‘A Band In Hope’ looks like it could [should] be the tipping point for the band into the mainstream. The band has a style all their own and can stand on it without needing to be compared to other bands, but if you were to take Hot Hot Heat and put them in a blinder with Rancid you would get pretty close to the style of The Matches new album.
“AM Tilts” along with “Point Me Towards the Morning” and “Wake Up The Sun” all have ‘morning’ and the sun as heavy themes. The idea of starting new and being refreshed by the dawn is an underlying theme that almost seems unconscious to the band. Needless to say those songs are some of the most infectious and among ones to get played the most.
The records sound is rough around the edges which will appeal to some but it also has a huge pop influence which should do extremely well in the mainstream. If you could invest in albums like you can in the stock market, this would be the album to put your money on to do very well. If you are unfamiliar with The Matches up until this point I would be willing to bet that that will change after the record is released.
“Darkness Rising” would be just as at home in a musical, as it is on a rock album. The song has all the same attributes as one that is being performed on stage in a play. The added vocals which gives off the conversational story telling effect in addition to the multi-layered instruments to add a fullness and dramatic feel.
“Yankees in The Chip Shop” comes in at under 2 and a half minutes yet feels very complete as it focuses heavily on the catchy chorus. The song depicts the confrontation between two groups and then adds a clap along style to it which you can’t help but sing along.
Personally speaking this is the first time I’ve been so hooked on a Matches album and although fans will always debate about which is actually their best work, I think ‘A Band In Hope’ is worth your money, worth your listening time, and overall a terrific release.
Track Listing
1. AM Tilts
2. Their City
3. Wake The Sun
4. Darkness Rising
5. To Build A Mountain
6. We Are One
7. Point Me Toward The Morning
8. From 24C
9. Clouds Crash
10. Between Halloweens
11. If I Were You
12. Future Tense
13. Yankee In A Chip Shop
14. Proctor Rd.
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6 Comments
the matches ***** rock.
The Matches are the kind of band that every other band leading todays youth on should wish to be. They have an amazing sound with the amazing talent to back it up. Every song is full of a vibrant sort of energy and character that most of todays bands could only wish they could provide. Each lyric is well thought out and not without meaning, each chord is played with the same precision and ferocity as the last, and every part of the drum line is well placed and fits right in with the rest of the pieces of each song. The Matches are completely unapologetic at the same time, knowing they could just fall in with the crowd and become huge they’d rather play music they love, not selling out can be admired. What’s even better is that they sound completely different but just the same live, creating a sort of manic display on stage tearing everything apart and sharing/switching microphones. I mean what kind of band today has the lead singer hand his guitar off to the tech so he can sing in the crowd? I guess all in all what im trying to say is that The Matches are not a band that should be missed by the general masses and if you are missing out, grab E. Von Dahl Killed The Locals or Decomposer or even pre-order A Band In Hope and start freaking rocking!
I have been a Matches fan for a long time and am extremely disappointed with this album. It doesn’t have nearly the same sound or energy as their previous two releases. And to reply to “GravityJones’” statement of “The Matches are completely unapologetic at the same time, knowing they could just fall in with the crowd and become huge they’d rather play music they love, not selling out can be admired,” i must say that you probably don’t follow The Matches very well because making it big is what they have been working on doing for quite some time. I believe that if this band fails it will be due to this album.
Chris thats an interesting thought because I am less familiar with the band you are probably and this is my favorite record from them. I wonder if the record will do better with people less familiar with them?
I do think if the label pushes this release at all it will do just fine.
Chris, all i have to say is that if you want to listen to the same thing over and over again, then go buy a cd from any other band out these days. The thing that should be admired most about the Matches is that every song sounds different, and that if you complain about them “not sounding like they did before” then what do you want? Personally, i would rather have them release completely different sounding albums every time, rather then getting the same thing over and over again. And yes they have been trying to make it big, but who isnt? I would rather play what they are in comparison to that Panic at the disco crap. If you dont think it has the same energy then thats on you, all i can suggest is giving “Between Halloweens” a few more listens, becasue that song has so much underlying energy, so does Point me Towards the Morning.
I absolutely love this album! After hearing “Wake The Sun” on their myspace a while ago, I couldn’t wait for this album to come out. I bought it the day it came out. It’s pretty much all I’ve listened to since I bought it. My favorite songs right now are “Darkness Rising” and “Clouds Crash”. It’s changed a lot, but I’ve mostly listened to those songs today. It’s the kind of album you can listen to from start to finish and enjoy every minute of it. Lyrics from it are always stuck in my head now. I’ve been a fan of The Matches for a long time, and I can’t really say which album I like best. They are all great.