I’ve always been a fan of indie bands. You know those bands that no one has heard of before, and because of the band’s particular sound and style, it will probably stay that way. The Matches are no exception.
I was first introduced to the Matches through the miracle of the internet. Specifically, though purevolume.com. They were featured on the digital sampler entitled Sleeveless, which was released over the summer of 2006. How I found out that they were releasing a new album is even more of a mystery, safe to say, I have no idea how I found out about it.
The first info I found out about the album was that the first album was a flop! To read the full story, click here. To understand the new album, titled “A Band In Hope,” you need to understand what happened with their previous album “Decomposer.” “Decomposer” was supposed to be the indie rock album of the decade. The Matches got everyone from Mark Hoppus to Tim Armstrong to help produce the various songs on the album, and their label, Epitaph Records, seemed ready for a major publicity push…. But it never happened. Sales were tepid, and the music video was never even played on MTV. The band leader, Shawn Harris, was ticked. But after sometime to think it over, he realized that just feeding that anger was not a good idea. Instead, he needed some hope; hence the title of the new album. Needless to say, “A Band In Hope” is a decidedly more upbeat album than their previous effort. It is full of references to the sun, morning, and true meaning.
The album starts off with the song “AM Tilts,” an odd little poppy melody, catchy all the same, but then throws you for a loop at the end. Harris states that the song was originally recorded live in the studio and was intended for their previous album. I personally think it fits much better here. “Their City” takes one of the few dark turns in the record with a much deeper sound, and more cryptic lyrics. The Matches’ single, “Wake the Sun,” follows, with more sunshine and enough radio playability to put the Matches on top of the charts for a month at least.
“Darkness Rising” finds the band trying to emulate Queen; ready for stage lights, and make-up galore. Despite the title of the song, it ends up being one of the most uplifting songs on the record, reminding the listener to look at the singer, because even though times are hard, he will never leave. However, “To Build A Mountain,” might possibly be my favorite song on the whole CD. The whole thing is catchier that who knows what! What with the “omAomAomA” of the guitars and Shawn’s bouncy voice going all over the place. The songs lyrics are an only slightly veiled reference to the war in the Middle East. What with the constant refrain of “While you build your mountain, but to build a mountain, I thought you all know, you got to dig a hole, in solemn marble rows.”
“We Are One” must be a favorite of the band to play at shows, as the only words to the song seem to be: “When we are loud we are one!” Lots of fun, not much material, really loud…..well, duh! “Point Me Toward the Morning” is an extremely hopeful song as well as very upbeat, with probably the most introspective lyrics on the album. “We know, know, that we are more than this, more than we know there’s a reason we exist, we know, we know, we know, we won’t be this easily dismissed.”
The following song is probably the creepiest on the record. “From 24C,” seems to be all about this guy who is listening to the girl he loves talking with some other guy in his apartment through the wall. The sound is very reminiscent of Imogen Heap in that it is very spacey and far away sounding. Upon repeated listens however, the songs becomes a very good example of the dangers of how our post-modern culture views relationships and the very real pain that can result.
“Clouds Crash” is a completely acoustic song, similar to the White Stripes song “We Are Gonna Be Friends” in sound and lyric. The next song, “Between Halloweens,” is another favorite of mine, with a nice guitar line and some interesting themes about how the scars we bring into a relationship are what really make it worthwhile and meaningful.
After that, the Matches go off on a three pop/punk song romp, that seems a little repetitive and out of place on such a unique record. But if you haven’t been thrown off kilter yet, wait for the last song, “Proctor Rd.” Clocking it at a mere 1:11, the song leaves the listener confused and wanting more.
As for objectionable content: “To Build A Mountain” has a British swear at the beginning. But since the album is advertised to an American audience, most probably won’t catch it. As I said before, “From 24C” may be rather odd, but I believe the honesty and pain it portrays makes it worthwhile. The penultimate song, “Yankee in the Chip Shop,” ends with a barely distinguishable swear that isn’t even included in the lyric booklet.
In conclusion: This is an amazing band. Even more amazing for the way the skirt around an industry that is so saturated with smut and self- pity. If you are looking for something quirky and upbeat, I HIGHLY recommend this album!
4 1/2 out of 5 stars
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