Song Of The Week: 6/2/13

Song: "Wake The Sun"

Artist: The Matches

Album: "A Band In Hope"

Year: 2008



"Wake The Sun" reminds me of the start of a new day. The first birds you hear chirping in the morning. The sight of the sun rising, lighting everything up and the sound of all the people out and about, ready to start their days, whether on the streets or in the train stations. Kind of reminds me of the beginning of the work day in New York. That's the vibe I get when I listen to the song. The vocalist definitely seems to be taking in the atmosphere of a new day beginning. The Matches formed as a band back in 1997. They are from Oakland, California. The band formed when all the members were still in high school. They were originally called The Locals and they played a ska style of music. Gradually, they shifted towards a pop punk/alternative sound. The band gained some notoriety in the years between 1997 and 2002 for showing up with their acoustic guitars at various music venues and performing acoustic sets as the shows let out. It was also around this time that the band was forced to change their names as a copyright infringement lawsuit was brought to them by Yvonne Doll, frontwoman of a Chicago band called The Locals. The band changed their name to The Matches to avoid the lawsuit. In 2004 the band released their first album entitled "E Von Dahl Killed The Locals". The title, of course, is a playful slap at Yvonne Doll of the Chicago Locals band and her lawsuit. The Matches were soon signed by independent punk label Epitaph Records who re-released "E Von Dahl Killed The Locals" but with a slightly different track listing. The album spawned the singles "Chain Me Free" and "Audio Blood". In 2006, The Matches released their second album, "Decomposer". This album showed the band's musical style become much more experimental as shown with the singles "Papercut Skin" and "Salty Eyes". 2007 saw the band join their very first Vans Warped Tour and in 2008, The Matches played on the Soundwave Tour in Australia. Shortly after their first appearance in Australia, the band released their third album, "A Band In Hope". This album continued on the road of experimental pop and featured singles "Wake The Sun" and "Yankee In A Chip Shop". On July 9, 2009, it was announced that The Matches were officially on hiatus. On August 12, 2009, the band released a rarities album called "The Matches Album 4, Unreleased; Graphics? Title? or Not Needed?". This album featured all the leftovers from the band's musical career. All of the band members went on to focus on various other projects in the years from 2009 to the present. Currently, their doesn't appear to be any signs that The Matches will reunite any time soon and the book is probably all but closed on what was a very unique and eclectic band.