As artists like David Bowie and The Stooges have already proven this year, it is possible for musicians to return and release new albums after long lapses in creative output – but judging how good they are (or aren't) is no easy feat. In the cases of both Bowie and The Stooges, history has basically guaranteed that that both artists are going to generate at least a few good critical words no matter what they do on the strength of their names alone – but does that really mean the albums which have appeared from them in 2013 are actually good? Would The Next Day (David Bowie's newest album) or Ready To Die (the newest release from Iggy and The Stooges) really be such lauded, revered releases were they not also being heralded as “break the silence” events? There's no way to answer that question but, when the same mental process begins to build around Love + Fury – the Headstones' first full-length album in eleven years – the answer to how good it is comes quick, cleanly and easily: Love + Fury absolutely holds up to the legacy that the Headstones established with their first three albums (1993's Picture Of Health, 1995's Teeth and Tissue and 1997's Smile And Wave) and proved that time hasn't dulled the band's edge at all.
While Love + Fury certainly compares to the Headstones' first three albums in quality of craft and style (the songs are wound tight and played lean with none of the shortcomings which dogged Nickels For Your Nightmares or The Oracle Of Hi-Fi), the Headstones wisely don't try to present this music like no time has passed since “the good ol' days.” In fact, Hugh Dillon makes a special point of noting that time has passed and the band has survived right away at the top of “Change My Ways.” There, Dillon lays it on the line right off the bat as he spits ascerbic come-ons (check out lines like “I'll give it to you straight/ Or I can dress it up nice/ It's the fight in the dog/ Not the dog in the fight/ Understand I'll be damned if you think I'm-a change my ways”) over a taut and lean guitar line supplied by Trent Carr and a fantastic rhythmic punch from bassist Tim White and drummer Dale Harrison. Fans who remember how it felt when they first heard Picture Of Health will recognize the vibe of “Change My Ways,” and it doesn't feel 'put on' at all. After over a decade of inactivity, it feels like the Headstones have come back to center and discovered that music like this is still in them to present, untarnished and undiminished.
Fans will find themselves tingling in perfect fits of ecstasy as the Headstones just keep unloading hit after hit on them throughout Love + Fury's run-time. Songs like “Longwaytoneverland,” “Far Away From Here,” “Go Back The Other Way” and “Outta My League” all ring like the second coming of the band who made Picture Of Health twenty years ago now back hale, hearty and hungry. That's instantly engaging, but the Headstones take it one step further by including some movements similar to those they made on Picture Of Health, just to prove they're in fighting shape. In this case, the band swaps their cover of The Traveling Wilburys' “Tweeter and the Monkey Man” for a more aggressive (and surprising) cover of Abba;s “SOS” as well as trading “Cemetery” (a.k.a. One of the oldest songs in the Headstones' canon – having first appeared on the Demo Gods cassette they sold off the stage at concerts before getting signed) for “Don't Follow The Leader” (which appeared on the same cassette but didn't go widely released before now). The result is a really, really cool experience; while some critics may scoff at the attempts other bands have made to restart their creative engines, Love + Fury stands apart in that it offers a completely gratifying experience. That's impressive, but even more so is the fact that, Love + Fury holds the distinction of being a true event; Bowie and The Stooges came close, but Love + Fury is a genuine and strong return to get excited about.
Artist:
www.headstonesband.com/
www.facebook.com/HeadstonesBand
www.flickr.com/photos/
www.twitter.com/theheadstones
Download:
Headstones – Love + Fury – “Longwaytoneverland” – [mp3]
Further Reading:
Ground Control Magazine – Just One Song… 001 – [Column]
Album:
Love + Fury is out now. Buy it here on Amazon .
