MATTHEW GOOD Avalanche (Universal) Rating: NN Rating: NN
Unable to decide whether to be the Canuck Thom Yorke or Chris Martin, rock auteur Matthew Good — on a break from solving that Third World debt problem — summons the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra strings to make his silly love songs sound impressive, but instead comes off like Coquitlam’s answer to Robbie Williams. If there’s a lesson to be learned from Good’s indulgence, it’s that big string sections have a way of making minor musical ideas sound minuscule.