New May ’21 Tunage – Matt Love – Holydrug Couple
May ’21 tunes. Indie pop, ambient psychedelia used for soundtrack and a reissue that is close to my hardcore days of the early 90’s. It’s very exciting to share these and many, many, many ,many, many, more soon.
Matt Love – Little Ray Of Sunshine
First we have a great single and short album from Matt Love. If you are a fan Sarah Records then you may recognize his voice straight away. He is one of the voices from the band Even As We Speak.
Strictly on vocal style he reminds me of John Sebastian and Gerry Rafferty ( if they were to write indie pop songs).
If you are unfamiliar with EWAS and you like indie pop then I strongly encourage you to listen to the both of Matt’s projects. Read all about EWAS 2020 release “Adelphi ” here https://meatsheetfanzine.com/even-as-we-speak-adelphi-review/
To listen check out a great blog that features stream of “Little Ray Of Sunshine herehttps://janglepophub.home.blog/2021/05/08/ep-review-little-ray-of-sunshine-by-matt-love-2021-self-released/
Gently Wake Me is a short pop song. Matts vocals are direct and teeming with introspective emotion. This is stuff one can pine away to upon hearing the vocal melody.
The guitars, warm organ tone and bass however give the track an uplifting pep. The juxtaposition is and was in his previous work sublime.
Moving on to the rest of the the EP titled ” Little Ray Of Sunshine”. “Hard life” is a pop number that stomps. A classic Motown esque beat that was later adopted into rock and roll and R N B and yet still informed and colored by Matt’s influences and work from the past. That is to say it has the feeling of his Even As We Speak material plus more bonus sounds and styles. The execution of the songwriting is undaunted, as there is a wood block in this track keeping time. Additionally the next track offers slide guitar like sounds which references country, maybe blues. However, the overall flavor is steeped in indie pop at the same time. ” Would You Want Me At All ” is idyllic trek in which Matt ponders worthiness. Classic topic and beat with a signature sound.
Matt Love’s kind of indie pop is timeless.
“So Pure” is an edgier song with minor key sounds. These lend a gravity and seriousness. The piano and bass balance the weight by adding a vibrant boost. The whole EP/Album seems to give you something slightly unique on each track yet maintaining a cohesive suite of songs. If you favor songwriting that echoes the Beatles, the vocals of those mentioned above (Lovin Spoonful’s John Sebastian and Gerry Rafferty’s Stealer’s Wheel), Sarah Records artists and modern indie pop ” Little Ray Of Sunshine” can scratch almost any itch and brighten up the day.
The Holydrug Couple – Soundtrack For Evil Doll.
Secondly, hailing from Chile these guys really hold up the torch for psychedelic dream rock. As a result, I love this bands album Moonlust from about 6 years ago on Sacred Bones Records. Here is an example of how these dudes roll https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6OSYwYk5EGg
Consequently, I didn’t know this was going to release, so I listen to Aurora, the first track and it is so fucking good. The perfect mix of a dreamy ether and bass heavy synth. The drums are crisped up like french fries and the beat is simple and steady like your favorite comfort food. The main theme features synth and an off-kilter swing that i’m accustomed to hearing on their previous work.
It sounds like you’re flying into Fantasy Island on hallucinogens. If you don’t know Fantasy Island kids, look it up.
“Chase Sequence” is a somewhat quick paced track that captures exactly what the title expresses. At first listen, the obvious did not hit me, later I knew this is to accompany a film. I do miss their vocals that add another layer of space on Moonlust. But this soundtrack is no sloucher, it’s just instrumental. If I judge it for what it is, it holds up to their work and I can hear some growth. I did miss some material between this and Moonlust I’m going to have to go back and check it out you can sample their bandcamp here. I ‘m grateful this band is still making music. They’ve evolved into their own sound that I can recognize. This is an extension of that. Giving the video and the scenes what they need to tell a story. Bravo. https://theholydrugcouple.bandcamp.com/music
Drift Again – The Cold Season (reissue)
In the very early 90s hardcore began to shift from positive straight edge and thrash into more riff heavy and melodic vein. I think this was due to bands discovering and revisiting early Dischord bands that played with dissonance and melody. For better or for worse depending on what taste you have the mosh parts, screaming vocals, and three chord progressions change to more melodious vocals, focus on riffs, and live shows? Backpacks. Many back packs. Backpacks so you can carry PETA pamphlets, your zine. Perhaps your friend’s zine, camera etc. The beginning of activism on steroids, 90’s hardcore shows. Also Quicksand was an undeniable influence and spawned a lot of clones.
Likewise this brings me to Drift Again. There are some who may debate this but I am of the mind that Drift Again were able to to be in the 90s melodic hardcore circle and yet still have their music stand on its own. So this May ’21 their EP is reissued with the original three songs plus a bonus song from a comp.
That is to say , Drift Again more than likely pulled influence from Quicksand, but they were able to rise above the stereotypical Quicksand influences.
Again this is debatable depending on who you talk to, (those who remember this when it dropped). Above all, when this came out it was played heavily in car tape decks with auto reverse and we would just let let it flip. It was not merely nostalgia for me. I enjoy listening to this just as much in 2021. Makes me wonder, what if they had released more, alas we may never know.
On to the music. The “Cold Season ” has the innocence and purity a bunch of hardcore fans playing music and figuring out how to do pinch harmonics can muster.
The vocals are halfway between, for lack of a better words, clean and dirty. Clean being not shouted and having dynamics. Dirty being screamed with little concern for melody. The riffs and rhythm are heavy but not necessarily Black Sabbath heavy. The weight is enough to nod and bang thy head.
Next is “Machinist” which speaking of heavy, is slower and chugging than the “Cold Season ” s/t track. Galloped picking and beats that are conducive to slower nods and head bangs. A heavy breakdown similar to Earth Crisis ‘Firestorm’ informed by Slayer. Slayer was a staple back then for many hardcore youth. It ends abruptly with machinery sounds. It’s perfect.
Next is “Wishing” More slower , heavy riffs than the typical hardcore cheat beat tempo. This track capitalizes on letting the open E chord ring before adding more galloping guitar riffs.
Adding a nice contrast is “Drag” It’s faster and seems more musically accomplished. It feels like it should have been on the 7″ all along. This track reminds me of Kill Holiday’s Monitor Dependency. Another EP I love and that gets flak for some reason. The whole melodic hardcore vs purist hardcore seems to be a dividing line. I am not a fan of all melodic hardcore mind you. It got pretty ridiculous after a while , spawning stuff like Promise Ring , Get Up Kids and all that ilk. Drift Again kick enough ass that I mark them safe from the boring and trite 90’s melodic core. There sure was alot of it. Drift Again, for me, are a bright spot. I am a fan and will probably always give this a spin.
Lastly, stand by for more May ’21 Tunes yet to come. Lots to discover so if you thing you want your music on here reach out. Hell Minded Records I am gazing towards Trenton.