The Matches album 4, unreleased; graphics? title? or not needed?
Hiatus is defined as an interruption in the intensity or amount of something, a missing piece, as a gap in a manuscript or a natural opening or perforation through a bone or a membranous structure.
Musically, it is the term that has been used a lot recently by bands as opposed to the term break –up. Notably Blink 182 reminded everyone that they were never broken up, they were just on hiatus, until a plane crashed, some people died, Barker got burnt and they realized how much fun/how much money playing together again would mean.
For a much smaller number of devoted fans than felt the pain of the Blink hiatus, The 23rd day of August, in the year of our Lord 2009, the Matches played their final show before embarking on a hiatus of their own.
While the news did sadden many, it came with one bonus. The band chose to digitally release an album composed of some unreleased demos, most of which were to compose their new album and a few acoustics.
To start with, this is an album that the band claims to have put out for the fans who were unhappy with the bands decision to walk away, and that really is who this album is aimed at. Let’s face it though as far as the Matches are concerned you’ve either loved them or hated them, and I don’t think they’ve ever topped anyone’s list of highly accessible artists.
The Matches have always had a bouncy, unique sound that managed to be different than the majority of pop-punk? bands out there, while still sticking very close to their East Bay sound. Their first proper release, 2033’s E. Von Dahl Killed The Locals, was at once frenetic and vocally caustic managing to mix a harsh tone with poetic lyrics, and songs like The Restless, Chain Me Free and Eryn Smith caught on with fans while the track Sick Little Suicide pointed at the incredible potential the band of odd looking, odd play, odd sounding Oaklanites actually possessed.
The band followed up Von Dahl with 2006’s all over the map style wise release Decomposer. The band recorded with nine different producers including the likes of Rancid and the Transplants Tim Armstrong, Nick Hexum from 311, and yes amber is the colour of his energy, woah-oo, and Blink and Plus 44(as if they actually matter anymore) frontman Mark Hoppus. The songs ranged from opening track Salty Eyes, a sad and lilting waltz, to the faster paced power-punk of Clumsy Heart and the just plain awesome Sunburn Vs. The Rhinovirus. All the songs were tied together through the bands unique style and lead singer Shawn Harris’s uncanny ability to make the deeper than their genre lyrics dance like puppets on coke.
In 2008 they put out what would be their last proper release, baring a cessation to their hiatus, A Band In Hope. Once again, they worked with a number of producers in order to put out a cacophony of tracks that range from the deep, Build A Mountain, to the beautiful, Clouds Crash, to the moving, We Are One, to the catchy as all hell, Yankee In A Chip Shot, to the just plain odd Between Halloween’s. Hope was a definite success for the band artistically, as it showcased all of their talents and managed to tie it into a much more cohesive package than either of their first two albums could boast.
Now, as fans lament the hiatus they have The Matches album 4, unreleased; graphics? title? or not needed? Obviously, as it essentially an unfinished album, it remains under produced, and therefore it is hard to hold it up the bands previous outings. However tracks like Like Yesterday and Wicked Walk showcase the bands style and Harris’s lyrical wit, while My Doe 1 adds a nice acoustic cap to the festivities that more than make up for the albums low point 50 Altered states.
If you’re a fan check it out, and if you’re not, well you can still check it out, but you may want to give A Band In Hope or Decomposer a spin first.
Fear not though, for in the music industry the word Hiatus has another meaning; new project. Shawn Harris has teamed with Jake Grigg to create Maniac and Jon Devoto has formed Bird by Bird, and logic says that both new bands have got to be better than Angels and Airwaves.
The Matches – Like Yesterday
The Matches – My Doe, Part 1 (acoustic)
