September 12th – Your starter for no points at all: Yourself or Someone Like You. Album
title of …?
I have to figure it one of the worst rock band names I’ve come across,
not for any other reason than it seems and sounds so soppy. Can’t deny they did
the biz though. Albums that went diamond, multi platinum, multi gold; 12
(that’s as in 12) nominations for awards from Grammy’s to MTV’s, the fact they
only won one is beside the point; best rock album, and they are still touring.
Got it yet?
No?
OK, onward.
Their style of music has been classed as pop-rock, alternative-rock and post-grunge. Not sure about
that last one as a description, but what I would say is the production values
and song-writing expertise is of the very best; if you like your pop written to
a template that is.
No?
OK, there’s more.
Recorded with a very west coast feel, the layout of the songs
dips into all the right historical drawers and comes out holding a bra and pair
of ‘Y’ fronts. The breathy and panting vocals carry just the right amount of girlishness
to appeal to the feminine quarter without becoming too Barbie and yet, musically, pushes sufficient emotional buttons to
keep the ladies and guys interested. Dance-floor-friendly but with a hard edge
(if you consider a feather boa hard that is) the chord sequences are
predictable but surprising in their timing and layers. Most of the songs have a
chant hook, not quite playground but with a nursery rhyme quality that makes
them rocky but endearing.
Nope?
Christ, you’re hard work…right…
Their vocal similarities to Men
at Work, Counting Crows and Nickleback are evident and they encompass gay disco and girl band
themes, with boy band harmonies thrown in for good measure; with that as
blue-print there’s no way their recorded output wasn’t going to be successful.
I can easily believe they would be a Valley Girls favourite and can imagine
almost every song being used as the soundtrack to any Jennifer Anniston movie;
take your pick. Taylor Swift or Lady Gaga could cover their work and you’d not
know it wasn’t them who wrote it.
Any good? OK, spoiler.
I think Exile on Mainstream is
their best work?
And Put Your Hands Up has
become an anthem (of sorts).
Yup, well done; Matchbox Twenty.
You’d think, with all those accolades and award nominations, that they’d
have a worldwide following at least as big as The Beatles. Not so. Maybe their problem was being too easily used
as wallpaper music? Whatever, don’t think I’ve got a downer on them by the
preceding. Not at all, even sport a few on my iTunes, but I have to say that their vocals grate a bit after three
or four songs…and I keep saying;
Now, that sounds just like…
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