The Break and Repair Method - Milk the Bee Review

Posted by JR Simmang on 09.17.2008

Paul Doucette from Matchbox 20 decides to try his hand at breaking from one of the most successful American bands ever to get his feet into the solo album field. The Break and Repair Method shows us what it means to Milk the Bee, if only they had nipples.

Track List:
1. This City (Is Bound To Do Us In)
2. You Won’t Be Abe To Be Sad
3. Forget About The Brightside
4. Now We Become Part Of It
5. Calling All Electrical Prints
6. Life Gets Beautiful
7. I’m At A Low
8. Your Numbered Days
9. Won’t Get Worse
10. The Most Somebody Can Know

Milk the Bee, pet project and premier album from Paul Doucette (drummer of Matchbox 20), is nothing to write home about. But, there’s a modern sense of sincerity that simply cannot be denied. Doucette is open, honest, and downright congenial.

Doucette apparently doesn’t take any time off. In between practice, writing, recording, and posing for the paparazzi while in Matchbox, he’s been diligently compiling songs for this album. Through every song, you get this sense of hopelessness and longing. There’s a perfect feeling of cynicism from the get- go. And I guess that’s why the album is titled the way it is. Despite the fact that Bees do not have mammary glands, they don’t produce milk. So, the implication is that it’s futile to do so. Doucette remarks on his frustration with the recording agencies that have propelled his career forward and the anger with the go- around he was facing with having a finished record and no record label.

Enough with the background story. What’s the album like? I like to ask myself questions and answer them. You feel more involved now, don’t you? From the start, “This City (Is Bound To Do Us In)” sounds like a song right out of the new Matchbox album. I plugged it in and said, “Well, here goes another Matchbox album. If I wanted to listen to that then I would have just gone out and grabbed Exile on Mainstream.” Well, okay, maybe I didn’t say exactly that, but it was close. Doucette does a good job at creating a catchy tune, though. The strings for accompaniment accent the melody perfectly and the lyrics belie a deep, founded hatred for modern developments that drive people apart. It’s a great balance, really, but I found it hard to accept as an original track. Doucette does have one thing going for him at this point, his voice is unique. It borders on Mark Stuart (Audio Adrenaline) and someone who just ate a big bowl of light- gauge sand paper topped with cream gravy. Again, a weird comparison, and it’s not a bad voice. It grows on you.

The good new is, Doucette shakes his Matchbox influence really quickly. “You Won’t Be Able To Be Sad” is the fast- paced rock anthem of the album. It’s almost an attempt at later Gun’s ‘n’ Roses vocalism with a commingling of punk-rock intermezzo and steady classic-rock power chording. The sporadic piano adds a certain depth that separates this song from one a little less interesting and from a different era.

Milk the Bee refuses to slow down until “Calling All Electrical Bits.” Doucette composes a righteous 6/8 piece in “Forget About The Brightside,” but like I said before, I have this thing for alternate time signatures. “Calling All Electrical Prints” is a sobering look into a failing relationship. We’ve all been there before and Doucette lays down this hard message with harsh realism. There’s some beautiful ELO “Mr. Blue Sky” mimicry, but the song remains just a sad (but poetic) glimpse into the human heart and the necessity of making it mechanical.

Again, in “Life Gets Beautiful,” Doucette shows his influences lay in ELO and The Beatles. However, there’s a curveball right over the plate with “I’m At A Low.” The catchy, melodic strumming of the lead guitar ply away with surfer boy precision and the energy is kept straight intact through the whole song. It never fades. And in the next song, the ball curves in a totally opposite direction. “Your Numbered Days” is a Five For Fighting America Town elegant waltz with a diabolically treacherous cynicism. “Won’t Get Worse” brings in some beautiful Mo-town rhythm and melody.

The album ends on a sad song. Personally, I don’t approve. If I wanted a sad ending I would have watched Titanic or The Evil Dead. I wanted, after such an energetic beginning, to circle back around to the first song without hesitation. Granted, it’s a pretty song, mainly piano, soft drum, and vocals. The strings add some depth. Overall, it lulled me to sleep. It’s too much of a wind down for ten songs. Maybe, just maybe, if there were two more tracks in the middle to hint at the idea the album was headed toward a slow crawl, I would be less apprehensive about it.

So, here’s my take. The list is laid out pretty well. The songs flow from one to the other but grinds down to a snail’s pace too quickly. It’s a great break from Matchbox and it’s executed successfully. It’s always nice to see band members from explosive and influential modern bands actually find a niche they can fall in to. Bravo, Mr. Doucette. I firmly believe that you have all the tools necessary to repair whatever method you’ve broken.

The 411: Matchbox 20’s drummer, Paul Doucette, takes the reigns on a side project he’s been working on and successfully breaks the mould. Doucette doesn’t sound like he’s just taken the leap from Matchbox. Instead, he creates his own masterpiece that’s deserving of just the same amount of air time.

Final Score:  7.5   [ Good ]