The Loved Ones – Keep Your Heart

Ahh pop-punk – both the best and the most dreaded thing to come out of this scene. While at times the simple moniker can be used to describe the countless bands flooding MTV with simple, catchy melodies topped with boyish vocals, it can also be the the term to describe bands which have become staples for this scene. Descendents, Ramones, Green Day, Offspring, Lawrence Arms – in a way, they can all be described as pop-punk – but a much different type of pop-punk than that of the MTV generation. Much more intelligent, innovative, melodic and intense – it is this type of pop-punk which keeps me alive.The Loved Ones fall under that category too.

The Loved Ones are one of Fat Wreck Chords‘ newest band, and after blowing away critics and fans alike last year with their debut Self-titled EP, they are back to knock any remaining skeptics flat on their ass with this, their full length debut Keep your Heart.

The album is full of intelligent, innovative music – there’s not enough ways to say that. From beginning to end, the album only stumbles once with Over 50 Club, the rest is pure gold. The songwriting is tight, aggressive and smart – nothing goes to waste. It’s up-tempo pop-punk with amazing rock licks and high energy break downs that immediately gets the listener energized. The sing-along choruses don’t hurt much either.

But still, the thing that steals the entire album is definitely Dave Hause’s vocals. The slightly worn vocals come through quick and crisp. Its slightly gritty, and so very sincere that you can’t help but be moved as you sing along. Lyrically, he seems to be following in the steps of Alkaline trio‘s Matt Skiba in certain categories as he croons out dark, eerie lyrics with great sincerity. He talks of dying in an hospital bed inLiving Well (Get You Dead) (“If that’s how it’s gonna be, wake me up wake me up, pump me full of meds, don’t let me drink from that cup, slide a little pill down my throat, I’ll try to keep it down, or pull my plug and don’t be frightened by the sound“) and tells a story of crime gone wrong with Arsenic (“this turned out to be my fatal mistake, and I’ll take it to my grave. Say a prayer my soul’s at the stake and there’s not much left to save“).

Their Self-titled album topped many year end lists last year, and there’s no way that Keep Your Heart won’t be in just as many lists at the end of this year – and they deserve every bit. Because quite frankly, everyone will be able to get back up off their ass knowing that the album and the music within it “means more than anyone could pay“.

Oh, and for all those complainers who whine that they’ve already released three of the songs on here, all three of them (100k, Arsenic and Jane) have been re-worked slightly without ruining the song, and in some cases making it much better.