The Exploding Hearts
Guitar Romantic

(Dirtnap)

T.J. Simon's #6 album for 2003

First Appeared at The Music Box, August 2003, Volume 10, #8

Written by T.J. Simon

At least 99% of what constitutes punk rock makes my head hurt. The rest, however, seems to draw from the influences of rock ’n‘ roll’s early days. Old school punk rockers such as The Clash, The Jam, Social Distortion, and The Ramones knew how to craft fundamentally great rock songs and then play them loud as hell. Only a handful of modern punk bands have figured out how to make that work today including The Mooney Suzuki, The Reigning Sound, and a foursome from Portland, Oregon, known as The Exploding Hearts. Guitar Romantic, the band’s tightly-wound 10-song debut is very accessible punk brimming with Chuck Berry guitar licks (Thorn in Roses) and Clash-like vocals (Modern Kicks). It’s fast and loud music owing a lot to the cigarette-pack-rolled-up-in-the-sleeve image of Jerry Lee Lewis and Dion. Staggeringly good songs such as Rumours in Town and Still Crazy are too well-rehearsed and artfully played to toss The Exploding Hearts into the current garage-rock bucket. Still, this is a raucous debut from a band with a sense of history and a love for rock ’n‘ roll. And it’s just what you need. ½

Guitar Romantic is available from Barnes & Noble.
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Ratings

1 Star: Pitiful
2 Stars: Listenable
3 Stars: Respectable
4 Stars: Excellent
5 Stars: Can't Live Without It!!

Copyright © 2003 The Music Box