The Loved Ones - Distractions

Artist: The Loved Ones

Album: Distractions

Label: Fat Wreck Chords

One look at Philadelphia's The Loved Ones' busy release schedule and you just know The Loved Ones have heart.  Not content at simply releasing one critically acclaimed album in 2008, they also collaborated with Chuck Ragan (Former frontman of Hot Water Music) for a small but stellar Split EP.  Now it's early 2009 and those energetic young lads are at it again, releasing a new six song EP.

The EP, titled Distractions, consists of three brand new songs (well two really), as well as three covers surveying The Loved Ones' biggest influences.  The album starts with "Distracted," easily the most distinctly Loved Ones song on the album.   Their Mid-tempo guitars, Dave Hause's throaty pop-punk vocals, and melodic punk-rock framework feel better than ever.  While I had always felt that the band sounded a little uneasy about their core mechanics in their 2006 debut, over the past year they've come to sound more comfortable in their own skin.  Chorus to verse transitions are tight, bridges are well thought out, and Hause's vocals finally match the whole ensemble.  

However, the next couple tracks really showcase why The Loved Ones are on many critics radar.  In 2008's Build & Burn the band enriched their sound with a variety of piano strokes and Springsteen influences.  "Last Call" continues that evolution.  "Last Call" eloquently starts with a slow, crisp piano solo before transforming into an instantly memorable, melodic, rock influenced punk tune.  The Loved Ones have always had a rough edges beneath their pop tendencies, but "Last Call's" chorus balances that energy in a way that keeps their signature sound, but makes for one of their most accessible songs to date.  "Spy Diddley," a B-side that die hard fans have probably heard off of Fat's website in the past follows next.  The strongest Loved Ones songs always have great choruses, and "Spy Diddley" is no different.  For a previously unreleased song, it fits the album just fine, and even provides a nice counter tempo to "Last Call" slower beats.

For the final three songs The Loved Ones treat us to a brief glimpse of their influences.  The first cover, "Johnny 99" is a classic Bruce Springsteen acoustic track.  The Loved Ones, however, replace the acoustic guitar with a lone electric one.  While this strategy worked back in  2008 for their cover of folk star Chuck Ragan, in 2009 the result comes across rather unremarkable.  Thankfully, the second cover, Billy Bragg's "Lovers Town Revisited," redeems the band's old-meets-punk cover strategy.  Even though they play the song at a blistering pace, their delivery maintains Bragg's raw, rebellious essence.  But the final cover, Joe Strummer's final masterpiece "Coma Girl," really steals the show.  The Loved One's version is a case where a band sticks dangerously close to the source material - inevitably losing points for originality - but I doubt anyone will ever fault them on the decision.  Any opportunity to hear a respectful version of "Coma Girl" is cause enough for celebration.  It's fun, lively, and would make old Strummer smile knowing that today's punk frontrunners know how to capture his spirit.

All in all, Distractions has a little bit of everything.  Songs like "Distracted" should appease fans of The Loved Ones simpler, signature pop-punk sound, while "Last Call" shows a band who loves layering and evolving their sound.  The covers are a special treat, and leave listeners like myself curious about where The Loved Ones will draw the most inspiration from in future releases.

Chuck Ragan / The Loved Ones - Give and Take 7" Split

Artist: Chuck Ragan & The Loved Ones

Album: Give and Take 7" Split

Label: Ten Four Records

Chuck Ragan and The Loved Ones are a couple of the most celebrated artists in the punk community today.  Thus I've been slightly confused by the lack of attention this small but impressive split hasn't been getting.  At first I thought "well maybe it just isn't that good."  Sometimes great artists try covering each other and just don't "get" each other.  In this case each band even has the challenge of matching each other's style - Chuck Ragan with his stripped down acoustic folk tunes and The Loved Ones with their traditional, "Springsteen" inspired brand of punk rock.  However, in the "Give and Take" 7" Split each band demonstrates that they not only love each others work, but that they know what makes each other tick.

Chuck Ragan opts to cover one of The Loved Ones newest tracks, "Pretty Good Year," the opener  from 2008's "Build and Burn."  I've always found the measure of a great cover song is when the artist can respect the original source material while making it their own - if I'm constantly reminded about the original song I might as well simply listen to the real track.  Not surprisingly, by stripping the song down to its simplest form, and considerably slowing the tempo, Ragan has reinvented the song's focus.  The song starts with a slow, thoughtful introduction, establishing a sense of desperation originally absent in The Loved Ones' quicker tempo, but clearly present in the lyrics.  From there Ragan speeds things up and layers on the instruments, adding tambourines, supporting guitars, backing vocals (including some female vocals) - building a climax with each chorus - all guided by the raw emotion ever present in Ragan's voice.

With the pedestal the punk community holds Ragan on, The Loved Ones probably had the more challenging task.  In this case the band has had to completely re-envision one of Ragan's prized gems, "For Broken Ears."  "Filling out" an acoustic track always tests a bands understanding of the source.  Recently, many artists on the punk flavoured All Aboard: A Tribute to Johnny Cash tribute missed the mark.  For example, the Bouncing Souls cover of "Man in Black" simply added too much of their own sound without retaining what made the song  a classic.  Fortunately The Loved Ones "get" Ragan, and while they stick pretty close to Ragan's version, they add some interesting flourishes; most notably, the quiet and sparing use of an organ in the background.  During instrumental sections the band employs lone horn solos, capturing Ragan's solo essence amidst a full punkrock backdrop.  Unfortunately, after a tight introduction reminiscent of the vocals in the band's song "I Swear," lead vocalist Dave Hause loosens up during the chorus, making the vocals slightly self indulgent and the chorus the weakest part of the song.

Personally, I love this split.  Chuck Ragan does a great job of "Taking" away the layers of punk from "Pretty Good Year" and redefining it as a modern folk classic, and The Loved Ones produce admirable results when "Giving" a fuller sound to Ragan's classic.  The Give and Take 7" is a successful experiment that will find its highest appreciation in the libraries of  fans of both artists, but that can ultimately find appreciation outside that niche.