Lack Of Communication - Von Bondies (The)

Lack of Communication is the debut album from the Von Bondies, a four-piece group hailing from the heart of garage rock, Detroit, Michigan. Like so many others the Von Bondies exploded out of Detroit in that giant fireball of noise that also gave us such garage-rock luminaries as The White Stripes and The Detroit Cobras. While The White Stripes have gone on to achieve notable fame The Von Bondies have been somewhat left behind. Their debut album ...
...only received that attention due to the fact that Jack White (The White Stripes) produced the album. The Von Bondies are made up of bassist Carrie Smith (the quiet member), guitarist Marcie Bolen (the unwitting trouble maker), drummer Don Blum (often described as the nicest man in Detroit) and last but definitely not least singer Jason Stollsteimer (the tortured soul).

On the surface the album plays like any other garage rock record; ... more

Lack of Communication is the debut album from the Von Bondies, a four-piece group hailing from the heart of garage rock, Detroit, Michigan. Like so many others the Von Bondies exploded out of Detroit in that giant fireball of noise that also gave us such garage-rock luminaries as The White Stripes and The Detroit Cobras. While The White Stripes have gone on to achieve notable fame The Von Bondies have been somewhat left behind. Their debut album was met with a mixed reaction from the press and only received that attention due to the fact that Jack White (The White Stripes) produced the album. The Von Bondies are made up of bassist Carrie Smith (the quiet member), guitarist Marcie Bolen (the unwitting trouble maker), drummer Don Blum (often described as the nicest man in Detroit) and last but definitely not least singer Jason Stollsteimer (the tortured soul).

On the surface the album plays like any other garage rock record; reverb drenched guitars, frenetic drumming and strangled vocals that howl along in time to the barrage of noise laid down by the instruments. Dig a little deeper however, and what you find is a record that has been sorely underestimated. I’m not saying this is a fantastic album, it isn’t but it certainly deserved much more praise than it got. What the album does achieve is the expression of the instrumental expertise and vicious energies of the Von Bondies’ live shows. This album is an untidy, bloody, vengeful mess and I mean that in a good way. It’s invigorating rock and roll that comes straight from the heart and Jason Stollsteimer does his utmost to make you understand that. As its subject this album chooses ’heartbreak’, and more specifically Jason’s heartbreak and it pulls no punches in its portrayal of love turned sour and telling us stories of those who have screwed our singer over.

The album starts as it means to go on, the title track ‘Lack of Communication’ opens with a throbbing bass line that is soon joined by a heavy rolling drum beat. Then in come the guitars, overdriven and reverb heavy, pulsating in time with the beat. Then there are the vocals, every word laden with an effort that seems to demand everything of the singer. A blistering opener, which leaves you salivating at what must be to come.

The title track is followed by ‘It came from Japan’, a fast little number that makes up for it lyrical shortage with heaps of verve and an underlying swagger that belies a certain confidence. Marcie Bolen provides backing vocals on this track and her higher voice compliments Stollstemier’s strangled howls perfectly. This is quite a short track coming in at just over two minutes, which is about right given the repetitive lyrics.

Shallow Grave then slows the pace down starting with a simple bass line and gradually building into something fuller and richer with the introduction of the trademark fuzzy guitars. This is one of the poorer songs on the album and plods along nicely without really making any sort of impact. The vocals are good, the guitars heavy and the beat relentless but it doesn’t really strike you as a great song and inoffensively passes by.

This is then followed by ‘Going down’, a much more upbeat track which zips along with its incessant beat and infectious guitars. The vocals are once more excellent and the whiny, slightly nasal sound is characteristic of most of the vocals on the album. Stollstemier’s vocals have been likened to Rob Tyner (MC5) but he grew up listening to Otis Reading and insists that he doesn‘t even own an MC5 album.

The album then slows up again with the next track ‘Cass & Henry’. This track starts slowly with a ‘toe tapping’ bass line that dominates the sound of this song. Despite being less intense than previous tracks this one of my favourite songs from the album. It combines a slimy sort of swagger with an air of arrogance, which makes for a great song. It gurgles and bubbles along in an eclectic fashion that keeps you interested and wondering in what direction the song will twist next. The vocals are less strangled on this song and have a slightly smoother feel, which compliments the music excellently.

‘Nite Train’ then sees the album revert back to its original style with a song reminiscent of the earlier tracks on the album. The rolling drumbeat is joined by distorted guitars and the now familiar vocal style of Jason Stollsteimer. Another inoffensive track that seems to just pass by, nothing great about it but then again nothing obviously bad.

The next track ‘No sugar Mama’ is definitely the most upbeat song on the album and I would even go as far as to describe it as a bit ‘happy clappy’. Marcie Bolen takes a more active role in the vocals on this track and shares the lead role with Stollsteimer. The result is a much more melodic song that is very easy to listen to. The keyboards in the background add a slightly more rounded feel and the guitars are less harsh than on previous tracks.

‘Cryin’ starts with a very thick bass line and the arrival of heavily distorted guitars is heralded by the shake of a tambourine. From this point on the song continues with a fast rolling beat, which provides the base for some great vocals and guitar work. This is one of the more catchy songs from the album and is one of my favourite songs when they play it live. My only quibble is that’s a little short but then it always leaves me wanting more, which is the hallmark of a great song.

The last song blends perfectly with the next track ‘In the Act’ which opens with a solitary drum beat that is soon joined by another throbbing bass line and intermittent guitars which have a slightly cleaner sound to them. This is another of the poorer tracks on the album that would have benefited from an injection of pace which would have picked it up a little. As it is the song seems to plod along and while it isn’t a terrible song it is definitely one of the low points of the album.

‘Please Please Man’ is the best track from the album and the moment it starts you know that it’s going to be a great song. It begins quickly with all the various instrumental sounds immediately melded into one coherent noise, which is then overlaid with Stollsteimer’s trademark howling. The guitars are once again heavily distorted and stab at the monotonous bass line with increasing fervour as the track progresses. This song has a darker feel to it and Stollsteimer’s vocals take on a suitably menacing tone to match the increased menace rendered by the guitars.

The last track from the album is ‘Sound of Terror’ a slower track that starts with single guitar notes echoing in an erratic fashion. This sets the trend for the song nicely with its rather erratic rhythm and somewhat eerie feel. This song ends the album excellently and puts a positive shine on the album despite the mixed quality of the tracks.

It is easy to see how some critics dismissed this album, as it does have some weaker tracks but if you look past those then what you find is an album that works well as a group of songs. Taken as individuals some of the songs may appear weak but as a whole this is a very impressive debut. If you like The White Stripes then I would recommend that you go out and purchase this album, as you will find that The Von Bondies (unsurprisingly) have a lot in common with their Detroit brethren. I bought this album about a year ago and I still listen to it regularly now, which goes to show that it is a good album, not great... but good.

This album can be purchased from www.101cd.com for £8.95. 

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