''Vancouver'' is the fourth studio album by

Matthew Good Matthew Frederick Robert Good (born June 29, 1971) is a Canadian musician. He was the lead singer and songwriter for the Matthew Good Band, one of the most successful alternative rock bands in Canada during the 1990s and early 2000s. Since the ...

, released on October 6, 2009. The album is a

concept album A concept album is an album whose tracks hold a larger purpose or meaning collectively than they do individually. This is typically achieved through a single central narrative or theme, which can be instrumental, compositional, or lyrical. Som ...

, critically reflecting on Good's hometown city of

Vancouver, British Columbia Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the ...

, Canada. In particular, the album is influenced by the social issues in the city's

Downtown Eastside The Downtown Eastside (DTES) is a neighbourhood in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. One of the city's oldest neighbourhoods, the DTES is the site of a complex set of social issues including disproportionately high levels of drug use, homeles ...

and the extreme disparities of wealth between Vancouver neighbourhoods. As Good had fulfilled his recording contract with

Universal Music Canada Universal Music Group owns, or has a joint share in, many of the record labels listed here. According to UMG official site, the main labels are Abbey Road Studios, Bravado, Capitol Music Group, Decca Records, Def Jam Recordings, Deutsche Grammopho ...

with his previous 2007 release, ''

Hospital Music ''Hospital Music'' is the third solo album by Canadian musician Matthew Good. It was released on July 31, 2007. Good performed nearly all instruments himself, with the exception of drums and a few guitar and bass parts. The album artwork was p ...

'', he re-signed with the record label in early 2009 upon beginning studio recording. Contributing artists on ''Vancouver'' include

Peter Yorn Peter Joseph Yorn (born July 27, 1974) is an American singer, songwriter, and musician. He first gained international recognition after his debut record, ''Musicforthemorningafter'', was released to critical and commercial acclaim in 2001. He is k ...

, who sings backup vocals on the ninth track "The Vancouver National Anthem". ''Vancouver'' won the award for " Rock Album of the Year" at the 2011 Juno Awards, making it the second time Good won the award, the first being in 2000 for ''

Beautiful Midnight ''Beautiful Midnight'' is the third album released by the Matthew Good Band. It is the band's most commercially successful album. The album won the award for "Best Rock Album" at the 2000 Juno Awards. The album produced four successful singles ...

''.

Promotion and commercial performance

The release of ''Vancouver'' was announced by Good on his website in July 2008. Months prior to the announcement, the album's eventual second track "The Boy That Could Explode" was previewed for fans on Good's website on Christmas Day in 2007. Good began streaming the album's first single " Last Parade" on August 14, 2009. Good began streaming ''Vancouver'' on his website on September 5, 2009, a little over a month before its release. ''Vancouver'' debuted at #2 on the

Canadian Albums Chart The Canadian Albums Chart is the official album sales chart in Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocea ...

, selling 11,000 copies in its first week. The album was certified Gold in Canada on November 18, 2011.

Track listing

All tracks written by Matthew Good.

References

External links

Vancouver Album Timeline
{{Authority control 2009 albums Matthew Good albums Universal Music Canada albums Concept albums Juno Award for Rock Album of the Year albums