Tom Gäbel is more punk rock than a tartan safety pin. The Against Me! front man has been performing since he was 16 years old. His latest solo project is as gritty and raw as ever, but with a poppy electronic tinge.
Tom Gäbel’s newest album, “Heart Burns” is gruff to say the least. One expects that a new solo project would entail a stripped down sound, but Gäbel moves far from it. The sound is almost identical to that of Against Me!, with rasping guitars, and punk and country derived progressions that are all too familiar. At the same time, the music is infused with electronic drum machines and synthesized noises that, while unexpected, become barely noticeable. This electronic noise could easily be forgone and the musicianship of the album retained. “Cowards Sing at Night” stands as the only exception to the rest of the CD, with a simple grinding electric guitar progression and Gäbel’s vocals.
Unapologetically political, Tom Gäbel moves from the concept of finding love in the premier track “Random Hearts” to a drug dealer’s romantic involvement with an FBI informant in “Anna is a Stool Pigeon.” With lyrics like, “You choose when your ballot is cast 100 years of war is promised,” a clear call for awareness of current political climate is injected in to Gäbel’s lyrics.
“Heart Burns” is a pretty good CD. Gäbel may as well have recorded the CD with Against Me!, though. While the disc is pretty good all around, it is all around Against Me! It would have been nice to hear Gäbel experiment, change or evolve without simply adding electronic beats and synthesized noise to his music like so many before him have. After 12 years, what works for Gäbel clearly comes easy. “Heart Burns” from Sire records is in stores now.
Be the first to comment on this article!