Most Helpful Customer Reviews
|
|
4.0 out of 5 stars
Just "Pretend", April 15, 2005
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.
|
|
|
|
Interact With Your Music: Discover, listen to, and buy new music, all from the pages of SPIN's digital edition, free to Amazon customers.
- the new music site from IMDb and Amazon.
