The Matches

While this Oakland quartet owes a substantial debt to Cali peers Green Day and blink-182, they've always demonstrated promiscuous tastes. Their second album, 2006's Decomposer, employs nine different producers in forging its eclectic sound. Influences vary widely, from electro-industrial to baroque pop to glam metal and '80s New Wave, all...

By Chris Parker

February 7, 2008

[
        {
          "name": "Air - MediumRectangle - Inline Content - Mobile Display Size",
          "component": "18478561",
          "insertPoint": "2",
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "2"
        },{
          "name": "Editor Picks",
          "component": "16759093",
          "insertPoint": "4",
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "1"
        },{
          "name": "Inline Links",
          "component": "17980324",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 8,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "7",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        },{
          "name": "Air - MediumRectangle - Combo - Inline Content",
          "component": "16759092",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 8,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "7",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        },{
          "name": "Inline Links",
          "component": "17980324",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 12,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "11",
          "maxInsertions": 24
        },{
          "name": "Air - Leaderboard Tower - Combo - Inline Content",
          "component": "16759094",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 12,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "11",
          "maxInsertions": 24
        }
      ]

While this Oakland quartet owes a substantial debt to Cali peers Green Day and blink-182, they've always demonstrated promiscuous tastes. Their second album, 2006's Decomposer, employs nine different producers in forging its eclectic sound. Influences vary widely, from electro-industrial to baroque pop to glam metal and '80s New Wave, all dropped neatly into their punk-pop press for a fresh outcome that still retains their essential character. The stylistic swings keep the album engaging, whether rattling about like angry alt-rockers on "Lazier Than the Furniture" or bidding, "May your organs fail, before your dreams fail you," on the offbeat, drum-loop-driven punk-pop number "Little Maggots." Indeed, they demonstrate such facility with a hook, it'd almost be better to call them a pop band, were it not such a discredited genre. That certainly seems to be the direction in which they're heading with their forthcoming album (due in March), A Band in Hope. Their debut single, "Wake the Sun" — with its synth-driven bounce, ringing bells, and backing harmonies — sounds more like a New Pornographers track than an album on Epitaph.

KEEP NEW TIMES FREE... Since we started New Times, it has been defined as the free, independent voice of Phoenix, and we'd like to keep it that way. Your membership allows us to continue offering readers access to our incisive coverage of local news, food, and culture with no paywalls. You can support us by joining as a member for as little as $1.