There’s something intangible and beautiful about the four songs that make up Love is War. The guitar work from Jeff Thomas is sharp — with a Southern rock slice that reminds me of Derek Trucks at his Allman Brothers’ finest. And Mathieu Blake’s vocals sound like the whiskey-fueled brawl that should’ve broken out between Jim Morrison and Tom Waits circa 1972.
Blake’s lyrics are haunting and sad, but the music rarely let’s on to the ache in his words. It’s the laugh that inexplicably comes out after being told bad news. The title track is a bouncing blast that perfectly encases you in Blake’s vocals, Gentry’s guitar and lavish harmony — while never sounding cluttered or over the top. Sadly, the EP, with only four songs, wraps up far too soon. I wanted more songs, more stories and more bleak confessions of a love gone horribly wrong.
