Tom Gabel-Heart Burns
Sire
October 28, 2008

The lack of direction on this EP is truly upsetting. Tom Gabel doesn't seem to know what style of music he wants to play, so he just tosses whatever on the album. The thing that really gets me is that each song is really good, but it sounds awkward at first coming from the previous track.

At the heart of everything is Gabel's voice. Its gruff yet melodic and full of passion. His lyrics are well written and he sings in a way that makes it nearly impossible not to sing along to. The songs range from Springsteen styled rock ("Amputations") to dance punk ("Random Hearts") to singer/songwriter ("Cowards Sing at Night," "Harsh Realms") to what could be an Against Me! song ("Anna is a Stool Pigeon," "100 Years of War") to whatever category "Conceptual Paths" would fit in.

Each song has its own enjoyable quality while at the same time leaving a sense of disappointment. This is still well worth the money, but I was expecting something a little more even. I guess this was Gabel's way of unleashing another creative dragon while giving fans something to somewhat hold them over until Against Me! comes out with another album.

Written by: RF
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