The Von Bondies have two claims to fame: the deployment of ‘C’mon C’mon’ in a Lifestyle Sports advert and the use of frontman Jason Stollsteimer’s face by Jack White’s fists back in 2003. This time around, Stollsteimer’s gang are eager to prove that they too pack plenty of punch. Since crawling out of the garage rock gutter at the turn of the century, the band have been gradually finessing their sound, the unvarnished blast of debut album Lack Of Communication giving way to the spruced up and more consciously tuneful Pawn Shoppe Heart.
Here, the quartet continue their melodic ascent, combining steel cable rhythms with succulent riffs on the likes of ‘Only To Haunt You’ and ‘Pale Bride’. They serve up a slice of bracing indie-pop on ‘Accidents Will Happen’, all sweet vocal trimmings and rattling guitar, whilst ‘21st Birthday’ provides a rousing homerun of a chorus.
These are forceful, impassioned songs and you get the sense that The Von Bondies have a point to prove and, what’s more, are wilfully belligerent in making it. ‘She’s Dead To Me’ has Stollsteimer uttering, “You talk a load of shit/And I think that it’s time for you to quit”, whilst ‘Shut Your Mouth’ rushes towards an invective fuelled diatribe, “Go to sleep little baby/Yeah, and shut your mouth/You will soon be over.” As Rage Against The Machine once opined, “Anger is a gift” and, my, don’t The Von Bondies wield their gift well.
Francis Jones