Matchbox Twenty
Yourself or Someone Like You


4.0
excellent

Review

by NordicMindset USER (160 Reviews)
May 19th, 2013 | 42 replies


Release Date: 1996 | Tracklist

Review Summary: Matchbox Twenty come out swinging.

The year was 1996, and post-grungers Matchbox Twenty hit it big with their debut album, Yourself or Someone Like You. With 12 million copies sold, it wound up being the ninth-biggest selling debut album of all time, and it's easy to see why. With its catchy hooks, thoughtful lyricism and great instrumental work, Yourself or Someone Like You is a great debut album by a band that would later go on to be one of the biggest pop-rock bands of the next decade.

The album's six singles are the first six songs on the album, including four Top 40 hits, two of them peaking in the top five. Opener "Real World" kicks off the album with its infectious guitar riff, unique and relatable lyrical matter and catchy chorus of "I wish the real world would stop hassling me". "3 a.m.", written by frontman Rob Thomas about his mother's battle with cancer during his childhood, is the most recognizable hit from the album. It was the album's highest-charting single, peaking at #3 on the Billboard Hot 100. With a catchy chorus, and a guitar riff that is ensured to be stuck in your head for days, "3 a.m." is one of the best songs on the album. “Push”, the second-biggest hit of the album, tells the story of a man in a relationship being both physically and emotionally abused by his girlfriend, with its powerful chorus of “I wanna push you around, well I will”.

The second half of the album is easily weaker than the first, with a few throwaway and filler tracks. "Argue" features boring verses and a weak vocal performance by Thomas. The last thirty seconds sees a sudden increase in energy and passion, but by then the song has already gone to waste. "Damn" gets repetitive quickly, repeating the titular phrase several times in the verses, along with a repetitive chorus that rhymes "nothing at all" with itself thrice, and “Busted” is built upon an irritating guitar riff and an annoying vocal performance by Thomas.

Luckily, after those tracks show a dip in quality, we get "Kody", the highlight of the second half of the album. A heartfelt and sentimental ballad about depression and alcoholism, “Kody” shows the more personal side of Thomas’ lyricism, with plenty of emotion in his vocals. “So please hand me the bottle, I think I’m lonely now / And I don’t feel nothing”, he croons, weaving the tale of melancholy and sadness into a wonderful song. Closer “Hang” is an acoustic number with a powerful and emotional chorus that goes “And we always say, it would be good to go away, someday / But if there's nothing there to make things change”. “Hang” closes the album on a somber but hopeful note, ending a brilliant album with a brilliant song.

Yourself or Someone Like You is a great debut album by a band that would go on to bigger and better things. There are lots of famous Matchbox songs on this album, including two of the band’s biggest hits. Although there are some throwaway tracks in the second half of the album, there are enough highlights spread around the rest of it to make up for the filler. This was Matchbox’s heaviest album, and a great listen to fans of pop-rock and post-grunge.



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user ratings (429)
3.5
great


Comments:Add a Comment 
Sowing
Moderator
May 19th 2013


44509 Comments

Album Rating: 3.5

Love this band and this album

pizzamachine
May 19th 2013


27668 Comments

Album Rating: 1.5

Such a shit album.

Ecnalzen
May 19th 2013


12167 Comments

Album Rating: 3.0

I enjoyed this, but I liked Mad Season more. Not familiar with much else by them except for the singles.



"is the most recognizable hit from the album, peaking at #3 on the Billboard Hot 100, the highest-charting single on the disc."



This is kind of an awkward read. You might add a few words to make the sentence flow better, like this:



-is the most recognizable hit from the album, which peaked at #3 on the Billboard Hot 100 and is the highest-charting single on the disc.-



Also, the way you are putting the title for 3 AM as 3Am is just weird looking. You might put it as either 3 a.m. or 3 AM instead.



You have a tendency to use a comma before the word 'with' when it doesn't need it. Like this:

“"3Am” is one of the stronger songs of Matchbox’s career, with a catchy chorus, and a guitar riff that is ensured to be stuck in your head for days."



Now, if you reverse this sentence like this:

With its catchy chorus and a guitar riff that is ensured to be stuck in your head for days, 3 AM is one of the stronger songs of Matchbox's career.



...then the comma would be necessary to split off the sentence. Also, the other comma I put in bold after 'chorus' up there is unneeded since 'a guitar riff that is ensured to be stuck in your head for days' can't stand as its own sentence.



Hopefully, you wanted some feedback, otherwise you can just disregard the bulk of this comment, lol. Solid write up though; pos.

Ecnalzen
May 19th 2013


12167 Comments

Album Rating: 3.0

"Although not the best song on the album, “3Am” is one of the stronger songs of Matchbox’s career, with a catchy chorus, and a guitar riff that is ensured to be stuck in your head for days."



Actually, this whole sentence is just worded odd. You state that it's not the best on the album, but it could be one of the best of their career? I get what you are saying, but it seems a little contradictory when put in the same sentence like that. Maybe something like this:



Although not the best song on the album, 3 AM was definitely a great choice for a single. With its catchy chorus and a guitar riff that is ensured to be stuck in your head for days, 3 AM is one of the stronger songs of Matchbox's career.

NeoSpaz
May 19th 2013


4533 Comments

Album Rating: 4.0

I love you for do this Muse.

I was too lazy and my write ups never did it any justice.



Decent enough review though, pos

robertsona
Staff Reviewer
May 19th 2013


28180 Comments


hahahaha the greatest

ChopSuey
May 19th 2013


2507 Comments

Album Rating: 1.0

no no no

BigHans
January 31st 2014


30959 Comments

Album Rating: 4.0

SO REACH DOWN YOUR HAND IN YOUR POCKET

tommygun
January 31st 2014


27117 Comments


omg so many 90s classics bein bumped

BigHans
January 31st 2014


30959 Comments

Album Rating: 4.0

dude Curse Worship sent me into a 90s nostalgic vortex so I went a little crazy. I mean these were my jams.

Rowan5215
Staff Reviewer
January 31st 2014


47985 Comments


I WANNA PUSH YOU AROUND

BigHans
January 31st 2014


30959 Comments

Album Rating: 4.0

WELL I WILL



WELL I WILL

BigHans
January 31st 2014


30959 Comments

Album Rating: 4.0

Kody and Hang are underrated jams on this

tommygun
January 31st 2014


27117 Comments


this was the first album i bought with my own money

agreed re kody

PLEASE HAND ME THE BOTTLE

BigHans
January 31st 2014


30959 Comments

Album Rating: 4.0

I THINK IM LONELY NOW

Rowan5215
Staff Reviewer
January 31st 2014


47985 Comments


Man this dude had just the sexiest voice

tommygun
January 31st 2014


27117 Comments


DON'T WEAR MY HEART ON YOUR SLEEVE LIKE A HIGH SCHOOL LETTER

BigHans
January 31st 2014


30959 Comments

Album Rating: 4.0

busted m/

NordicMindset
January 31st 2014


25137 Comments

Album Rating: 3.0

Damn:

Muisc4Life26
February 27th 2014


3468 Comments

Album Rating: 4.0

Real World rules



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