The Restorations – LP2

It took me a bit, but i finally gave The Restorations’ LP2 (Out Now, Sideonedummy) a proper listen. I had my doubts, because rarely does anything good and punk come through the download lists. But LP2 doesn’t really fit into the mold that it seems the promoters are trying to fit it into, and that’s why LP2 shines.

LP2 is what Gaslight Anthem would sound like if they hadn’t been phoning it in since Senor and the Queen. LP2 is what Against Me! would sound like if they kept adding more and more of the adult alternative sound that has made so many ex-punk bands palatable to a mainstream audience. But LP2 isn’t there, and that’s what makes it so fantastic. Through the 9 songs on LP2, we find a deeper complexity than the washed-over faded jeans rock ‘n roll that bands like The Hold Steady have put together throughout their time, leaving an element that makes this album truly enjoyable, where so many other records have failed.

Tracks like “D” and “Kind of Comfort” exemplify this, with a backwoods rock ‘n roll aesthetic while keeping a punk edge that keeps the songs interesting. Singer Jon Loudon’s lyrics are par for the course for this kind of music, but not to be written off entirely. Both the way he sings and the lyrics of “In Perpetuity Throughout the Universe” really livens up an otherwise dull song when it all falls apart, leaving his croaked, desperate line “I’ll take my time/watch the patterns pass down.” the stand out track on this record has to be “New Old” though, a three and a half minute blast of energy that calls no man mister. The track after that, “Quit” shows the band has serious range, throwing some Burning Airlines into their mix.

I would say this is a purchaser. Pick up LP2, and pick it up soon.

8/10.

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