Matthew - Self-Titled EP
Label: Self-Release
Style: Alternative, Hard Rock
Released: 2004
My Grade: 4 stars
AMG: n/a
Sounds like: Nirvana, Luna Halo, Jeff Buckley

I have to admit my love for MATTHEW right from the start - these guys are brilliance defined. This EP was a long time in coming, and had their fans waiting on bended knee for news of a new release. When word finally trickled out that they would be releasing a limited run, rough mix EP from their upcoming album, I could not wait.

[Editor’s note: To help with the following review I first need to give a bit of a back story to the band that is MATTHEW] Lead vocalist and guitarist Brian McSweeney was part of the seminal and innovative rock band Seven Day Jesus, and following their blacklisting and premature demise he stayed around Chicago playing in various musical outlets before forming MATTHEW. Almost instantly they were signed to Rykodisc and were working with some of the top names in music; when their album was released they started to tour Europe and America before being dropped by the label in a restructuring that left them without any kind of support or promotion for their music. They soon practically disappeared from the music scene for over two years, playing only an occasional song in Chicago – which brings me to today…

When I first played the CD I was surprised – long gone were the sweeping vocals, the stylized Euro-rock sounds and the soft intimacy from their debut album – replaced with angst ridden vocals that have not been seen since Jeff Buckley and Kurt Cobain and hard-hitting, droning guitars and the wall of sound they created.

Sing for me now your bitter song…these lyrics started off the album and sent chills down my back, something had changed. McSweeney and company were fighting, they were struggling with the past that had destroyed their youthful ideals and musical dreams. The music is harsh and biting, his vocals sneered and screamed, the sounds tear at your heart and begs you to understand. “All I ever wanted was to be needed… just because we sell it, you don’t have to buy it…” - Every song rushes at you and then disappears inside itself; a blistering struggle that sounds like it might come undone at the slightest movement. The EP itself sounds like Jeff Buckley decided to cover some songs off Nirvana’s In Utero – a combination that should not work but seems to survive on every level.

The only problem with this release is its length, with only three songs that clock in at less than 15 minutes it leaves you craving, demanding more. The anticipation for their sophomore album is almost unbearable now. In short - this album is highly recommended.

Reviewed by: Samuel Aaron