Maydayground
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10/4/2006 1:51:41 PM
---- Updated 10/13/2006 1:49:27 PM
In Technicolor: A Review
Every once in a while a record comes along that reminds us why people picked up electric guitars in the first place. When done right, rock music should make you feel like you just stuck your finger in a light socket. A chill runs down the spine and makes the hair stand up on the back of your neck.
Such is the case with the debut album by Maydayground, a Nashville based three-piece band consisting of Michael Spears, bass guitar, lead vocals, Bryan Hall, guitar/vocals, and drummer Ludo Baccherini.
The record opens with Smile, a rollicking modern rock song with pulsating bass
to get your heart pumping and a searing guitar solo from Bryan Hall.
The second track, Nothing Without You is an anguished plea from a soul
obviously lost in love and willing to do anything to stay there:
Put on a costume, and be your clown
And make you laugh by falling down
If thats how you want me
Then thats how I'll be
Anyway, anyhow, if you'd like me better inside out
It sounds pathetic but its true,
No matter what I am, Im nothing without you
100 Years Ago is a nostalgic look at Garage Bands that any one who was weaned
on Rock-Roll will immediately relate to with memorable lyrics like:
Ask your mother if its cool
Get your Dad to move the car
I'll come over after school
And help you clean out the garage
A hundred years ago
When we were young and stupid
Three Minute Pop Song cleverly points out the brevity of life that is a product
of having matured enough to realize that youth is fleeting:
Time flies it rushes by so fast
Life's a three minute pop song
Hello goodbye, well it's gone in a flash
Life's a three minute pop song
Sunny and 72 captures loves magical refuge from lifes trials and tribulations:
Life is hard but God is good
He made me a place called you
Standing in a pouring rain
Still it's sunny and 72
Yeah, it's always sunny and 72
Perhaps the most memorable track on the record is If You're Lonely,
with its poetic lyrics, moody ethereal vocal from Michael Spears and
its orchestrated soundscape reminiscent of Pink Floyd & The Beatles:
Crack in the sidewalk
A tear on a rose
Black bird in the gray sky
A face no one knows
Look around now, youre gonna find out
You are not the only one
If youre lonely, youre not alone
This album is loaded with beautifully crafted melodies, poignant lyrics,
and plenty of guitars!
All in all, a stellar debut album with no missteps that after a few listens
will quickly take up residence in your sub conscience!
Marty T./ Nashville Rockline
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