Only Thieves - Heartless Romantics (2011) 320 vtwin88cube

Only Thieves
Heartless Romantics (2011)

When you can listen to an album and just sit back and enjoy all the sounds flowing from the speakers, you know youΓΓé¼Γäóve got something good. And this is the enjoyment Tallahassee, Fla.-based band Only Thieves provides on its debut album, Heartless Romantics. This is an album that strikes a note that makes you want to raise the volume. ItΓΓé¼Γäós not a raucous rocker of an album, one that you would headbang or mosh to. But itΓΓé¼Γäós one that sounds powerful and emotional enough to warrant playing loudly just to enjoy it even more. There are guitar fuzz and snappy snare hits ala Silversun Pickups and the precision and harmony that make Interpol so good. And you can feel the indie-punk energy of Gaslight Anthem on songs like ΓΓé¼┼ôFlood Lights.ΓΓé¼┬¥ ThereΓΓé¼Γäós even a Manchester Orchestra-esque dirty sound to some songs. And when singer Jeremy Barnes reaches back and really wails, he sounds a bit like Andy Hull. And like many good albums, this Heartless Romantics closes out with grandiose closer ΓΓé¼┼ôWhatΓΓé¼Γäós Wrong,ΓΓé¼┬¥ a song that approaches six minutes but never feels like itΓΓé¼Γäós that long. That may sound like a lot of different things rolled into one, but it really doesnΓΓé¼Γäót seem like an overflowing melting pot. The songs flow well into each other. This is a hook-laden album that sounds polished, yet rough around the edges enough to not dull the blade that is the bandΓΓé¼Γäós energy and emotion. While Barnes yells late on the album, ΓΓé¼┼ôI love being unsatisfied,ΓΓé¼┬¥ this album as a whole provides the opposite feeling; not only are you satisfied from start to finish, you want a second helping.

Encompassing all the ethos of those torch-bearing bands of our youth - The Replacements, Superdrag and Buffalo Tom to name a few - Only Thieves blends that classic power-pop sound with the ingenuity and modifications that outfits like the Gaslight Anthem and Lemuria have poured into today's punk and indie genres. There is an undefinable style and substance, not to mention a dynamic progression that when done right, makes driving, hook-filled rock sound absolutely timeless. Heartless Romantics is a record that is truly nostalgic without seeming retro, but it's also modern without sounding polished.

Members:

Jeremy Barnes - Guitar with Vocals

Thomas Bacot - Bass with Additional Vocals

Aubrey Young - Drums

Marc Zivica - Additional Guitar and does some Vocals


Hometown:Tallahassee, FL

Record Label:unsigned

Current Location:Tallahasee, FL


Channels: 2 (stereo)
Sample Rate: 44.1 KHz
Sample Size: 16 bit
Bit Rate: 320 kbps

Audio Quality: Very High (Lossy)
Encoder: LAME 3.98r
Encoder Settings: Constant Bit Rate 320 kbps (Insane)
Contains: Album Art, ID Tag [ID3v2.3 (ANSI) & ID3v1.1]

Format: Mp3
Genre: Rock
M3U Playlist: Yes

01.All The Sad Young Men
02.Discoveries
03.Flood Lights
04.Register
05.Pioneer Repair
06.The Ballad Of The Aluminum Girl
07.Heartless Romantic
08.Unsatisfied
09.Bricks
10.What's Wrong


Cheers!