Machete Avenue – First Cuts

“Two guys from London, Ontario. One guitar, one piano.” The little description isn’t the best seller, and when I first heard it, I wasn’t bought. But my God, the instant First Cuts started playing, I was convinced that two guys from London, Ontario, one with a guitar and the other a piano, could easily make breath taking music.

And really, it’s hard to explain the allure of Machete Avenue, it is, but you can’t deny the facts. Since I got the CD, it’s all I’ve heard, and I’ve become obsessed with it, and have played it over 15 times in the past two days. And while it isn’t the catchiest album out there, there is a certain quality, an underlining emotion threaded throughout the entire EP that just captivates you. There is something in the simplicity that is awe-inspiring, and a sincere connection with the unsuspected vocals that makes you want to play it over and over again.

When you hear it, you are no longer the same person. You are instantly transported out of your conscience into your subconscious, and nothing else matters. Nothing is important anymore, and everything falls to the side, and you are fully and totally captivated by the duo. Your mind wanders into a place of freedom, and there is powerful emotion deep within your gut which empowers you and fills you with hope. In short,First Cuts does everything you want an album to do – it takes complete control of you, it is powerful, emotional, and phenomenal.

With each song, there is a connection (well, not as much with the Cyndi Lauper cover song, but the rest, yes), as they sing about love, relationships with family, and just life. But everything is real. Nothing is forced or fake, and the way Chad Michael S delivers the lyrics is indescribable. It is sincere and melodic, but so much more worn than something you would normally place with a two man band. Think a bit ofLeatherface‘s Plastic Surgery and you may be able to picture it.

Really, I don’t know what to say about First Cuts, because quite frankly, this is one of those CDs that you can’t begin to describe as it connects with the listener on a much higher level. And while their full length may not be coming out until the summer, you can be sure I’ll be playing this Ep right up until the day it’s released.