"Vampire Spy Film" by Lovedrug, Sunday, October 31, 2021

Michael Shepard was in a band called Kerith Ravine, which dissolved in 2001. Shepherd explains the name of his next band when he gave up music to attend film school. He found that he couldn't give up on music, and his love of it "dragged him back," hence, his new band was called Lovedrug. The band signed with The Militia Group, and their first album, Pretend You're Alive, brought the band in talks with Columbia Records alongside with fellow Militia Group band Copeland. However, Columbia underwent restructuring after signing Lovedrug and Copeland. The label shifted from the indie-wave of the early '00s to more sure-thing artists of the late '00s. Somewhat defeated, Lovedrug revisited their contract with The Militia Group and released their second LP, Everything Starts Where It Ends, which spun a college-radio single, "Happy Poison Apple." But by the time it was time to promote their third album, The Sucker-Punch Show, The Militia Group had gone bankrupt.

YOU'RE IMMORTAL AND A LITTLE BORED. After their label's bankruptcy, the band went independent, releasing 2012's Wild Blood, funded by supporters on PledgeMusic. After losing the support of a label, the band toured less, and became a part-time project for the remaining band members, which now included Michael's wife, Jessica. The band would call it quits in 2018, but continued to release music, including last year's Turning into Something You Were Never Meant to Be. For today, Halloween, we'll listen to the second track on the band's 2015 album Notions, "Vampire Spy Film." Lovedrug started with a progressive indie-rock sound that was hard to draw comparisons to. Michael's voice is somewhere between Adam Levine and Billy Corgan, often emphasizing harsh tones as dynamics in otherwise sweeter-toned songs. Songs on the band's Militia Group albums were longer and featured musical experimentation. Lyrically, Shepard gravitated to violent metaphors in otherwise un-violent songs. The band's third album's reception was mixed. The lyrics were the most graphic and violent, and according to Shepard, many of the fans were "pissed off." Shepard continued to use some violent imagery on subsequent albums, but hid it better under the melody. Music after The Sucker Punch Show sounds more optimistic.

VAMPIRE IN A SPY FILM, SLINKING AROUND. After a three year hiatus, Lovedrug released in Notions September 4, 2015. The band's sound had changed, refining the rough-around-the-edges sounds of their early records and not featuring Nashville-acoustic songs like Wild Blood, but the songs were catchy. Shepherd's lyrics were catchy. He claimed that the band wasn't a Christian band, but they were always lumped into the category because of being on The Militia Group (though many groups weren't Christian on The Militia Group), appearing at Cornerstone, and touring with Copeland. Religious imagery always crept into Lovedrug's music, and Notions is no exception. However, it seems that on this album Shepherd is tapping into a love of horror films and murder stories. "Vampire Spy Film" is a fun, dream-like song in which I imagine watching a 1940s film noir, while flipping through the channels on a boring afternoon on the cusp of twilight. I didn't expect to get sucked into the old film starring a Humphrey Bogart sort in the stereotypical trench coat, but maybe the romance between the blonde or maybe the gunfight or maybe just the boredom of the afternoon has compelled me. In about the second-third of the movie, the devilishly charming villain tries to seduce the blond. She refuses his advances, but as she runs out of her dingy New York apartment, he bites her neck, revealing that not only is he a spy, but also a vampire. The twist is completely unprompted as the film blends genres. Maybe I don't finish the movie. Maybe someone comes home and it's time for dinner. But that night, in my dreams, I'm probably going to be in that movie. Maybe I'm Bogart or another detective. Maybe the blonde tries to seduce the character, but I know who she is--a vampire. Maybe it's the handsome vampire that intrigues me. I seriously hope that this movie exists or could exist. 







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