Album Review: The Matches - 'A Band In Hope'

I’m really glad I gave this

record more time. Upon first listen I was fairly un-impressed with The Matches flamboyant take on modern rock, and although this isn’t

going to make my end of year top ten list, repeated listens to A

Band In Hope has shown me that The Matches are capable of

crafting well structured and intelligent pop songs.  

I had no idea what to expect from

this album as I was completely un-familiar with TheMatches

up until this point, the only thing that I did know was that John

Feldman (Goldfinger, The Used) and Mark Hoppus (as if I have

to tell you) had both lent their deft production touch to the band at

some stage in their career, therefore, I assumed The Matches were going to be another pop punk quartet. How wrong I was, as there

wasn’t a nasal American accent or pogo chorus (both of which I love

by the way) to be heard! Nope, what I did hear was an incredibly gifted

vocalist working with a band that is capable of providing him with a

variety of different musical foundations to build upon. 

The prominent bass lines of “AM

Tilts” give the song a groove that is as catchy as it is driving,

and when it meshes with Shawn Harris’ huge vocal delivery and

the layered guitar work of Jon Devoto you’re left with one

of the most creative pop tunes I’ve heard a long while. “Their City”

builds from its thunderous, drum filled intro into a hip shaking rock

song that no doubt had audiences across the world hanging on the band’s

every word, the unconventional guitar parts giving The Matches

a unique edge that many of their contemporaries would kill for.  

The Brit pop leanings of “Wake

The Sun” were lost on me however the soulful sounds of “Darkness

Rising” soon recaptured my attention, the stripped down vocal and

piano combination making for an almost theatrical experience. Apart

from the fact that the music is downright sleazy “To Build A Mountain”

gets the seal approval for its fantastic lyrics, the following gem being

the pick of the bunch: 

“Maybe a saint is just a

dead prick with a good publicist” 

“We Are One” showcases another

impressive guitar performance while “Point Me Toward The Morning”

is the closest thing to The Matches pop rock roots, the riffs

and the melody sounding strangely reminiscent to the early nineties

hit “The King Of Wishful Thinking” (covered by New Found Glory for

all the kids out there).  

I can certainly understand why The Matches have been able to acquire themselves a sizable fan base, as their ability to knock out a catchy tune is second to none. It’s just a shame that they haven’t quite perfected the consistency required to complete an entire album that holds a listener’s attention.

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