The Loved Ones - Build & Burn

I wrote about The Loved Ones a couple of years ago when I wrote about their perfectly fine debut album. The following summer their name came up again - they played a fun set at Leeds Festival and they released their second album, Build & Burn. 2008 was the year I was doing my Tuesday-record-from-Spillers, but also my Monthly-record-from-Damaged year, so this was my purchase that month; at £9, Welly was basically giving it away.

The first half of Build & Burn is good - Pretty Good Year is a really strong opener and The Bridge is huge, possibly the best song they wrote. But the second side of the album it all goes to pot - Selfish Masquerade ruins everything with a piano and some slow ballad nonsense, and Louisiana is even stranger - some sort of country working song. It's hard to take them seriously when they're trying hard to do these sorts of songs. I Swear is another strong song to close the album, but it's always tainted by Selfish Masquerade and Louisiana.

I think I wanted The Loved Ones to just be a solid punk band, but they clearly wanted to be Springsteen. There's nothing wrong with wanting to be Springsteen, but you can't go from songs like the ones on the first half to those two strange ones. After this album they sort of just disappeared and Dave Hause began his solo career. I saw him a few times, although it was mostly by accident. I remember him doing a solo cover of either Remedy or Trusty Chords by Hot Water Music, which was fun but once again reminded me that I have no idea what any of the HWM lyrics are.

Format: 12", insert
Tracks: 10
Cost: £9 new
Bought: Damaged Records, Cardiff
When: 20/09/08
Colour: Black
Etching: none
mp3s: cd included

The Loved Ones - Keep Your Heart

There was a lot of buzz around The Loved Ones when they came to play Newport, probably because of the Paint It Black connection (something that was lost on me until recently). I hadn't heard of them before that point, but everyone was going and I figured I'd enjoy the show. I had fun, enough to make me buy the LP (the fact it was only a fiver helped). It's a nice enough punk record, but nothing particularly makes me want to play it all that often. There are a few highlights - Suture Self, Breathe In and Living Will (Get You Dead). 

I figured the band were on to big things, but they kinda just faded away after their second album as the singer, Dave Hause, put more effort into his solo career. I've never really enjoyed his solo stuff, despite having seen him a few times (the Dave House vs Dave Hause show in Kingston was pretty awesome, but mostly for the non-Hause moments). I think the theme here tends to be that there's nothing about his music that especially stands out from other music of a similar style. Or maybe I'm just not paying enough attention.

Format: 12", insert
Tracks: 13
Cost: £5 new
Bought: gig
When: 09/11/07
Colour: Black
Etching: none
mp3s: no