I'm getting to the age where rock music trends are starting to elude me. It seems like so much of what's popular now swings wildly from bubblegum, to rap, to punk, to emo with some hardcore metal in between. So when I received Lovedrug's Everything Starts Where It End in the mail, I automatically pigeon-holed it as another band in a long line of Coldplay wannabes.

I couldn't have been more off the mark. While Lovedrug's sound does bear a resemblance to Coldplay, Copeland and many other emo bands, they've taken the form one step further, laying down extremely rich layers of swirling guitars and bright melodies which moves the emo genre forward.

Everything Starts Where It Ends is a follow up to Lovedrug’s first album, Pretend Your Alive. Admittedly, I wasn't familiar with the group until now and I'm impressed with their musical tributes to some of the heady days of Seattle grunge. Michael Shepherd's vocals and the bands sonic edge bring to mind early Modest Mouse and Sunny Day Real Estate, blending ethereal lyrics with a grunge-tinged experimentalism that recalls some of the best work of Nirvana and Smashing Pumpkins. Shepherd and co-guitarist David Owen offer multi-layered tracks of harmonic convergence, much like the work of David Roback's work in The Rain Parade, Mazzy Star, and Opal. The rhythm section of Korey Jones and James Childress keep the mood subdued, leaving lots of open territory for Shepherd and Owen to play in.

It isn't often that such a mélange of styles works as cohesively as it does for Lovedrug. But Everything Starts Where It Ends hangs together extremely well, with tight, masterful guitar taunts against Jones' brooding lines. Shepherds lyrical references to angels, fauna, the color red, and demons are used as slightly repetitious metaphors that emphasize the pain Shepherd sees in the world we've created. Standout songs include: "Happy Apple Poison", "Thieving", "Bleed Together", and "Ghost by Your Side".

While some of us may be getting too old to follow musical trends, none of us are too old to learn from up and coming acts. Lovedrug has provided my soul with sustenance and has reminded me that nothing deserves to be pigeon-holed.