during a recording session with regular producer
Warne Livesey, Canadian singer/songwriter
Matthew Good's ambitions of creating a fully orchestrated album finally come to fruition with his fifth solo effort,
Lights of Endangered Species. But despite the use of strings, horns, and woodwind, the follow-up to 2009's Juno Award-winning
Vancouver rarely strays into bombastic territory, as the troubled troubadour instead opts for subtlety rather than grandiosity on nine tracks which naturally build on his trademark solemn lyrics and slow-burning acoustic sound. Indeed, apart from a few forays into over-produced '80s pop/rock, such as the blustering barroom blues of "Zero Orchestra," where
Good's slightly over-earnest tones recall
Michael Hutchence in his prime, and the
Phil Collins-esque AOR of "What if I Can't See the Stars, Mildred?," a bizarrely titled tale which alludes to his battle with bipolar disorder, it's very much business as usual. His fondness for near-ten-minute epics continues on the simple but beautifully arranged "Non Populus," a sprawling slice of brooding indie rock which contains a chiming three-minute instrumental jam and flashes of ethereal, understated female vocals which echo the subtle harmonies of
the xx. Elsewhere, "Shallow's Low" is a haunting slice of Americana which starts off with a hazy, shuffling groove, bluesy guitar hooks, and snatches of vocals from his then three-year-old daughter before bursting into life with a final minute of crunching post-rock. "Extraordinary Fades" is a characteristically mournful opening number featuring a hypnotic, stilted rhythm and soothing bird noises in the background, while the closing title track finds
Good at his most poetic as he unleashes a rather intense stream of consciousness against a backdrop of church organs and ominous basslines. If the rumors that
Good is to abandon his recording career are true, then
Lights of Endangered Species is a more than respectable swan song, but with its inherently sparse and subdued nature, it's not the grand, final gesture its lofty conception suggested. ~ Jon O'Brien