Lights of Endangered Species

Lights of Endangered Species is the fifth studio album by Canadian musician Matthew Good and was issued on May 31, 2011. Its first single, "In a Place of Lesser Men", was released via SoundCloud two months prior, on March 21, 2011. The track "Non Populus" was published four days later. Five days ahead of the album's release, the entire record was made available to stream online via ExploreMusic.[2] It debuted at #5 on the Canadian Albums Chart.[3] Lights of Endangered Species was nominated for Rock Album of the Year at the 2012 Juno Awards.[4]

Lights of Endangered Species
Studio album by
Matthew Good
ReleasedMay 31, 2011
RecordedOctober 19 – November 20, 2010
GenreAlternative rock
Length43:07
LabelUniversal Music Canada
ProducerWarne Livesey
Matthew Good chronology
Vancouver
(2009)		 Lights of Endangered Species
(2011)		 Arrows of Desire
(2013)
Singles from Lights of Endangered Species
  1. "In a Place of Lesser Men"
    Released: March 29, 2011
  2. "Zero Orchestra"
    Released: 2011
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]

Background

Produced by Warne Livesey, Lights of Endangered Species marked the sixth record he and Good had worked on together (including Matthew Good Band discography). While Good's lyrics on Lights remain socio-political and personal in nature, the album marks a departure from his 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. Good 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 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, whom 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.TitleLength
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[lower-alpha 1], 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
  • François 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

Notes
  1. This otherwise unknown instrument is listed in the liner notes as being played by Good

References
  1. O'Brien, Jon. Lights of Endangered Species at AllMusic
  2. "Matt Good: Lights of Endangered Species Album Premiere". ExploreMusic. Retrieved February 7, 2012.
  3. "Canadian Albums – Week of June 18, 2011". Billboard. June 18, 2011. Retrieved June 14, 2011.
  4. "2012 Rock Album of the Year". junoawards.ca. Retrieved February 20, 2013.
  5. Marchand, Francois (May 29, 2011). "Matthew Good looks back 14 years with Lights of Endangered Species". The Vancouver Sun. Archived from the original on August 15, 2011. Retrieved August 30, 2011.
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