Pretend You're Alive

Lovedrug, Lovedrug | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (July 27, 2004)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Militia
• ASIN: B0002IQJX2
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (27 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #119,751 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

About the Artist

Like many great bands, there is something hauntingly spiritual and honest about Lovedrug. The Ohio-based rock band delivers highbrow sound akin to Spiritualized, Sunny Day Real Estate, or Muse, crossed with the pop sensibility and arena grandeur of Queen. A unique crossbreed of art and accessibility, powerful melodies are driven by smartly crafted lyrics of truth, intrigue, love, death, and damn near everything in between.

Only those who have seen the band live can truly understand the growing phenomenon that is Lovedrug. Regardless of how cliché it may sound, Lovedrug live is truly less a show and more an experience. In playing to a variety of audiences (the band has shared the stage w/ Cat Power, Creeper Lagoon, The Killers, Braid, Elliot, Mewithoutyou, The Casket Lottery & Noise Ratchet, to name a few), Lovedrug have won over virtually every audience they’ve met.

Formed in June of 2002, Lovedrug is the brainchild of Michael Shepard and Adam Ladd. Both artists of some pedigree, the two friends joined forces in several previous avant-garde projects including the widely respected Kerith Ravine. Rising above the indie-rock contour of Kerith, Shepard’s current vocal melodies breathe a grand soundscape in a tender but bloodcurdling timbre. Ladd’s bass in turn securely moors the project’s course, providing quality arrangement to Shepard’s guitar and piano innovations. Longtime friend but first-time contributor David Owen became Lovedrug’s full-time lead guitarist in July ’03, bringing his own accomplished creative presence in both writing and performance. Matthew Putman, a phenomenal writing and touring drummer (Ester Drang, Unwed Sailor), completes the band’s permanent lineup.

In less than 2 years, Lovedrug have gone from start-up to standout on the mid-western rock scene. Lovedrug recorded a self-titled 5-track demo, selling out two pressings within three months of its July ‘02 release. Such interest led to further preproduction and early ‘03 saw the band head into the studio with producer Tim Patalan (Sponge, The Fags, Peter Searcy) with astounding results.

Those lucky enough to hear the full-length results frequently give it the nod for ‘best first record by any band in recent memory’. Hinting at the full-length to come, the band released the 6-track "Rocknroll EP" in summer ‘03 to overwhelming acceptance. Cleveland’s Scene magazine hailed Lovedrug as the #1 band to watch in 2004, describing live favorite Down Towards The Healing as "one of the most affecting songs of the year -- local or otherwise." Numerous college and independent radio stations picked up the record for regular airplay, leading to dozens of top rankings coast to coast, from Hartford, to Milwaukee, to Seattle.

With the deal inked, and with the full backing of their new label, Lovedrug began preparations for the July debut of "Pretend You’re Alive". The band hit the road hard in both the spring and summer, visiting the west coast for the first time and gaining national touring exposure with label mates Copeland in May, the Braid reunion tour in June, and the national Mewithoutyou and Noise Ratchet run in July. With the highly anticipated bow of Pretend You’re Alive set for July 27, 2004, the close of July will see Lovedrug play a handful of release shows in regional strongholds, supporting key markets within Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, and Illinois. Another national tour with Copeland is slated for August, with a headlining college run and other tours in the works for the fall…

Product Description

Japanese pressing of 2004 release, scheduled to include one bonus track. Details TBA. Maximum. --This text refers to an alternate Audio CD edition.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Just "Pretend", September 18, 2004

By 

E. A Solinas "ea_solinas" (MD USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Pretend You're Alive (Audio CD)

Indie-rock, pure'n'simple. That's what comes to mind when you listen to Lovedrug's solid debut, "Pretend You're Alive." They sound like the love child of Spiritualized and Sunny Day Real Estate, but they have a classic-sounding rock rhythm and some truly exceptional songs. This is a band to watch.

"Out of love for the hunt/out of love for the catch," Michael Shepard sings mournfully at the start of "In Red." It's not the most alluring start, but it is a pretty good one. And the mix of angular rock and lament continues, in a series of serious songs that dip into the topics of abuse of women, alcohol, hopelessness and angels. It finishes off on a quiet piano song with wistful lyrics, "Paper Scars."

Two years is pretty young to be a band, let alone a breakout one. But Lovedrug has plenty of talent, and a sort of steady, enjoyable sound that most bands don't achieve in their entire lifetimes. Most surprisingly, they establish a key "sound," while avoiding monotony by having the songs not sound TOO alike. What's more, it has the polished, experienced sound of a band much older than two years.

The core of each song is a powerful, layered melody: Sheperd's trembling guitars and quiet piano serve as a good counterpart to Adam Ladd's versatile bass. Woo, that bass -- listen to it roar, buzz, and roil. And the drumming is also quite good, although it tends to be buried under the guitars and bass -- it's there, but it blends in well. The cymbals are the easiest part to locate.

Sheperd has a high, flexible voice that always sounds heartbroken -- at the start of "Paper Stars," he even sounds kind of like a woman. But that perpetually sad sound works out well, especially since the tone of "Pretend You're Alive" is pretty dang melancholy. Brilliant, but melancholy. "If God was on the radio/I know he'd say to thee/love is spiders on the edge/and we're hanging by a thread," or "You don't know how cool you are/to find the ways to love me/without shame..."

Lovedrug make an auspicious full-length debut, and they leave you merely wondering where they'll go and what they'll do after "Pretend You're Alive." A powerful, melancholy debut, and one to check out.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Unparallelled, December 22, 2004

By 

J. Bock "Promoter / Radio DJ" (Blacksburg, VA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Pretend You're Alive (Audio CD)

I work at a venue that specializes in indie rock and the like, and we had the honor of hosting Lovedrug in November. It has been a long time since I've seen a band that put me in such awe of their work - and I see a lot of bands come through this area. Their album backs it up, too - standout tracks being "Down Towards the Healing", "The Monster", "Spiders", and basically anything in the first eight tracks. DO NOT MISS THEM LIVE.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars if you like sunny day real estate you'll like this, August 25, 2004

By 

spacedog "spacedog7" (boston, ma United States) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Pretend You're Alive (Audio CD)

although at least three of these songs have already been released on EPs, the album was still satisfying. lovedrug is probably going to be most often compared to sunny day, esp. with the high-pitched vocals, but in my opinion they're definitely better. more melodic, more variety in the song structures, and overall a catchier sound with more hooks. some of the piano-based tracks are a little dull and the lyrics tend to be indulgent, but there are more than a few standout and definitely rockin' tracks, such as: in red, blackout, rocknroll, and candy. lookin' forward to the next one.