Customer Reviews

Love You Just the Same

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

A livelier and equally genuine follow-up to their almost perfect album, South San Gabriel, Love You Just the Same is another piece of strong song-writing, singing, and good old rock and roll. Blends bitterness with country laziness, a sense that however angry any of this might make you, none of that will matter anyway. It will remind you of Uncle Tuppelo or the best Wilco, without being at all derivative. These guys are too good to be unknown, but they're probably not packaged commercially enough to get the kind of distribution their talent deserves. Centro-matic's strength is just great music.

Centro-Matic certainly makes their own mark on American music. The first time I had heard centro-matic I was completely floored by their emotive sense of timing. The band members play well together, and their live performances show a sense of thoughfulness and maturity. Traces of these elements are exemplified on "Love You Just the Same". This is a very solid collection of songs and it merits many listens. The first month I had this album I listened to it almost every single day driving to and from work. In conclusion: buy it!

I first read of these guys in the Dallas Quick mini-newspaper and then heard them on an episode of 90.1 At Night (a program on the NPR affiliate here in Dallas).

After hearing "Flashes and Cables" and "Argonne Limit Co" on their website (go give them a listen...you can hear the whole song), I decided to pick up the album (always a gamble when you've only heard one or two songs).

It was worth the risk. The album is beautiful. It's amazing these guys haven't blown up the charts yet.

Every cd catchs me off guard, and thats certainly true of the latest "love you just the same". More subdued than previous releases, at first you could be disappointed. but then you listen to the perfect guitar riffs and lyrics of "all the lightning rods" and you know that once again we have another will johnson masterpiece.

As always, a highlight of each centro cd is scott's piano/violin/vocals ... "strahan" and the superlative "spiraling sideways" (until the sun faaaaaaaalls down) along with what has to be the best drummer around, matt pence....just an amazing band. "Without you" and "silver plate compaints" are just plain beautiful - "picking up too fast" as good as anything uncle tupelo/son volt ever did.

Expect what you wish, what we have is another centro-matic classic and it should be in your library along with all the others.

The singer of this band has one of those voices, ragged and damaged (can you say 'polyps'?), that makes MY throat hurt.

Listening and relistening to this album conjures up the image of a sprawling dinner party thrown jointly by the Replacements and Uncle Tupelo. Soul Asylum is there, Red Red Meat is there. Centro-Matic is there. Many, many other bands are there. This is a popular indie-rock party.

Centro-Matic, though, gets to sit near the head of the table, closer to Westerberg and Tweedy than many of their contemporaries. Not too close, though, because there's something a little off-putting about Centro-Matic... like its flannel thrift-store shirt is clean and pressed while the Replacements t-shirt is torn with beer stains on it.

Make no mistake, though, these guys do rock pretty hard and do have some good riffs, some of these songs could even be considered "anthemic". But their music doesn't come off as loose and fun as it seems like it should. When you get to track 6, "All the Lightning Rods", suddenly you have a singer-songwriter ballad and an awkward quiet falls over the party. Someone calls R.E.M.'s "Wendell Gee" to come down to show them how it's done.... similar melody, better arrangement...

Okay, well, you get the idea. If you like what folks call "alt-country", this album is a worthy participant in that genre, although it's not very heavy on the "country". Were the Replacements alt-country? Not really. By the way, "Spiraling Sideways" on this record conjures up PLEASED TO MEET ME in many different ways. It's a good song, it doesn't try for Springsteen back-row histrionics and it's over in just over 3 minutes. It and "Biology Tricks" are the real standouts here, indie rock gems you don't hear too much of these days. You do hear the thick distorted guitars, the strained and earnest delivery, the cymbals crashing, and so on, but there's something charming here, worth hearing.

I hope the singer gives his throat the proper care as he may not want to spend his 40s and beyond talking in a whisper... I've seen it happen.

i was shopping at Slinky Whistle Bait-a vintage store on the square here in Denton when i overheard three guys talking to the store owner about touring in Belgium. When they were done talking i said i don't mean to eavesdrop,but...i was.What's the name of your band? A clean-shaven blond in a tight red t-shirt asked if i'd heard of them. No. i'm sorry i haven't.-Geez, i was embaressed.-i said if you're on tour in Europe you must be good.He laughed and said that they were trying to experiment with their style and that it was difficult to describe,but he hoped i would like it.

i'm Will,he said and shook my hand.i went back to trying on clothes,but before he left he came over and said it was really nice to meet you.

He was so softspoken and personable i thought he must've played a small part in the group.i had no idea he was the singer/songwriter behind it all.

Quite simply stated, Centro Matic are the most important group to emerge on the music scene since the late 70's. Involved within are many diversed talents who's influences will be felt well into the 21st century and beyond.

One of the best kept secrets in the musical underground scene, Centro Matic continue to offer up masterpiece after masterpiece with "Love You Just the Same" being the latest.

Amazing, Brilliant and Unique amoung the crap that's passed off as music in today's cookie cutter offerings.

Be prepared to become a devotee.............