What a disappointment this album turned out to be. After seeing these guys play a fairly stellar show at Cornerstone last month, I was pretty eager to hear what this debut record of theirs was going to sound like. My hopes were high, but I tried to keep my expectations low. As it turns out, Pretend You're Alive does, in fact, clear the low bar I had set, but just by a millimeter or so.
I think the most troubling part of listening to this album is knowing what a talented group of guys created it. Seeing them live was pretty impressive. They were unbelievably tight and very intense at times. That's why it's such a shame to hear them resorting to watered-down Radiohead and Sunny Day Real Estate mimicry on their first studio release. They just seemed to be capable of so much more.
Fortunately, this album does have a little something going for it. It seems the louder these guys are, the better they get. For instance, "Rocknroll", "Pandamoranda", "The Monster" and "It Won't Last" are probably the loudest tracks on the album, and they are also some of the only ones that you won't tire of hearing after one or two listens. The rest of the album is simply too monotone and conservative to be interesting.
Pretend You're Alive could have been way better and everything, but I think giving it a horrible rating would be a little cold-hearted of me. After all, the album's better tracks do make up for quite a bit, and I'd much rather see a Lovedrug video on MTV than a Maroon 5 one. These fellas may have struck out on this one, but I'd keep an eye out for their next if I were you. Someday these guys are going to turn some heads.
2.5/4
Other coverage for this album
HM Magazine #114Reviewed by Chris CallawayLovedrug’s Michael Shepard hungrily gathers cryptic lyrics and mixes them into a potent cocktail of heartache, admonition and yearning, pouring everything into a glass of eye-twitching, polished modern rock. When the contents settle, Shepard and co-conspirators have a strongly produced 13-song recording, which awakens the tastebuds, mixing the heavy, mellow, and emotional into unpredictable…The Phantom Tollbooth 2004Reviewed by Trae CadenheadI stumbled upon Lovedrug at Cornerstone last year and knew from the beginning that they were something special. With a couple of EPs (self-titled and Rock and Roll) under their belt, the band signed with The Militia Group despite interest from many major labels. I'm sure many people who think along the same lines as me breathed a sigh of thanks to the band that they chose a label who would let…Similar sounding releases
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