Lovedrug’s Michael Shepard hungrily gathers cryptic lyrics and mixes them into a potent cocktail of heartache, admonition and yearning, pouring everything into a glass of eye-twitching, polished modern rock. When the contents settle, Shepard and co-conspirators have a strongly produced 13-song recording, which awakens the tastebuds, mixing the heavy, mellow, and emotional into unpredictable patterns. Throughout the disc, the compositions swim in a engaging soundscape, containing all manner of guitars, occasional piano, plenty of melodic injections, as well as the typical rock and roll fare. Two of the greatest chances for radio success, “Spiders” and “Rocknroll,” boast strong pop sensibilities and sugar-sweet hooks. “Spiders” could win universal appeal due to its balladry and easy accessibility. “Rocknroll,” gives the speaker cones a little shaking with dirty guitars and straight-ahead musical output, including a thundering chorus. The standout track, “Blackout,” blends the band’s elements together, from chapel quiet tones to heavy throddling, and talks about supernatural intervention in yet another turbulent situation created by an imperfect humanity.
Ratings – Doug Van Pelt 3/5, Chris Callaway 4/5
Other coverage for this album
Decapolis August 2004Reviewed by Mike LeechWhat a disappointment this album turned out to be. After seeing these guys play a fairly stellar show at Cornerstone last month, I was pretty eager to hear what this debut record of theirs was going to sound like. My hopes were high, but I tried to keep my expectations low. As it turns out, Pretend You're Alive does, in fact, clear the low bar I had set, but just by a millimeter or so. I think…The Phantom Tollbooth 2004Reviewed by Trae CadenheadI stumbled upon Lovedrug at Cornerstone last year and knew from the beginning that they were something special. With a couple of EPs (self-titled and Rock and Roll) under their belt, the band signed with The Militia Group despite interest from many major labels. I'm sure many people who think along the same lines as me breathed a sigh of thanks to the band that they chose a label who would let…Similar sounding releases
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