Upon first meeting, it's easy to tell why some are calling Matt Breen rock's newest self-loathing poster child. Just ask the soft-spoken, 21-year-old singer/guitarist of the band Emanuel about their upcoming debut album Soundtrack To A Headrush and the impact his life has had upon the music. He will appear to be more interested in the bull's-eye pattern on his shoes than delivering an honest answer.
"Our music is a direct reflection of ourselves," claims Breen, who along with bassist Bryan Whiteman formed the band in 1998. "Everything we write is truth. It's our mantra. We're just putting it on our sleeves for everyone else to see. We're not doing it for anyone but ourselves."
When asked about the reasoning behind the album's title Breen answers easily, "The songs on Soundtrack…, are 10 stories from the most f**ked up year of my life. I just wrote them one by one as it went along, and this was the music in my head. This was my soundtrack."
Emanuel's music is the byproduct of the gritty, heavy, local sound of their hometown indie-rock scene in Louisville, Kentucky and the band's collective love of both '90s alternative acts such as Nirvana and the Smashing Pumpkins and classic rock greats like the Beatles and Led Zeppelin. The influences bleed through on all of the riff-heavy songs on Soundtrack To A Headrush, taking dramatic twists and turns lead by Breen's throat-shredding vocals, through pounding verses and glossy, unforgettable pop choruses. The albums opening track, "The Hey Man!" is a sonic "f**k you" to self-righteous hipster types around the world, complete with chainsaw guitars and a cynical, yet irresistible, dance breakdown. "When you go to a show anywhere today it's more about fashion than it is rock," explains Breen. "This is our way of saying, 'Bring it back to the music. Take the popularity contest back to your high school.'"
By the time you reach the album's risqué first single, the haunting, anthemic "You Cannot Rape The Willing," you realize that Breen isn't biting his tongue any longer. Accompanied by jagged, siren-like guitars laid down by lead guitarist Mat Barber, Breen confesses the song's title along with a tendency for self-destructive behavior.
"The song doesn't have anything to do with physical rape," Breen insists. "It's about vices. Whether it is drugs or alcohol or even a lover. I'm just using the adage to say, 'You can't force someone to do something that they don't want to do.'"
The record continues on, bridging together subgenres and styles into unique songs such as the sexually charged, urban-rock vibe of "Make Tonight" and into the chaotic, musical anxiety attack of "The New Violence," in which, driven by the explosive rhythm section of Whiteman and drummer Anthony Brock, the band warns the listener of being "eaten alive."
After years of hard work and anticipation, the Emanuel's full-length debut Soundtrack To A Headrush, arrived in February, 2005, on Vagrant Records. "This is what we live for." Breen remarks assuredly. "And this is just the beginning. I've got a lot of sh*t to say, and now I have the mike. So make sure you're listening."
Loading...
