I woke up to a great text today. My sister: "I forgot what a good album everything starts where it ends is!"
She's right! It really is fabulous. Lovedrug has evolved a lot, and while their fan base has grown I think some of the early adopters still prefer the earlier work. Though I absolutely loved "Wild Blood" and think it's a fantastic rock record, "Everything Starts Where it Ends" has a more daring, unaffected sound. It's a lot more unafraid to fail - in a lot of ways bands are that way when they first start out - and I think that makes it that much edgier. Years later "Wild Blood" was much more polished, with a clear narrative and spot-on precision lyrically and melodically...and I love it for its wholeness and for how fucking good those songs sounded live, but "Everything Starts" was truly a game-changer of a sophomore record. I mean, that's how you do it, in do-or-die fashion, with tons of instruments and dark lyrics and haunting melodies that are also so fucking good live you're getting attention from rock listeners from all over the spectrum.
These days, Michael Shepard is goin' solo, according to a Pledge Music campaign, and I'm very much excited to see what he does. His gift for melody and hooks is so apparent, and has only grown with time, so I can't wait to hear what he does with a clean slate. No doubt it's going to be masterful, extremely well-produced and lyrically, incredibly sharp.
In the meantime, though, what a good time to rediscover the earlier days Lovedrug. I put it on a mental shelf, for awhile, a result of getting overplayed and over-associated, as can be the case with favorites. But on this night, where insomnia and loneliness are unfortunately getting the better of me, something familiar sounds just right. The title track to this day is one of my all-time favorite songs, because it is beautiful and symphonic and weird and heart-stoppingly momentous. Those last two minutes? Chilling. Every time I hear it, it's like the first time all over again.
Then there's this track, which I think I understand tonight more than I might've in years gone by. As the go-to ballad of the album, it was one I may of skipped over every now and again. But tonight, I wanted something slow, sad, and just a little bit gallant - and inspired my sister's text, I knew exactly what I wanted to hear.
"Would you believe me if I told you
That I'm surfacing for just one thieving moment
To steal your heart?
Would you believe me if I told you
That fairy tales come true
When I'm with you?
I'll free the one who falls in love again
Come on and hold you like candy on a Friday after
Making love all year
And now we're swimming down where
Iron doors are open
And there is too much fear to breathe
A girl, a boy, a hell
Like thieves we are...
All in love
With stolen hearts,
and we all fall down,
and fall apart for love.
Dance, alright
But I'm giving it one last fight
I fancy not your night
I'm not your girl, your whore, your hell
But thieves, we are...
All in love
With stolen hearts,
and we all fall down
and fall apart for love."
~Thieving
Lovedrug, Everything Starts Where it Ends
