Reviewed on Apr 30, 2008 by Roel

After about two years after their debut album, The Loved Ones return with their second full length album. Although I loved their debut “Keep Your Heart” when it came out, it has proven to have very little staying power. When the initial buzz I got from their crunchy yet hook loaded melodic punk sound faded, I was left with a consistent yet rather repetitive record. Therefore, I wasn’t really looking forward to The Loved Ones second coming “Build And Burn”.

And thus the main questions are:
Did they change their style?
Did they at all try new stuff?
Is “Build And Burn” just “Keep Your Heart II”?

The answer to all these rather corresponding questions is: not really. The album kicks of with four songs that could have easily been on their debut, with “The Bridge” being a very slight exception as it’s a somewhat slower song without the catchy hooks. After those strong but predictable songs, the first signs of evolution show themselves in “Brittle Heart”, a song where the band decided to not use distortion at all. I’m a huge fan of Green Day’s distortion less album “Warning” and I also really enjoy this song. It’s by far the most accessible song they wrote, that trades in their typical crunchy / gritty sound for even catchier hooks and more cheerful sound. It still has that typical Loved Ones vibe to it though.

After “Brittle Heart” the band dares to stray a bit more from their standard formula with “Selfish masquerades”, a piano driven mid-tempo rocker. Interesting stuff. Another interesting track is Louisiana, a typical Loved Ones song with a more Americana / Rock ‘n Roll feel to it. They got help from some guys from the band The Hold Steady on these tracks (and on some other tracks as well). Final track “I swear” is a slower track that sounds a bit more serious: I’m not into it that much. The other tracks on “Build And Burn” are all stellar typical Loved Ones songs with “Dear Laura” being the best of the bunch.

The first half of the album sounds like “Keep Your Heart” part deux. On the second half they experiment slightly with their sound, without ever straying really far from their formula. It adds variation to the record, making it a lot more interesting. However, I doubt this record will end up in my cd-player again soon, as I’ve grown tired of many of these tracks already. Although I can’t really pinpoint a weak song on here, their sound is just a little too repetitive for me. I find myself enjoying these tracks immensely in the beginning, only to get really bored and even annoyed with some of them after a couple listening spans. They are an amazing live band though and when objectively looked upon this disc one cannot deny that this is just another fine album by a promising band. I can certainly see them surprising me with what I expect to be “Keep Your Heart” part trios in a year or two.

Related Links:

• www.fatwreck.com
• www.myspace.com/thelovedones
• www.thelovedonesband.com

1. Pretty Good Year
2. The Inquirer
3. The Bridge
4. Sarah's Game
5. Brittle Heart
6. Selfish Masquerade
7. 3rd Shift
8. Louisiana
9. Dear Laura
10. I Swear

Album Reviews

	Build And Burn Feb 5, 2008
	Keep Your Heart Feb 21, 2006