| American Heartbreak/Libertine "You Can't Kill Rock N' Roll" CD (Coldfront Records) (Review by Rutledge) If you�re gonna name an album after the third track on Ozzy�s DIARY OF A MADMAN LP (Right after �Over the Mountain� and �Flying High Again�! Yeah!), it damn well BETTER be good. Kudos to American Heartbreak and Libertine for delivering the goods! This long-awaited split disc is no disappointment. And--considering the precedent already set by both bands--that�s SAYING something. Having grown up on the AOR radio format (You know, where you hear classic rock songs when they�re still NEW!), I feel deprived when I�m checking out contemporary airwaves. AOR radio is dead, replaced by God-awful �modern rock� stations (If Three Doors Down and Staind are the new generation's Rolling Stones and KISS, mass suicide is the youth of America's only hope). What�s a guy supposed to do if he wants to hear new rock tunes that don�t suck? Thankfully, American Heartbreak helps to fill the void. Their stuff is ARENA ROCK to the max, and I mean that in a GOOD way. Massive guitars. A HUGE, well-produced studio sound. Thick layers of harmonies. Thundering rock anthems with irresistible pop hooks. A power pop-meets-hard rock recipe for destruction. If I had my own radio station, I�d play �I Wish You Were (D.E.A.D.)� in between �Detroit Rock City� and �Dream Police�. The six American Heartbreak tunes on this split aren�t quite as catchy as first-LP gems like �Superstar�, �Brain Vacation�, and �Please Kill Me�. But it�s STILL Grade-A rock-n-roll all the way---especially �Rotten Apples�, �She�s Tellin� Lies�, and the AWESOME �Postcards From Hell�. You get five cool originals, and---in keeping with AH's fondness for obscure arena rock (the band got its name from a Girl song)--it also tackles Angel City�s �Am I Ever Gonna See Your Face Again�. Nice. When we last heard from Belvy K. and Libertine, the band�s blend of 70�s punk and 80�s post-wave British goth-pop was still a veritable work in progress. SEE YOU IN THE NEXT LIFE, the debut LP, was a hit-or-miss affair that HIT most frequently when it focused squarely on a highly-digable hard-edged take on the Flesh for Lulu/Psychedelic Furs signature sound. This time through, there�s no question about it---this is GOOD SHIT! The band refined its pop chops, worked up some red-hot new tunes, and entered Willie Samuels� Nu-Tone Studios. The result: five tasty new tracks that�ll melt like butter in the mouths of pop geeks and rock-n-roll junkies alike! If American Heartbreak�s slam-rock party is the summer, then Libertine�s moody post-punk numbers are the fall. Driven by infectious guitar lines and memorable sing-along choruses, these tunes make the grade, for sure. The outstanding �In Heaven� is a gruff-voiced interpretation of DISINTEGRATION-era Cure. �Catwalk� and �Ask the Lonely� are rocking bubblegum new wave gems on a par with the best of the NEXT LIFE tracks. Filling out the festivities are excellent new versions of �I Don�t Belong� and �Candy�, the two best tracks off the band�s 1998 debut EP. Three years ago, both tunes were pretty damn good. But in the hands of a much-improved band and a big-league producer, they�ve blossomed into something truly great. Particularly fab is �I Don�t Belong�, a Psych-Furs-go-punk type number which now rivals �Heartbreak� as perhaps Libertine�s best song to date. The Cheap Trick cover is nothing special, but five out of six tracks score like Peter Bondra on the power play. Without a doubt, YOU CAN�T KILL ROCK N� ROLL ranks as one of the best rock albums of 2001. Libertine |