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. It debuted at #5 on the Canadian Albums Chart. Lights of Endangered Species was nominated for Rock Album of the Year at the 2012 Juno Awards.
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.
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".
Track listing
All tracks written by Matthew Good.