Matt Jay
When we featured Derek Buddemeyer a while back, one of his label mates, Matt Jay, dropped us a line to let us know what he was up to as well, putting us onto his hard rock/metal/rock stylings. He was kind enough to send us through a copy of his record Fire It Up to see what we thought of things, so being the ever helpful people we are here at Loud-Stuff, we figured we should check out what was going on! As such, I hit play, sat back and cranked up the volume!
Opening with Fire It Up things get off to a sludgy and distorted start, immediately showing off the hard rock tendencies of the music and showing us what sort of ride we’re in for – and it’s looking like a good one. Funky guitar lines abound whilst raw vocals take the lead, the mix sticking to a relatively slow beat yet at the same time managing to form a sound which will get you moving. The guitar and vocals are the focus of this track throughout, allowing the rhythm section a chance to set the pace and simply back everything up, it’s a solid mix designed for beer drinking, good times and chanting along. Perfect Machine follows much the same sorts of conventions, once again throwing you straight into a mix of hammering guitar lines, pounding rhythm lines and various levels of vocals, all working together to form a sound which grows around you as it progresses. The main hook of this track is the catchy chorus and the guitar solo, both of which will sit you back and get you thinking about what you’re hearing, showing off the hard rocking roots of Matt from start to finish. This was one of my personal favourite tracks off of the record, there’s just something about it which had me reaching for the volume up button during the track, then the rewind button as it came to a close, a moment to check out for sure.
Psycho Bitch marks a change in the album, this time moving towards a solid groove orientated riff and forming a sound which is sure to get people moving from the word go. The vocals here seem to echo out across the backing mix, somehow creating a sense of classic rock but with an updated feel, the sort of thing which shows off the bands influences and how they’ve taken those and turned the sound into their own. Catchy once again in places, this is a track which is sure to have you singing along to ‘you’re a psycho bee-yatch’ before long, and one which will have some of those crazy air guitar shapes being thrown out around the place. Horizon marks another change in things, this time moving the drums towards a syncopated approach initially before offering up a track which fades between hard hitting, and something almost approaching new wave dark styled stuff. That said, there’s still those serious undertones of hard rock and southern rock style riffs, the mix forming into something which is impossible to resist and will once again get you chanting along to the chorus. To me, this is a track which is going to find its full force on a live stage, the recording doesn’t seem to quite do it justice fully, meaning that somehow, I’ve got to get to the US to check out Matt live, definitely on my list of ‘to-do’s.
Fist Full Of Dirt is another high point on the record, once again hammering onwards from the moment the track gets going before pushing the bar higher through the guitar work and vocal lines which we’re treated to. Powerful and funky throughout, if you manage to sit still for this track then you’re a better man than me, it’s one of those tracks which makes you instinctively want to shift in some way, it’s got that groove orientated riff backing combined with solid drumming that you know is going to get heads banging and beers flowing. It’s only then left to Gut Check to close the album for us, finishing with a track which once again manages to pack a hell of a punch whilst still showcasing the style of Matt to the full. Intricate guitars combine with hammering drums and pounding bass rhythms to craft a sound which is massive, hard hitting, and once again one which is sure to become a live anthem. The intricate guitar work on this track is quite simply phenomenal, showing off the sort of thing we can expect from Matt moving forwards, and showing us exactly why it is we need to be listening more to what’s going on from him over there in the US – a fitting close to a solid record.
I’m getting really fed up right now because we keep getting these records in from guitarists who can really hammer out some serious stuff, and it leaves me feeling inadequate about my playing and my guitars redundant on my wall, but there we go! Regardless of my own personal issues, I’ve been seriously impressed by what I’ve heard from Mr Jay here, with an album which pushes out guitar driven rock from start to finish and leaves you wanting more, it’s certainly an album to try and get hold of. Make sure you get over and show this guy some love, once again, you won’t be disappointed.
To find out more about Matt Jay, check out his Facebook page HERE.
Words: Dave Nicholls
Opening with Fire It Up things get off to a sludgy and distorted start, immediately showing off the hard rock tendencies of the music and showing us what sort of ride we’re in for – and it’s looking like a good one. Funky guitar lines abound whilst raw vocals take the lead, the mix sticking to a relatively slow beat yet at the same time managing to form a sound which will get you moving. The guitar and vocals are the focus of this track throughout, allowing the rhythm section a chance to set the pace and simply back everything up, it’s a solid mix designed for beer drinking, good times and chanting along. Perfect Machine follows much the same sorts of conventions, once again throwing you straight into a mix of hammering guitar lines, pounding rhythm lines and various levels of vocals, all working together to form a sound which grows around you as it progresses. The main hook of this track is the catchy chorus and the guitar solo, both of which will sit you back and get you thinking about what you’re hearing, showing off the hard rocking roots of Matt from start to finish. This was one of my personal favourite tracks off of the record, there’s just something about it which had me reaching for the volume up button during the track, then the rewind button as it came to a close, a moment to check out for sure.
Psycho Bitch marks a change in the album, this time moving towards a solid groove orientated riff and forming a sound which is sure to get people moving from the word go. The vocals here seem to echo out across the backing mix, somehow creating a sense of classic rock but with an updated feel, the sort of thing which shows off the bands influences and how they’ve taken those and turned the sound into their own. Catchy once again in places, this is a track which is sure to have you singing along to ‘you’re a psycho bee-yatch’ before long, and one which will have some of those crazy air guitar shapes being thrown out around the place. Horizon marks another change in things, this time moving the drums towards a syncopated approach initially before offering up a track which fades between hard hitting, and something almost approaching new wave dark styled stuff. That said, there’s still those serious undertones of hard rock and southern rock style riffs, the mix forming into something which is impossible to resist and will once again get you chanting along to the chorus. To me, this is a track which is going to find its full force on a live stage, the recording doesn’t seem to quite do it justice fully, meaning that somehow, I’ve got to get to the US to check out Matt live, definitely on my list of ‘to-do’s.
Fist Full Of Dirt is another high point on the record, once again hammering onwards from the moment the track gets going before pushing the bar higher through the guitar work and vocal lines which we’re treated to. Powerful and funky throughout, if you manage to sit still for this track then you’re a better man than me, it’s one of those tracks which makes you instinctively want to shift in some way, it’s got that groove orientated riff backing combined with solid drumming that you know is going to get heads banging and beers flowing. It’s only then left to Gut Check to close the album for us, finishing with a track which once again manages to pack a hell of a punch whilst still showcasing the style of Matt to the full. Intricate guitars combine with hammering drums and pounding bass rhythms to craft a sound which is massive, hard hitting, and once again one which is sure to become a live anthem. The intricate guitar work on this track is quite simply phenomenal, showing off the sort of thing we can expect from Matt moving forwards, and showing us exactly why it is we need to be listening more to what’s going on from him over there in the US – a fitting close to a solid record.
I’m getting really fed up right now because we keep getting these records in from guitarists who can really hammer out some serious stuff, and it leaves me feeling inadequate about my playing and my guitars redundant on my wall, but there we go! Regardless of my own personal issues, I’ve been seriously impressed by what I’ve heard from Mr Jay here, with an album which pushes out guitar driven rock from start to finish and leaves you wanting more, it’s certainly an album to try and get hold of. Make sure you get over and show this guy some love, once again, you won’t be disappointed.
To find out more about Matt Jay, check out his Facebook page HERE.
Words: Dave Nicholls