Hey guys, so another week has gone by, and I owe you a new group. I've been telling you about these guys for a few weeks now, but I've been spending time getting the wording just right. I've seen them live, I've listened to their songs again and again, and met them in person, so I absolutely know that you're gonna find these guys not only up to par, but sick and brilliant in all senses.
LOVELOUD first came to my attention in March when I went to go see Fit For Rivals play a show with The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus. It was at that show (an amazing live performance by both groups I must say, and also the show at which I discovered the intriguing emo-punk group that's been featured here again and again, Have You Seen My Ghost) that Renee Phoenix from FFR introduced me to Daniel McClure, the drummer for LOVELOUD. Now to both of us at that time, it was just a simple introduction, but as soon as I played the couple recorded songs Daniel handed to me on my home, I knew that wasn't going to be the end of it.
Then I saw LOVELOUD in June for the first time, when they played a show with Fit For Rivals and Have You Seen My Ghost. Aside from being cool, down-to-earth guys, they put on a freakin' amazing show. So now that you have a slight introduction as to just how I came across this crop of talent, now you know, and we can begin.
LOVELOUD likes to keep things simple: a Florida four-piece composed of Steven Williams (lead vocals and guitar), Jason Flynn (lead guitar), Elliot Redish (bass) and Daniel McClure (drums), LOVELOUD's music is a melodic concoction of pop-punk, alternative, and hard-rock. When I hear these guys, I think of Good Charlotte, (+44), Audioslave, and The Exies in the same vein. LOVELOUD's sound is so versatile, it's even hard to make a comparison at all, but that's my best shot right there.
If there was any doubt in the world that these guys don't have a groove of their own, it's definitely erased when you listen to the first track that they played live (if I remember correctly), "This Life." I love the guitar in this one: Flynn's notes are catchy and melodic, and blend with Williams's chords to bring a crashing beginning, middle and end to my ears. On top of that though, Williams has a vocal talent that makes me burn with jealousy, in the best way possible. As his voice sails smoothly along the verses and bridge, Redish's bass lines are clear and defined, and bore into my head as McClure's drumming makes me dizzy and disoriented trying to keep up. If that wasn't enough, Flynn pushes it to the next level with a solo that bleeds life and raw emotion into the veins of this song. "This Life" is definitely the first track any of you will want to listen to; it gets your blood boiling and your pulse going, and makes for a sick first song.
Track two is definitely close to being my favorite track on the setlist (it would undoubtedly be number one if I could only make up my mind haha). McClure and Flynn boost the entrance to a blasting rally, and Redish and Williams take over in a driving verse. I love the bass lines in "Six Days:" they are clear and powerful, and personally I always love a song where the bass is given sufficient power and play (case in point, The Offspring's "Self-Esteem"). McClure couldn't do any better on the drums, as these skins are shaking and stuttering, blasting the rust from my previously bored cortex. With a sing-along chorus and a guitar hook (or bass hook perhaps) that compares to the best of them, "Six Days" is a five-star track if there ever was one. At this point I'm floored that these guys aren't signed to a major label yet (but we've covered that before, because what do major labels really know about good music?).
"Over" is LOVELOUD's attempt at a more alternative-sounding track, and I must say, they certainly succeed. Williams's vocals are smooth and seductive, and just draw you in to the music. The lyrics, too, are lucid and clever, and hit home with me as I appreciate well-written lyrics like no other haha. With a group-vocal during the choruses, and rhythm that drives this one higher and higher, I'm blasted through black holes into another dimension as Flynn shreds his fretboard to nothing. The solo is sick, and riding on a hook that will have me air-guitaring in just about ten minutes, I'd call this one a success. In fact I'd say, "no duh."
At just a short 2:30, "Over" bleeds into "Crying Shame," LOVELOUD's shattering power-ballad. I love the emotion in this one, and with their last song, "Too Late," on their EP as well, these guys have gold in their pockets, and they know it.
If a hard-rocking EP wasn't enough, these guys give a fuckin' amazing show, and are cool to chill with after. LOVELOUD is a record producer's wet dream, and the fact that they're still flying solo is a testament to the breakdown in the "great American record company system." If any of you guys have a chance to see these guys play, don't pass it up. Check you local underground venues or their website, because LOVELOUD's explosive performance rivals anything I've seen at Phillip's Arena (Atlanta's Madison Square Garden), and with FFR and HYSMG this show was incredible. Check these guys out, and you'll be hooked instantly. LOVELOUD is coming, and nothing is gonna stop them anytime soon.
Sounds Like: (+44), Audioslave, Good Charlotte, The Exies
Key Tracks
LOVELOUD: "Over," "Six Days," "This Life"
Check out LOVELOUD more at:
http://www.myspace.com/weareloveloud and
http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/pages/LOVELOUD/73426022724?ref=ts
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