The Loved OnesThis is The Loved Ones 2nd full-length for Fat Wreck Chords, though you would never guess their record label from their style of music. This band continues to get the ex members of… tag added to every review and interview they are featured in. I personally feel they have been a band long enough to establish themselves as a new entity separate from their previous bands, so for the sake of tiresome repetitiveness, I won’t go through them here. Personally I was really into this band based solely on their debut CD demo. They followed that up with a CD EP, released on Jade Tree Records, that featured four tracks including two re-recorded from the aforementioned demo. I was partial to the demo, but the EP was almost as strong. Shortly after the band put out their first full-length (‘Keep Your Heart’) on Fat Wreck. With this release, I was unfortunately disappointed. Not that the album was bad…it was still better than the majority of releases that year, I just found the record boring, to put it frankly. So a few weeks ago when their new CD was released, I reluctantly purchased it the day it came out. To my surprise, I have literally listened to it every day since.
The title of the record is Build & Burn and is titled quite aptly. The Loved Ones have built their sound over their first couple releases and proceeded to burn our preconceived musical notions of them directly to the ground. And beginning with this album, it seems, they will attempt to reconstruct their sound in a new light. TLO’s “new” sound is one that is drenched in Americana. Often dubbed pop-punk, I feel journalists have misrepresented this band’s musical style. The Loved Ones have been nothing more than a melodic punk rock band who never tried to be punk in any way. They seemed content on falling under the broad umbrella of ‘rock band’. I often read comparisons to Bruce (yeah, here in Jersey, he doesn’t need a surname!), and up until this release, I saw it as a stretch concocted by a PR firm to market this band to Against Me!’s increasing fan base.
With this album though, The Loved Ones have shown a substantial growth with versatile songwriting and the impressive usage of new instruments including pianos and organs. In fact the Springsteen influences come through, along with a bluegrass under current on most tracks. The band has merged their stomping punk rhythms with a general American folk sound to create their own down-to-the-roots rock album. Some tracks on this record aren’t that far removed from their previous efforts, however, they once again benefit from the more stripped down and mature songwriting. Songs such as ‘Pretty Good Year’, ‘The Inquirer’ and ‘Dear Laura’ all fit TLO’s mold but still trump anything from ‘Keep Your Heart’. It is, though, the songs that are more removed from the punk sound that sets this CD apart from all the other melodic punk albums out there. Tracks like ‘The Bridge’, ‘Brittle Heart’, ‘Selfish Masquerade’ and ‘I Swear’ are all top-notch rock tunes. This record is perfect for the old punks whose musical horizons are often broadened over time by age and experience. I love this album and I think most of you will too.
Rating: 5/5
Songs Worthy of Replay: ‘Selfish Masquerade’, ‘The Bridge’ & ‘I Swear’
Synopsis: Almost every track on this album is literally excellent. The only song that doesn’t keep my interest is ‘Louisiana’, but you have to give TLO huge credit for making this song. It is another tune that deviates immensely from the punk formula, but more importantly is the premise of the song. It is a tune in dedication to those affected by Hurricane Katrina whose government betrayed them in their time of need. It is also a song in recognition of human character and how faith can drive these desperate folks. The Loved Ones made a great record whose theme to build and burn can be applied in multiple aspects of both the band’s music itself and the songs they have constructed over recent years.