The last time I heard a song from Matt DeAngelis, he was diving into the 70s-80s progressive rock on “Speak For A Moment,” which was a catchy, expertly crafted nod to the era when bands like Yes were on top of (a certain part of) the musical world.
This time, with “All Good Things,” he’s mining a slightly earlier era for inspiration – the late 60s-70s, to be precise. The 25-year-old New Jerseyite is reaching well into what is likely his parents’ – maybe even his grandparents’? – generation, recalling the kind of piano ballads popularized by icons like Elton John and the overall British pop sound of the post-Beatles era. The song is beautifully orchestrated; driven by the aforementioned piano and propulsive, resonant drums, “All Good Things” evokes a sense of nostalgia that’s comfortingly familiar.
DeAngelis’ instrumental work on “All Good Things” stands as a testament to his skill as a musician. Each instrumental part is executed impeccably, and each note and chord is placed with purpose and precision. His vocals are no joke either – this man can sing, and his voice is smooth and clear (although buried a little in the mix at times). Moreover, the song is well constructed, focusing heavily on the chorus… which I’ll get to in a moment.
The lyrical content of “All Good Things” was, frankly, a bit tough for me to make out given that the lyrics weren’t available on Spotify and his voice was somewhat buried in the mix. Nonetheless, I could hear the chorus loud and clear: “All good things must come to an end, my friend / You’re gonna have tomorrow.” George Harrison much? I really couldn’t help immediately recalling the late Beatles’s “All Things Must Pass” when I heard that line. Oh well. I guess DeAngelis is making a retro tribute song here.
As I mentioned, the instrumental work is very on point, paying homage to the past with a piano-guitar-drum rhythm section and little in the way of modern recording tricks. The production quality, meanwhile, is thoroughly modern – clean, crisp, and polished – despite DeAngelis’ vocals being, as I mentioned, somewhat hard to make out at times. That would be my mix note if I were in the business of giving those in these reviews.
Anyway, being a fan of the era DeAngelis is evoking on “All Good Things,” I must say that this was a pleasant listen and I can see it slotting into throwback playlists with ease. What I will say, however, is that I would love to see DeAngelis use his evident depth of talent to create something more modern. I have absolutely no doubt that by applying himself in this way, doing something that could land on a modern pop chart, this man could get himself up into the stratosphere and achieve the level of success he so clearly deserves.
Listen to "All Good Things" on Spotify here -
You can check out Matt Deangelis’ website here:
A brilliant addition to the repertoire -