FIRST IMPRESSIONS: Lovedrug - The Sucker Punch Show

Way back in 2004 (God it feels like that was 20 years ago now) this band put together a handful of songs that would become very inspiring to me. That disc was Pretend Your Alive and it was something that did indeed make me feel alive somewhere inside. I was a believer in most things Michael Shepard had put together from the late 90's to that point. He's had a healthy relationship with some of the best music made. I remember that year I was tagging along with a friends band on tour which concluded at the Cornerstone Music Festival in Illinois. Lovedrug gave a remarkable performance that year. It was nothing short of glorious. In attendance to that festival show future Lovedrug drummer Matthew Putman. A man who's talents I respect endlessly as he was and is involved with some of my other favorite projects (Snailhuntr, Bear Colony and Unwed Sailor). When later that year it was confirmed he'd make the move from Little Rock, AK to Canton, Ohio to join up with the newer more trans-American line up that was forming under the leadership of Michael Shepard.

Things change though. Even Michael Shepard seems to have changed or perhaps it was everyone he surrounded himself with that made him shine the way he did in records past. This new records see a new line up. Even guitarist David Owen has slipped away to toil in the dark with his own music (which I suggest you listen to here).

This new record sees the song writing of an entirely different. I don't recognize one name in the liner notes, with exceptions of Michael Shepard as he remains the central core to the project. This new effort from Lovedrug is sad. It's not the inspiring force it was. The songs aren't crafted fully to be the emotional explosion that the first disc was . The album tees off with a guitar riff that serves as the primary melodic loop through the song. I thought I was listening, to You Stupid Girl by Garbage. Unfortunately, I wasn't. The chorus swells to what sounds like a tantrum of poorly chosen lyrics that appeal strictly to the 14-18 year old high school crowd and their in ability to select clever music to fashion their tastes after. Instead it's a steady diet of Fall Out Boy and Panic At The Disco and walls covered with the latest fresh faces from Alternative Press lining every inch of their rooms.

I'd have to say that this is a huge let down in Michael Shepard's ability to craft a well written record. He's using the formulas, which is fine if you can dress them well like he did on the first, but this one feels like I am just listening to the frameworks for songs. I am equally disappointed in the lyric department. The song and presumably the title track Everyone Needs A Halo is an example of poor lyrics. The music is terrible too. It's probably the worst track on the whole disc. It feels like it's trying to had sometimes. Not always. There are jut these moments that make me cringe a little.

Despite the lackluster quality of the song writing, the songs sound good. Lovedrug still utilizes a guitar sound long abandoned in the mid-90s. It's a sound near and dear to me, so when coupled with impassioned, well-placed lyrics and music it makes a for an experience you won't forget.

There aren't many tracks doing anything special on this album, but I think the tracks Panicked Witness and Dying Days are the only call out to the Lovedrug I knew. Maybe touring with all those shitty Tiger Beat emo bands had a reciprocal effect on them? This album is something I will forget about, but I can't forget how disappointing Lovedrug has become or how bad that cover art is.