Dear Friends and Gentle HeartsAmerican Steel
Rating: 4 out of 5 Stars
Released: July 21, 2009
Label: Fat Wreck Chords
Review by: Bill Jones
American Steel has always sounded a bit too derivative of its punk counterparts, with varied albums and songs still finding comparisons to other acts all too easily. And shaking the overt Alkaline Trio similarities has proven difficult. In its variety, the band produced great songs, but never quite nailed a sound of its own.
But the band’s return to the American Steel moniker in 2007, after going on hiatus to become Communiqué, brought with it a different approach in the darker, grittier, more cut-and-dry punk. It seemed to have a sound of its own, though it was hit and miss in terms of fan response. And while Destroy Their Future kicked ass in its own right, Dear Friends and Gentle Hearts sounds like a return to form in many ways, but with an improved maturity in the songwriting, and what feels like a fresh, rejuvenated songwriting approach.
“Emergency House Party” opens the album with a guitar intro that brings to mind the heyday of pop-punk on Drive-Thru. It quickly moves into an opening chorus that reminds of Trio, followed by a chorus that has the déjà vu feeling of something that The Lawrence Arms fans have gotten drunk and sung along to in the pit at The Metro in Chicago.
So, the band is back to sounding like other bands, but maybe that’s not a bad thing. One listen through Dear Friends and Gentle Hearts and it is evident that American Steel is pulling from more influences than ever before. And even if those influences aren’t masked by a totally original twist, American Steel seems to be doing Alkaline Trio better than Skiba and company have been able to in years. They’re providing a new Lawrence Arms sound that hasn’t been missing since the release of Oh! Calcutta!
And maybe that’s the true appeal of American Steel. It is clear that they have a lot of the same favorite bands as their fans, and it has never been clearer that they love making the music they are. Only American Steel can tie together the melodies to pull off a creepy song like “Safe and Sound,” follow it up with the incredibly poppy vibe of “Your Ass Ain’t Laughing Now,” revert to brooding with a tune called “The Blood Gets Everywhere,” only to lull listeners with some beach-themed guitar work that launches into a balls-to-the-wall rock chorus in “From Here to Hell.” Dear Friends and Gentle Hearts may be the best addition to American Steel’s catalog yet.
But the band’s return to the American Steel moniker in 2007, after going on hiatus to become Communiqué, brought with it a different approach in the darker, grittier, more cut-and-dry punk. It seemed to have a sound of its own, though it was hit and miss in terms of fan response. And while Destroy Their Future kicked ass in its own right, Dear Friends and Gentle Hearts sounds like a return to form in many ways, but with an improved maturity in the songwriting, and what feels like a fresh, rejuvenated songwriting approach.
“Emergency House Party” opens the album with a guitar intro that brings to mind the heyday of pop-punk on Drive-Thru. It quickly moves into an opening chorus that reminds of Trio, followed by a chorus that has the déjà vu feeling of something that The Lawrence Arms fans have gotten drunk and sung along to in the pit at The Metro in Chicago.
So, the band is back to sounding like other bands, but maybe that’s not a bad thing. One listen through Dear Friends and Gentle Hearts and it is evident that American Steel is pulling from more influences than ever before. And even if those influences aren’t masked by a totally original twist, American Steel seems to be doing Alkaline Trio better than Skiba and company have been able to in years. They’re providing a new Lawrence Arms sound that hasn’t been missing since the release of Oh! Calcutta!
And maybe that’s the true appeal of American Steel. It is clear that they have a lot of the same favorite bands as their fans, and it has never been clearer that they love making the music they are. Only American Steel can tie together the melodies to pull off a creepy song like “Safe and Sound,” follow it up with the incredibly poppy vibe of “Your Ass Ain’t Laughing Now,” revert to brooding with a tune called “The Blood Gets Everywhere,” only to lull listeners with some beach-themed guitar work that launches into a balls-to-the-wall rock chorus in “From Here to Hell.” Dear Friends and Gentle Hearts may be the best addition to American Steel’s catalog yet.
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