The Von Bondies- Pawn Shoppe Heart
By Greg Howell

The Von Bondies- Pawn Shoppe Heart
Label: Warner Bros. Records
Rating: 

If it was physically possible for Billy Idol and Jim Morrison to have a child, and if that child was the front man to an up and coming “garage rock” band, I’d like to think that that band would sound a lot like The Von Bondies. 

Consisting of band members Jason Stollsteimers on vocals, guitarist Marcie Bolen, Don Blum on the drums, and bassist Carrie Smith, The Von Bodies got together in 2001. One year later, they had teamed up with fellow Detroit rocker, Jack White of the White Stripes, to record their debut album, Lack of Communication. In between their debut release and the release of Pawn Shoppe Heart, the band has been making quite a name for themselves. Jason Stollsteimer has gotten sucker punched, not once, but twice, by former mentor Jack White, they released a B-sides album, Raw and Rare, in 2003, and their current single, C’Mon C’Mon, got picked up for the theme song to the hit tv show, :Rescue Me. Sadly, in the fall after the release, bassist Carrie Smith left the band and was replaced by unrelated Yasmeen Smith.

The Von Bondies’ sophomore album however, does not disappoint. At a time when garage rock is the new movement in music, The Von Bondies are coming forth as one of the leaders of the pack. Pawn Shoppe Heart starts off with a bang on the song "No Regrets". This is where the listener can first hear the Idol likeness. It continues on to the second track, "Broken Man". It’s not until track 5, "Been Swank", that the Morrison side comes out of Stallsteimer. "Mairead" my personal favorite, sounds like a Doors\Zeppelin blues song that really speaks to the listener. But Jason doesn’t hog all of the limelight.

Carrie Smith takes over lead vocal duties on "Not that Social" and does quite well. With a little more time on the mic, she could probably front her own band. The ladies combine their voices and come out swinging on the chorus of "Crawl Through the Darkness" and again on "Fever". Stollsteimer returns to the Doors sound in "Right of Way". The last track, "Pawn Shoppe Heart", ends just the way it started. At the end you feel like you just got treated to an all you can eat buffet after crawling through the desert for a couple of days. Full, yet eager for more.

The Von Bondies’ Pawn Shoppe Heart is one of the best albums of ’04 and you can expect even bigger and better things from them in the years to come. I strongly suggest this album to anyone looking for a fun yet memorable album.

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