In the five-plus years since the recording of their second album, Pawn Shoppe Heart, the Von Bondies have replaced two key members, lost their deal with Warner Bros., and seen frontman Jason Stollsteimer beaten to a pulp publicly by scene rival Jack White. By all rights, they should be packing it in, so their third album’s vitality is a welcome shock. Over punchy, driving riffs and crackling drum work, Stollsteimer howls like a guy with much to be pissed about, while the sharp production and dark pop hooks offer a vision of garage rock that’s more grand than grimy.
Listen: The Von Bondies, “This Is Our Perfect Crime”
