www.matthewglennthompson.com
Thompson is US a singer-songwriter with a few years of touring experience and a number of low-key releases under his belt, but "The Garden and The Arcade" is his debut UK offering.
The album opens with a pair of tracks which demonstrate what will follow. "End Of The Parade" is "mature" pop-rock, while the more acoustic "I Get Lost", has a more GetCape.WearCape.Fly ambience about it.
"Daylight" is a mid-tempo acoustic number with piano, followed by "Ordinary Girl" which has a hummable guitar melody and memorable chorus, and is the most obvious single.
"Half Of Whole" more rock-oriented, though still in commercial rock territory. This actually signals the start of a stronger second half of the album. "January Day" and "Hovering Over Hell" are quite pleasant slow, piano-laced tracks.
"The Garden and The Arcade" continues the trend for piano-rich songs, and has a sufficiently epic quality to close the album well.
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These tracks sandwich "Go On", which is a par for the course for the album.
This reviewer cannot help but rate this kind of thing against the excellent Scott Matthews. This might be unfair but offers a good marker. While not a patch on Matthews, but what we have here is adequate lightweight mainstream melodic pop-rock. Thompson has a decent voice, and writes and performs solid if unspectacular songs. It is likeable enough fare, if nothing particularly new. Also, at nine tracks averaging around four minutes each, the album nevers threatens to outstay its welcome.
Quite promising. More of a six-and-a-half, but better than a six...
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