Album Review: A.A. Bondy

I will occasionally be posting album reviews and/or analysis. They will be from an album I am familiar with and have listened to in its entirety on the day that I post the blog. They may be new, ancient, or somewhere in between. Good news, the first one comes right now...

Album: American Hearts
Artist: A.A. Bondy

It is extremely hard to believe that Scott Bondy used to be the leader of a punk band that originated out of Birmingham, Alabama. I don't know which is harder to believe, the fact that he was in a punk band, or the fact that he used to live in the state of Alabama. After this "psychedelic experiment" ended in 2003 Scott changed his name to A.A. Bondy which stands for "Auguste Arthur", and moved to Palenville, NY and began writing solo material which would appear on his debut solo album "American Hearts" (which eventually came out in 2008). He completely changed his style to an indie folk sound. I have often referred to him as the closest thing that my generation will ever see to a Bob Dylan. Of course, Bondy is nowhere near the songwriter that Dylan ever was, but many comparisons can be made from his acoustic guitar and harmonica sound, the way he dresses, his poetic lyrics, unique but beautiful voice, and the way he changed his name. Of course, no one will ever compare to Bob Dylan as a songwriter, but what Mr. Bondy lacks in his songwriting, he makes up for with full force in his guitar skills. The finger picking patterns on American Hearts are some of the most beautiful my hears have ever heard. They are extremely complicated, but do not overwhelm the listener in the least. The entire album is a great, relaxing, methodical listen the entire way through. The imagery on the album is very clear, especially on songs like "World Without End" when he describes her "hair of rain and black" it makes the listener fall in love with the woman immediately. In "Black Rain", Bondy evokes sympathy from the listener, as you can hear the pain and sincerity in his beautiful voice. This is one of my favorite albums and I recommend it to anyone who likes any type of music at any age. Even my parents like A.A. Bondy.

Sidenote: I saw him in Birmingham in November. He hits the soft notes with a beautiful ease, but is not scared to show his punk roots when he rocks out with intense electric distortion. It explains his wide variety of fans.