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Matches light up new release

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Also by Carolyn Vidmar:

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Grammy wins certain for Winehouse, West (February 8, 2008)
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by Carolyn Vidmar

Monday, March 24, 2008

The Matches are a band defined by eccentric rhythms, oddly delivered lyrics and guitar solos that focus more on weird sounds than actual notes. But, despite this, it is still difficult to categorize them by genre. On their third album, A Band in Hope, the Matches show their musical evolution — their newest sound is orchestral and strange, but almost always catchy.

The Matches formed during their years at a Christian prep school in 1997, and perhaps it was the oppression of having a uniform which fuels their eccentricity. Only six years later, The Matches released their debut album, E. Von Dahl Killed The Locals, followed by the darker Decomposer in 2006. With the release of A Band in Hope, though, the band delves into more vaudevillian territory. Unfortunately, The Matches are often so theatrical it seems like they are joking, and vocalist Shawn Harris has a flair for drama that defines much of the band’s work. The 25-year-old Johnny Depp look-alike is usually dressed up like it’s Halloween, and his spastic oscillation between pitches makes him seem just a little bit crazy.

On the album’s opening track, “AM Tilts,” Harris shrieks along with the guitars, but the song is decidedly optimistic — it sounds like waking up on a Saturday. The album’s first single, “Wake The Sun,” also features hollow, echoing percussion. Once again, the song is bright and upbeat. The morning sun is a recurring theme throughout the album despite the band’s doom and gloom play between the album title and the phrase “abandon hope.”

The one song that immediately seems out of place, however, is “Darkness Rising,” an eerie ballad on which guitarist Jon Devoto sings and Harris plays piano. The track could be either a dark love poem or an invitation to hell, but the chant in the middle of the song suggests the latter.

The band’s questioning lyrics and bizarre imagery is first evident on “To Build A Mountain” when Harris wonders, “Maybe a saint is just a dead prick/ With a good publicist.” The following track, “We Are One,” is a punk rock anthem, claiming “When we are loud we are one.”

A few less poignant but still catchy tracks surround the album’s best song, “Yankee In A Chip Shop,” a short, riotous tune which The Matches have been performing live for a few years. The last few tracks on the album, including “If I Were You,” and “Future Tense,” sound like the more simple punk songs with which The Matches gained more widespread notoriety.

A Band In Hope is more melodic — and definitely funkier — than the spastic E. Von Dahl and definitely brighter than Decomposer. However, fans can still hear the band’s signature dark sound on the album; A Band In Hope could be the soundtrack to a Tim Burton movie — the end result is optimistic, but there are lots of spooky twists and turns along the way.

The duality of the album’s title reflects the band’s frustration. After struggling in the music industry, they are united in the hope that they can create interesting records. However, because of the explosion of downloading, The Matches have abandoned hope that they are going to sell a significant number of these records. In fact, when A Band In Hope leaked in February, the band urged fans who downloaded the album to repay them by doing good deeds for strangers.

The Matches have never cracked the barrier to the charts, and with this album’s experimental sound, they still might not. However, A Band In Hope is one of those albums that gets better with every spin, and after a few, it’s hard not to enjoy.

4 stars out of 5

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