“Everything Starts Where It Ends” is the second album by the band Lovedrug. It was released on March 6, 2007. Its genre can best be summarized as indie rock.
The opening track is “Happy Apple Poison,” The song is about a relationship that is toxic yet is hard to back out of. I really like this song because the verses are quiet but heavy, then build up into driving choruses.
“Pushing the Shine” is one of the heavier songs on the album. It revolves around the feeling of “‘wanting to get back at the world.” It’s not one of my favorites, but I enjoy the vocal harmonies used for the bridge. They’re trippy.
“Castling” is about accepting your past hardships for what they’ve made you into. It is my favorite song on the album; the best part to me is the melancholic guitar tone combined with the drumbeat. It makes me think of feeling lost while still having the desire to keep going.
“Thieving” is about love, and nothing more. The song is slow-paced and based around a piano riff while slowly building up in intensity as it progresses. For whatever reason, this song reminds me of a rainy winter day. I don’t really have an explanation, this is just what I picture in my head when I listen to it.
“Bleed Together” is another song with romantic themes; this track discusses how some relationships, as good as they seem, just cannot last. It has a powerful and tight beat that conveys action and passion.
“Dancing” is the shortest track on the album, at only 1:15. It is a simple song about finding an escape from life, which in the singer’s case is dancing.
“Ghost by Your Side” has an unclear meaning; but the most common theory is that the song is about the singer Michael Shepard’s relationship with God and his thoughts about the afterlife. While the lyrics are dark, the song is upbeat. I used to dislike this song but after listening to it again recently I find that I actually enjoy it.
“Casino Clouds” is, in my opinion, the weakest song on the album. It’s not bad, but it sounds and feels very generic and drags on for too long. It is about regret, more specifically wishing you could have accomplished more when you had the chance.
“Doomsday & the Echo” touches on feelings of self-doubt and dissatisfaction with life. What I like the most about this song is how Shepard sounds like he’s singing from his heart. There is emotion in the lyrics that I don’t think the other songs have. When I first heard this song, my mind was truly blown.
“Salt of the Earth” is the most well-known song from the album, as it was used in the launch trailer for The Last of Us. The meaning of the lyrics are open for interpretation; suggestions include commentary on abortion, religion (the title is a Biblical reference), or humanity’s dependence on authority. I believe that the song’s popularity is well-earned; it is another one of my favorites from this album.
“American Swimming Lesson” is the heaviest track, with some metal influences. This is the only song where I cannot come up with a meaning for, because the lyrics are all over the place. I think the rhythm section for this song is the best in the entire album because it compliments the guitar so well.
The closing track is the title track, “Everything Starts Where It Ends.” It is the longest on the album, running for 7:45. It’s an easy listen that commentates on relationships, emotions, and the cyclical nature of life.
In summary, I give the album 9 stars out of 10. It may not be an instant classic, but it is solid through and through and definitely worth giving a listen at least once.
