Review of Yourself or Someone Like You
By Chris Blazejewski
In 1996, the popular Florida band Tabitha's Secret decided it was time to
tell their secret to the rest of the world under the new name of Matchbox 20.
But the quintet's moniker is not the only source of identity crisis for these
alt-rockers. Their debut album, Yourself or Someone Like You, spends over
fifty minutes searching for itself, to no avail. It tosses and turns like an
angstful insomniac, finding comfort for only a few minutes before another
violent change of posture. In small doses, such unsettled, dynamic energy is
charming. But over the course of the album, it just sounds disjointed, aimless,
and at times sophomoric and annoying. For Matchbox 20's freshman outing, the
whole is less than the sum of its parts.
Lead singer Rob Thomas's surprisingly soulful vocals are too good for his
lyrics. Although performed with gravelly passion, not even a diva could hide the
childish lines of "Real World": "Strange, where were you when we
started this gig / I wish the real world would just stop hassling me."
Thomas expects to elicit a sympathetic ear with his whiney words, but only
alienates the listener with such pathetic self-indulgence. His frustration is
frustrating, not endearing. Unlike the self-assaulting lyrics of grunge legends
Kurt Cobain and Eddie Vedder, Thomas takes his anger out on others. In
"Long Day," he bullies the weaker people in his life: "I'm sorry
'bout the attitude / I need to give when I'm with you, / But no one else will
take this shit from me." On "Push," he gets downright abusive:
"I wanna push you around. Yeah, I will. Yeah, I will. / I wanna push you
down. Yeah, I will. Yeah, I will. / I wanna take you for granted." On the
first half of the album, he points an accusatory finger at others for the issues
in his life, refusing to accept any blame.
Thomas shines the brightest when the amps are turned down, the electric guitars
are dropped for acoustics, and his mood swings from cocky to contemplative.
"Back 2 Good" and "3am" (a fan favorite from their Tabitha's
Secret days) adeptly sway between brooding, swooning, and gnashing of teeth. The
charismatic crooner captures the sympathy that he so desperately pleads for on
other tracks by revealing his more intimate, less brutish personality. In
traditional alt-pop-rock fashion, the lead vocals dominate every song.
Occasionally, however, lead guitarist Kyle Cook's meaty riffs drive the tracks
forward. On "Girl Like That," the punchy guitar hooks perfectly
complement the confusion in Thomas's voice. The vocals, guitars, and especially
the rhythm section play off each other in a roller coaster of angstful crescendo
and the lowly depths of self-loathing on "Back 2 Good."
By the late middle portions of the album, these alt-rockers sound spent of ideas
and ambition. Mellow, slow, uninspired tracks like "Kody" and
"Shame" are weak attempts at recreating the magic of the most moving
song on the album, "Hang." On this final track, Thomas strips away all
of his bravado and braggadocio to reveal the guilt, pain, and loneliness inside.
But you never knows when he is being honest. What is his real world-that of
anger and frustration or sadness and vulnerability? This question is never
answered.
Although most tracks are somewhat solid and some alt-pop-rock perfection, the
unexplained discontinuity of tone and lyrics between tracks is unattractive. As
a whole, the album ends with too many questions unanswered and too many unasked.
If Matchbox 20 gives us two options with the album's title Yourself or
Someone Like You, I would guess that he offers us the latter rather than the
former.
Mood:
Sad Break-up
Hear it?:
Download the MP3's
