The Beat Surrender

The Von Bondies release their 3rd album in difficult times, music is mainly un-exciting and originality is a rarity, it’s everything that the industry wasn’t when they first burst into the scene with their debut LP ‘Lack of Communication’. So with this in mind I can’t be too harsh on a band that I love like many others for releasing an average but sometimes delicious album in the shape of ‘Love, Hate and Then There’s You’

‘This Is Our Perfect Crime’, signals an immediate new direction for ‘The Von Bondies’. For one it’s more toned down than what I’m used to from this band but definitely a more mature effort all round. It still has that typical Von Bondies prowess to it but it’s symptomless of the beautiful disease that has swamped them in years gone by, disappointing opening to an album that continues through ‘Shut Your Mouth’.

‘Pale Bride’ However wakes up the old ghost and shakes off the cobwebs in a well balanced, well written track that will be their 1st single from the album. This band write good pop songs not in the conventional sense but in their own unique trademark, there is something truly addictive to this band at points. Jagged guitars coupled with cracking melodies remind me of the good old days.

This album must have been written on the cuff of dark times in Jason Stollsteimers life as it has plenty in common with Interpol, a band known for their negative beauty but it doesn’t quite cut it with Von Bondies, it sounds stale at times and again loses momentum until ‘She’s Dead To Me’. It’s an angry return to their best yet again, ferocious in content and dismissive of the conformity that I feel throughout most of this album. I say this because they haven’t given me anything fresh for my soul, instead they could easily get lost in the dead sea of the current guitar band scene.

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