The Lovemakers

Misery Loves Company

(Fuzz)

Record Review by Amber Henson

I love The Lovemakers, and would recommend them highly to anyone, although I have to issue a word of warning to vegetarians.  Let me explain: the Misery Loves Company EP consists of five songs and their corresponding videos.  In the video for the title track, there are some severed pig heads and dead rats, and although it all works perfectly well artistically, it’s a little much.  And then in the video for “Naturally Lonely,” Lisa Light is wearing a lot of fur.

Okay, so now that we’re done with the disclaimer, let’s move on.  The Lovemakers have once again put out a record that balances the two lead singers, Light and Scott Blonde.  “Misery” and “Naturally” are Lights; the other three are Blonde’s.  This band has the impressive ability to always keep the audience guessing as to whom the leader of the band is, since they both play dominant and submissive very well.

The sound of this EP is more rock than indie, less synths and more guitars.  Much of it is still dance music, and some of it is more downer-ish.  It’s still definitely their sound, and they haven’t abandoned the best aspects of the music: the great beats, the quick pace, the lyrics that grab you, but they have moved on from Times of Romance.

The videos all tell stories, have high production value, and are entertaining and thought provoking even if you’re not familiar with this band.  Blonde spends most of his air time with his shirt off.  I thought of the interview I did with him a year ago, and remembered that he said it took him a few beers before he got up the courage to disrobe in front of the audience.  Something about the way that Blonde was swaggering around in these videos told me that he’s now more than comfortable in the jacket/no shirt combination.  Towards the end of “Save Me,” the last video on the album, which is an anthemic rock song in the vain of Oasis, Blonde gets almost Jim Morrison on his audience.  This video also gives us a couple glances at the two newest members of the band, drummer Ken Hard and guitarist/keyboardist Brandon Arnovick.

If you’re a fan of The Lovemakers, there’s no way you could be disappointed by this tempting EP.  If you’re not, now’s the time to get in on the bottom floor.  With a new label, marketable videos like this, and a fantastic stage show, it’s only a matter of time for this band.