Customer Reviews

Pawn Shoppe Heart

5 star:		(20)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(8)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

The Von Bondies found themselves some notoriety when frontman Jason Stollsteimer got suckerpunched (literally) last Fall by The White Stripes' Jack White, who incidentally produced the Bondies' debut album "Lack of Communication" in 2001. I hope that will not distract attention from the Bondies' excellent second album.

"Pawn Shoppe Heart" (12 tracks, plus "hidden" track, 40 min.) is nothing short of brilliant. The opening track "No Regrets" shows the way, rocking all out, as does "Broken Man". "C'mon C'mon" is the irresistable single, just brilliant. Other standout tracks include "Not That Social", with Carrie on lead vocals. "Mairead" and "Right of Way" shows the bluesy side of the band, reminding me of Led Zep's hard blues songs. Don't miss the "hidden" track, the cover "Try a Little Tenderness", showing up some 3 min. after the last song, it just thunders!

This surely is one of the best albums of 2004 so far! And if you have a chance to see the Bondies live, don't miss them! I caught them on their current tour, and they raised the roof, playing many of the "Pawn" tracks but also throwing in some nuggets from their debut album. A terrific show, period.

While not a fan of over-produced sounds, I do find it nice to hear "garage rock" that doesn't sound like it was recorded with a Fischer Price cassete player. A little bottom end never hurt anyone.

The reviewer who said this is what the White Stripes would sound like with a rythym section was right on. What a difference it makes indeed. None of the compositions on Pawn Shoppe Heart are particularly inspired but the band's energy and sound manage to elevate this record above the sum of its parts. Stollmeier's rejection of traditional verses and choruses also keeps the songs more refreshing than they would be otherwise.

Unfortunately sheer exuberance will only get you so far and when the band slows tempo, the simplicty of the songs and lyrics become more apparent and my interest starts to wane.

That said, the Von Bondies best moments, like: Cmon Cmon, No regrets and The fever are among the more exciting sounds so far this year so I can't help but reccomend this album.

3.5 stars

The Von Bondies have helped to bring back Detroit as a hub for great music. With their sophomore album, "Pawn Shoppe Heart," they have created a blues/garage rock masterpiece. Tracks like "Broken Man" and "Not That Social" are exactly what true garage rock is supposed to be, while "Been Swank" and "Right of Way" are amazing blues numbers, evocative of what the original Detroit sound was all about.

Lead singer Jason Stollmeister is a genius at the guitar, and the rest of the band also excel. Stollmeister's husky voice is perfect for the songs he writes--at some points in the slower blues songs he almost seems to be crying as he sings... that's how much emotion his voice conveys.

The album's first single, "C'mon C'mon" as well as "The Fever" are the standout tracks here, but there are no bad songs on the record.

Its really hard to describe the von bondies using orthodox words. There needs to be some kind of new word for it, like a hybrid of unreal/mind blowing/incredible...like... Mind inrealdible or something.

Seriosuly though, I received The Von Bondies first CD, Lack of Communication, last year for Christmas. I loved it, no question. When Pawn Shoppe Heart was released I picked it up in a flash. This was months back, and as of now im still thoroughly enjoying this album. In fact, it's sitting in my CD player as I type this.

Jason Stollsteimer has the greatest vocal work i've ever heard. I was actually skeptical about his abilities when i heard Pawn Shoppe Heart, but I stood corrected when The Von Bondies played live last month. Stollstiemer must have sold his soul to satan himself to be able to hold up his vocal abilities to the extent that he did during the VB set. This is also to say that The Von Bondies are by far the greatest live performers i've ever seen. Hell, i've gone to two shows with the VB's, and they werent even headlining, and still enjoyed them more than any of the other bands.

Be sure to check out full length, high quality streaming songs on their site, www.vonbondies.com , and if you're even half interested, you should buy this cd.

If the White Stripes ever decided to turn their backs on their own gimmick of being a two-piece band and get a full lineup, then they would need to live up to what the Von Bondies are already doing. This is a much fuller sound than the Stripes have, and that helps this album rock along from song one to twelve.

The Detroit garage style is very much here, mixed in with punk and pop influences that make this a really strong album. On some of the tracks you can hear bits of the Clash, and maybe even some of the Go-Go's, strangely enough, but it really works for this band, as they have taken what we know now as the New Detroit Sound and made it thicker and heavier, with even more of an edge than other bands of this genre.

Sure, the Von Bondies are really only famous right now for having been mentored and beaten up by Jack White, but I would not be surprised if their sound caught on, and their music took more of the spotlight from the bar bust-ups.

Even though we are only three months into this year, I would call this the best album so far in 2004, and this is the one that I will hold other records up against for the rest of the year.

There is just so much catchiness on this record, and the energy is fantastic. Surely these guys and girls would put on a great live show, and hopefully they make their way through Canada on their current tour.

The Von Bondies-Pawn Shoppe Heart ****1/2

I remember the first time I heard Pawn Shoppe Heart, it was the most pure, honest, best rock n' roll album I had heard in the last, well I don't know how many years but it had been a long time.

Straight out of Detroit and it shows. A city known for it's blistering rock n' roll with the likes of The Stooges, Bob Seger and The Silver Bullet Band, and The MC5, The Von Bondies are no exception.

'No Regrets' opens the album and is about as rock n' roll as you can get. 'Broken Man' is powerful and angst fueled, while 'Not That Social' shows a little vulnerability as does 'Mairead' with it's haunting vocal exercises. 'Crawl Through The Darkness' is basically better than anything to come along since 2000.

Now 'C'mon C'mon' which some might know as the theme song to the show Rescue Me don't realise how perfect the song is. It is the embodiment of rock n' roll, and easily THE best song to come along maybe since The Pixies 'Where Is My Mind.'

Is this worth owning, yes, it is a must own in fact. The Von Bondies are one of the better bands around today and Pawn Shoppe Heart is their very best album, hands down.

The Von Bondies' major label debut is just stunningly catchy. From the chorus that opens "No Regrets" to the bended power chord held for 10 seconds at the end of "Pawn Shoppe Heart", it's a very consistent album, and while The Stripes have the ability to amaze so much more in just a single song (probably why they are more famous), when it comes to making their albums, everything was just so inconsistent and random that you really wondered whether they just had the songs on the album in the order they were able to think of them (their most recent effort Icky Thump has resolved that problem a great deal, but it's still there).

Stollsteimer knows his songwriting strength and clearly shows it on this album; anthemic pentatonic scale rockers. This format sounds so familiar yet isn't executed similarly enough to another band to yield any genuine comparisons (The Stripes aren't really that similar to them at all). The rhythm section is going wild (Don Blum really is an excellent drummer), the guitars are raging, and while the vocals are largely devoid of melody, they do a really good job of masking that aspect by using different tones of voice (I can't say the girls on the album really do that as much as Stollsteimer, but they got more melodic roles in the songs they were involved in anyway).

My biggest complaint with this album was probably that their formula is just a bit overused, though that really doesn't discredit the album much at all, because it's such a winning formula the band's invented. I really have gotten hooked on so many songs in this collection that it's hard to imagine it being much better.

Best songs:
Mairead
Broken Man
Tell Me What You See
Pawn Shoppe Heart

Weakest songs:
Not That Social
Poison Ivy
Been Swank

This very young, very talented band from Detroit should be getting a lot more attention and acclaim -- their CD "Pawn Shoppe Heart" injects a large dose of raw excitement into the currently anemic rock 'n roll scene. They have more musical chops and better songwriting than the groups, such as Franz Ferdinand, who are being hailed as the saviors of rock.

I would love to see a major magazine/video channel/whatever it takes get behind this band. They have the look, fresh sound, and great songs that music fans have been missing.

Best band from detroit I've heard. Never gets boring, always changes and keeps the listner engaged unlike other bands exploring similar sounds such as kings of leon, detroit cobras which tend to get a little monotonous and repetative. Von Bondies rock all music lovers gotta have this album its essential.

I was actually looking for Hot Fuss by The Killers when I bought this CD, but it was sold out, so I moved to my 'B' list and bought Pawn Shoppe Heart. I remembered seeing the video for "C'mon, C'mon" on MTV2 and liking it, so I took it home with me and WOW. Seriously, this is a solid rock album. Great vocals, screaming guitars and passionate lyrics. It's dirty, sometimes raw, but it always rocks. Me likey!