Aaron Gillespie has more in common with Daisuke Matsuzaka than he may have ever thought. Both have had success in the past – Gillespie as the drummer of Christian heavyweights UNDEROATH and Matsuzaka as a pitcher for Japan’s Seibu Lions – yet their individual popularity in America had been limited to the relatively small number of admirers of their respective products. Recently, both men have made moves – Gillespie started a pop-rock outlet called THE ALMOST and Matsuzaka signed with the Boston Red Sox – that could significantly alter the way they are perceived in the States and elsewhere. While the above analogy focuses solely on the acts that got things started, the two guys’ new outlets are very much in motion. Gillespie’s debut disc, Southern Weather, has been recorded and released, and Matsuzaka already has a few MLB starts under his belt. To further the comparison, a lot of what is contained on Southern Weather is reminiscent of Dice-K’s pitching repertoire. First of all, Dice-K owns a wicked fastball that immediately impresses much like Weather‘s opener “Say This Sooner.” If the batters get a hold of that pitch, he’ll offer them a decent slider that is similar to Gillespie’s “Amazing Because It Is,” an upbeat song that eventually cools down when a full choir’s chanting ends it. Arguably his best pitch, Dice-K is able to knock off batters with a flashy change-up. Gillespie offers a few flashes of greatness as well. In the slow-moving “Dirty And Left Out,” Jeremy Enigk utilizes his identifiable croon to make the most of Gillespie’s deeply spiritual tune. Later on, the tempo is lifted in the vocal-hook-driven “I Mostly Copy Other People” where THE STARTING LINE’s Kenny Vasoli lends additional vocals and basslines. It’s the inclusion of songs like this that truly keep Southern Weather afloat. Throughout this process, Gillespie and Matsuzaka have both found themselves at the focal point of the hype machine. Gillespie is supposed to outsell UNDEROATH because THE ALMOST is more accessible and on a major label while Matsuzaka is supposed to bring the success he found in Japan to the Red Sox. While there is no doubt that each man is talented (Gillespie played all of the instruments on Southern Weather and Dice-K’s pitches are off the charts), they have yet to deliver a Gyroball (or more correctly, in Gillespie’s case, its musical equivalent). Until a knock-out punch like that is put forth, I see no reason to buy into the hype.

Tooth And Nail/Virgin

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