San Francisco's Matt Nathanson has released five independent albums and an EP in the past ten years, and through steady touring and a dynamic stage presence, has built up a loyal fan base.
Beneath These Fireworks, produced by Ron Aniello, is Nathanson's major label debut, and he doesn't waste the opportunity, cherry picking a trio of songs from his earlier releases ("Bare," "Bent," "Lucky Boy") to re-record, and with some radio-ready new material, the result is an impressively cohesive pop album.
Nathanson's songs are full of the fractured hearts and broken confessions of unhealthy relationships, and while his lyrics stray at times into an ornate despondency, the sheer pop smarts and giant hooks in the arrangements more than compensate.
The brief opening track, "Angel," sets the tone here, with Nathanson's smoky tenor conveying a kind of knowingly pleading intimacy, the sort of thing Paul Simon does so well in his songs about relationships gone slightly askew.
At other times, the cynical pop energy at work here is reminiscent of Marshall Crenshaw, with bright arrangements masking deeper concerns.
The gorgeous "Pretty the World" is the real gem on this release, and its desperately infectious chorus ("show me how pretty the world is") deserves to be all over the airwaves.
| Title/Composers | Performer | Listen | Time | Size | Size | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | AngelMatt Nathanson | Matt Nathanson | Play | 01:32 | 3 MB | 7 MB |
| 2 | SuspendedMatt Nathanson | Matt Nathanson | Play | 03:09 | 7 MB | 22 MB |
| 3 | I SawMatt Nathanson | Matt Nathanson | Play | 03:54 | 8 MB | 24 MB |
| 4 | BareMatt Nathanson | Matt Nathanson | Play | 03:05 | 7 MB | 22 MB |
| 5 | Little VictoriesMatt Nathanson, Bob Seger | Matt Nathanson | Play | 02:38 | 6 MB | 15 MB |
| 6 | Pretty the WorldMatt Nathanson, Mark Weinberg | Matt Nathanson | Play | 03:07 | 7 MB | 21 MB |
| 7 | Curve of the EarthMatt Nathanson | Matt Nathanson | Play | 03:29 | 7 MB | 25 MB |
| 8 | BentMatt Nathanson, Mark Weinberg | Matt Nathanson | Play | 03:51 | 8 MB | 25 MB |
| 9 | Lucky BoyMatt Nathanson, Mark Weinberg | Matt Nathanson | Play | 04:10 | 9 MB | 28 MB |
| 10 | Weight of It AllMatt Nathanson | Matt Nathanson | Play | 03:14 | 7 MB | 19 MB |
| 11 | Sing Me SweetMatt Nathanson | Matt Nathanson | Play | 04:06 | 9 MB | 28 MB |
| 36 mins | 83 MB | |||||
| 36 mins | 239 MB | |||||
| Artist | Job | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sergio Andrade | Bass |
| 2 | Ron Aniello | Engineer, Guitar (Acoustic), Guitar (Electric), Keyboards, Producer |
| 3 | Marcus Barone | Conductor |
| 4 | Eloise Bryan | A&R |
| 5 | Eve Butler | Performer |
| 6 | Matt Chamberlain | Drums, Loops, Percussion |
| 7 | Jolene Cherry | A&R |
| 8 | Mark Endert | Mixing |
| 9 | Matt Fish | Cello, Performer |
| 10 | Gunter Fliszar | Percussion |
| 11 | Davíd Garza | Guitar (Electric), Guitar (Nylon String) |
| 12 | Max S. Gerber | Photography |
| 13 | Emm Gryner | Vocals (Background) |
| 14 | Meg Hansen | A&R |
| 15 | David Hopkins | String Arrangements |
| 16 | Suzie Katayama | Contractor |
| 17 | Stephen Marcussen | Mastering |
| 18 | Kevin Meeker | Engineer |
| 19 | Jamie Muhoberac | Keyboards, Piano |
| 20 | Carol Mukagawa | Performer |
| 21 | Matt Nathanson | Composer, Guitar (Acoustic), Guitar (Electric), Primary Artist, Vocals, Vocals (Background) |
| 22 | Meredeth Oliver | A&R |
| 23 | MiMi "Audio" Parker | Assistant |
| 24 | Glen Phillips | Vocals (Background) |
| 25 | Clint Roth | Engineer |
| 26 | Eric Sarafin | Engineer |
| 27 | Bob Seger | Composer |
| 28 | Jaime Sickora | Assistant |
| 29 | Kentaro Takahaski | Engineer |
| 30 | Mark Weinberg | Bass, Composer |
| Quality | Format | Encoding | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard | MP3 | 320kps 44.1kHz | MP3 is an audio coding format which uses a form of lossy data compression. The highest bitrate of this format is 320kbps (kbit/s). MP3 Digital audio takes less amount of space (up to 90% reduction in size) and the quality is not as good as the original one. |