Customer Reviews

Lack of Communication

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I saw these guys about a year or so ago opening for the White Stripes in NYC. The Stripes were great and all and what they are doing in general is wonderful, but, in all honesty, The Von Bondies blew them off the stage that night. I remember thinking that night that in a perfect world The White Stripes would be opening for the Von Bondies. I bought one of their 45s (the loudest piece of vinyl I own) and began a one-man crusade heralding the true masters of the Detroit rock scene. I've since seen them two more times, once opening a shamefully under-attended show with the Fleshtones and then a few months ago headlining (finally) a packed show with the Soledad Brothers at, lo and behold, the same venue I had seen them with the White Stripes. Each time they got progressively more amazing. It's nice to see them developing such a good following. They deserve it. They make me think that this was what it was like the first time people saw bands like The Yardbirds, The Sonics, The Stooges or The Fabulous Wailers. All bands that took something kinda familiar and just blew the doors off it and reminded you how much dangerous fun rock-n-roll can be when you know what you are doing. Buy this album and, more importantly, go see them live. They are wholly worthy, and they are very polite too.

Its raw and primitive, yet sophisticated at the same time (dont ask me HOW) it is much better than The Strokes debut, but NME are a bunch of blinkered monomaniacs, who seems to love banging on and on about a band just to demonstrate the power of media over the conscience of human thought. The Von Bondies (one member Marcie also moonlights for Slumber Party, a different but equally as fantastic band) are a breath of fresh air, and if anything, break through the haze of the mind in a greater fashion than the White Stripes, who have the rawness with an indie edge, but dont have the CLASS... Just listen to track 7 here and you will know a feeling of warm truth in your stomach, it is something worth listening too...

Reason #1 is the White Stripes, of course, and while many reviewers compare the Von Bondies to Jack and Meg's hellraising, stripped-down blues-rawk glory, this band has its own thing going on.

It's a good thing, too: Jason Stollsteimer howls like Screamin' Jay Hawkins with an indie-boy smirk; the guitar sound he creates with Marcie Bolen is raw and powerful -- no pedals to muss things up, just the straight goods, thanks. Carrie Smith and Don Blum add propulsive beats on bass and drums, respectively. It's garage rock, but with a gritty, soulful edge that sets the Von Bondies apart.

The record works, but it's just a draft -- the real product is their live show, which gets better and better.

Future superstars the Von Bondies are just warming up with their debut LP, Lack of Communication. From start to finish, this album is rooted in straight up spooky blues and punk that stays true to the Von Bondies' Detroit roots. Its as if the MC5 is young and sexy again, but even better. Frontman/guitarist Jason Stollsteimer's songcraft and haunting howl are well complimented by excellent playing from Marcie Bolen (guitar), Carrie Smith (bass), and Don Blum (drums). Lack of Communication comes straight at you, runs you over, and demands to be played thousands of times. It's that good. However, the real allure to the Von Bondies is their live show, which will leave you waving your rock salute horns in the air for days after the band leaves town. Get this album now, and go see the Von Bondies when they come to your town.

I'm so happy I stumbled across this band. I was looking through a magazine and saw a little snippet about them, it didn't even say anything, just that jack white produced it, but I decided to buy it. It's great. It swampy and bluesy, the recording sounds cool, very vintage, but they sound fresh--their songs are exciting and original. I'm running across a lot of other bands in this same vein, I guess, where their songs are cool, but stale. The Von Bondies are exciting. I know this is a really bad review, but it's a cool CD.

Hey, and if you want to see them on DVD, get Later . . . Louder, it's a DVD compilatoin of musical guest who have appeared on Later with Jools Holland. It's got the VBs, the white stripes, QOTSA, Sonic Youth, PJ Harvey, Jesus and Mary chain, BRMC, cardigans, mercury rev, afgan whigs, vines, new order, soundtrack of our lives, black crowes, primal scream, others--it's pretty cool.

I've actually just an hour ago come back from seeing them live. They were superb but they were also only there as support to the White Stripes. Good as the Bondies are they just don't have the all out energy of the Stripes. The album itself should be put on a required listening list for all those little nu-metal 12yr olds to show them what real rock is.

I saw this lot in Brighton support the mighty White Stripes last year and they went down a storm. The best support band I have ever seen. I went out and bought this album the next day and that was November. It's now June and I still can't stop playing it. Groovy as hell with punk surf guitars over rolling bass and pounding drums with Jason and Marcie taking turns on vocal duties. Oh yes and it's produced by someone called Jack White. This album just sinks in and yet shows new depths of beauty on each repeated listen. They sound a bit like the Doors (minus the pretentious nonsense "poetry" and organ sound from hell) crossed with Dick Dale and the Stooges. Raw energy music. Not one dud track here. Bonus track on CD worth mentioning too for its infectious lost soul classic feel.

This group has talent to burn! They are an excellent group of musicians, and I love their punk/blues sound. Also, I would love to hear more from the female vocalist on the hidden track at the end of the CD. My only problem with this CD is that I felt that the lead singer was trying too hard to sound like Jim Morrison. That got annoying. He has a great voice, and needs to work on developing his own style rather than doing the cliche bluesman howls and the whole Doors vibe.

I've been tired of so much of the stuff out there right now, so I started checking out some bands that most people probably haven't heard of, just to hear something new. I heard about this band in Thrasher a interview and instantly wanted to hear their music. The people are pretty awesome. It's so much fun to listen to these guys rock out, a true inspiration to anyone into making music. They have a great feel, and that girl who only talks about Ashton Kutcher and the shirt she got at hot topic, probably won't know who they are, so you don't have to share...

this band has received a lot of praise mostly on the strength of the fact that they have toured with the very-hyped White Stripes and one of the members of the band is the girlfriend of Jack White of White Stripes. I'll admit that these factors are exactly why I bought this album myself. unfortunately, this is very by-the-numbers garage/blues type stuff. It's not bad, but not great. It reminds me of the Chrome Cranks or the Gimmicks - two ther bands with good taste but were mediocre.
buy records from the jon spencer blues explosion, cramps, gories or flat duo jets before turning your attention to this.