The Von Bondies - Pawn Shoppe Heart

Already media and fan darlings in the UK, Detroit’s The Von Bondies are ready to show the Yanks what all the fuss is about. The foursome is currently touring in support of what I think is an early front-runner for Album of the Year. Pawn Shoppe Heart is everything good about rock’n’roll: It’s raw, it’s powerful, it’s loaded with incredible songs that are practically perfect in every way. Like a lot of young bands that have gained popularity on the Indie scene over the last few years (The Strokes, The Hives, The Vines), The Von Bondies are producing music that harkens back to the days of pure garage rock. There's a little Iggy Pop in there, a little grit, and when the women take over vocals, they sound a bit like Elastica – cool & tight. It's also nice to hear bassist Carrie Smith and guitarist Marcie Bolen rocking as hard as the boys. Drummer Don Blum keeps it all sharp, and Jason Sollsteimer with his smoky voice and clean guitar completes the package. Sollsteimer, (frontman, songwriter & guitarist for the group) has said that except for only a few new tracks, most of the songs on the album are ones that they had been performing and perfecting live for over a year, but does it matter? From the opening chords of "No Regrets" it’s clear that this is gonna be a great record. The first single "C'mon C'mon" is catchy as hell without being trite, and who can argue with lines like "You're not that social, you're just a good drinker"? The only song that falls a little short for me is “Poison Ivy,” and it just doesn’t seem to have the same fire, mostly just ending up power pop that sounds a little weaker than the rest of the super-strong songs. All in all, it’s hard for me to find anything negative to say about Pawn Shoppe Heart. The Von Bondies have a great pure sound, a lot of energy, and raw talent. My only complaint is that they aren’t coming to my town! Check out the "Cmon Cmon" video to give the band a shot: Windows Media | Quicktime [www.vonbondies.com]