Tom Gabel

Heart Burns EP

[3/5]

The bearded, deodorant-free corners of the internet rejoiced in September when Against Me! frontman Tom Gabel revealed via his blog that he recorded an EP’s worth of solo tracks. Given that AM! started as Gabel and an acoustic guitar, hopes were high these seven songs would recall the band’s early releases. Unfortunately for longtime fans, Heart Burns isn’t a retread of AM!’s acoustic EP; unfortunately for everyone else, Heart Burns isn’t sure what it is. There’s political folk-punk (“Cowards Sing At Night”), acoustic crooning (“Harsh Realms”), spy noir dance-punk (“Random Hearts”), traditional rock ’n’ roll (“Amputations,” which lifts part of its melody from Meat Loaf’s “Paradise By The Dashboard Light”) and more genre toe-dipping, but nothing unites the songs. Guest vocals from Matt Skiba and Chuck Ragan do little to increase the disc’s value, and the EP gives very little insight into what Against Me!’s next album will sound like-but maybe that was the point. (SIRE) Scott Heisel