When A.A. Bondy was lead singer for Verbena, the band was often accused of lifting large portions of its sound and style from the Rolling Stones (on its first album) and Nirvana (on Into the Pink). So with that history, it makes a certain sense that Bondy's second solo effort, When the Devil's Loose, recalls another artist, in this case Ryan Adams. The largest part of this comes from Bondy's voice, which bears a reasonable aural resemblance to Adams and his sweetly jaded tone, though Bondy shows off a bit more sonic weight and a less studied demeanor. But the music isn't all that far away from Adams either, though if this is by design rather than accident, at least Bondy has the good sense to embrace the straightforward and emotionally powerful sound of Heartbreaker rather than the more scattershot style of Adams' subsequent solo efforts. Most of When the Devil's Loose was cut with just a bassist (Macey Taylor) and drummer (Paul Buchignani) accompanying Bondy and his guitar, and the sessions have an air of gentle melancholy that brings out their graceful balance of lues and country accents; the minimal backing emphasizes the late-night vibe of the music, and the deep lonesome wanderings of the melodies are an ideal match for the downbeat storytelling of "On the Moon," "Oh the Vampyre," and "The Coal Hits the Fire." Bruce Watson's production is subtle and nonintrusive, and that works beautifully in favor of the songs, which clearly play best without excess gingerbread and with Bondy's voice and lyrics placed front and center. When the Devil's Loose might share some reference points with another singer/songwriter with a similar offhand affection for roots music, but A.A. Bondy seems to be developing a voice of his own despite all the surface similarities, and the result is a quietly powerful album of songs that cut deeper into the heart and soul than you might expect at first glance.
Bondy fuses imagery of moonlit nights and limitless oceans with religious mysticism to evoke a beauty in nihilism.Mr. Bondy stubs his cigarette into an overfull ashtray. Tightening the strap on his dusty guitar case, Bondy walks down the creaky steps of his front porch where the pinky fingers of another morning are beginning to spread across the Tennessee sky. His blue-jeans are stained with ga...
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My affection for A.A. Bondy is threatening my heterosexuality. It’s partially because of the music, but there’s also an allure to his persona. The folk singer that takes the stage with his trusty guitar, harmonica and warm voice that can soothe even the most hardened soul. The lone troubadour that earns his keep in front [...]
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(originally written for The Deli magazine) "I was born on False River in Louisiana. Moved around a lot. Joined the merchant marine. Fell off a boat and was rescued by a magical sea turtle. Worked at a jello factory. Was followed home by a bear cub who I raised and taught how to skydive. His chute failed to open one day and the hole must go all the way to China. After that I moved to New York...
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Scott Bondy isn't the first artist to make the transition from rock 'n' roller to folk singer/songwriter, but as these kinds of musical career changes go, his is among the most successful. When his rock band, Verbena, broke up in 2003, Scott laid low for a few years before emerging again as A.A. Bondy, barely resembling his former, angsty self and crafting simple acoustic songs that earned numerou
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One of the best new alt-country voices just gets better on his sophomore release.
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I took this picture, I am awesome right?Oh...there you are, I didn't see you standing there, please take a seat. Funny, I was about to call your office. I have been meaning to tell you about the new AA Bondy album that comes out next week so I am actually glad you stopped by. Oh it's pretty good. Yea, it kinda sounds the same as his last album but you know what they say "If it ain't broke...yadda
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(originally written for The Deli magazine) "I was born on False River in Louisiana. Moved around a lot. Joined the merchant marine. Fell off a boat and was rescued by a magical sea turtle. Worked at a jello factory. Was followed home by a bear cub who I raised and taught how to skydive. His chute failed to open one day and the hole must go all the way to China. After that I moved to New York...
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top of the morning! here’s a new track off of a.a. bondy’s when the devils loose, which comes out next tuesday, 9.1 on fat possum. still stand by my statement that this is the best ryan adams record since heartbreaker. thats not to take away anything from mr bondy at all, but the similarities tween [...]
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My affection for A.A. Bondy is threatening my heterosexuality. It’s partially because of the music, but there’s also an allure to his persona. The folk singer that takes the stage with his trusty guitar, harmonica and warm voice that can soothe even the most hardened soul. The lone troubadour that earns his keep in front [...]
More >
MP3: A.A. Bondy - "When the Devil's Loose" from When the Devil's Loose, due September 1 on Fat Possum. Another ode to "Delia," the doomed heroine of so many murder ballads. Spooky! A.A. Bondy: iTunes, Amazon, Insound, wiki....
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I took this picture, I am awesome right?Oh...there you are, I didn't see you standing there, please take a seat. Funny, I was about to call your office. I have been meaning to tell you about the new AA Bondy album that comes out next week so I am actually glad you stopped by. Oh it's pretty good. Yea, it kinda sounds the same as his last album but you know what they say "If it ain't broke...yadda
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A little too country, not quite enough rock 'n' roll, the former Verbena front man still whips up a pretty melody for When the Devil's Loose. Gorgeous moments of guitar plucks and piano pecks make the album worth the listen, and provide Auguste Arthur Bondy a bit of folk clout.Reminds us of: Bonnie Prince Billy | Langhorne Slim | Horse FeathersA.A. Bondy: (MySpace | Label)a.a. bondy when the d...
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A.A. Bondy [photo by Jean Alcide]Here are two tracks from A.A. Bondy's forthcoming album When the Devil's Loose due out on Fat Possum Records on Tuesday of next week (September 1st).The former frontman for the Birmingham, Alabama-based rock band Verbena, A.A. Bondy (who at one time used to go by the name of Scott Bondy) turned to a more singer-songwriter style with the release of his full-lengt...
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Scott Bondy isn't the first artist to make the transition from rock 'n' roller to folk singer/songwriter, but as these kinds of musical career changes go, his is among the most successful. When his rock band, Verbena, broke up in 2003, Scott laid low for a few years before emerging again as A.A. Bondy, barely resembling his former, angsty self and crafting simple acoustic songs that earned numerou
More >
One of the best new alt-country voices just gets better on his sophomore release.
More >
Bondy fuses imagery of moonlit nights and limitless oceans with religious mysticism to evoke a beauty in nihilism.Mr. Bondy stubs his cigarette into an overfull ashtray. Tightening the strap on his dusty guitar case, Bondy walks down the creaky steps of his front porch where the pinky fingers of another morning are beginning to spread across the Tennessee sky. His blue-jeans are stained with ga...
More >
Langhorne Slim is not the only great alt-country/folk hybrid gentleman releasing a new album this fall. Following up 2007's debut, American Hearts, AA Bondy will be releasing When The Devil's Loose on the first of September. The wonderful title track made the blog rounds earlier in the summer and recently, Bondy has put out another taste of what's to come with the new track "I Can See The Pines...
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Here's to another great month of music! Hopefully all of these new releases will help the start of the new school year go quickly! Note: the release dates are all (or should be) for the U.S.September 1stA.A. Bondy – When the Devil's LooseThe Apples in Stereo – #1 Hits Explosion!Cougar – Patriot Datarock – RedDavid Bazan – Curse Your BranchesDrive-By Truckers –The Fine PrintJuliette Lew
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So I kinda missed Monday, but I was close this week. Here are some great tunes by some artists you may not be familiar with yet and a couple that have been around for a while. Enjoy!----------------A. A. Bondy - I Can See the Pines are Dancing (MP3)I first heard of A. A. Bondy a couple years ago and was very excited to get word about his upcoming record entitled When the Devil's Loose - set for...
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"I Can See the Pines Are Dancing"from the album When the Devil's Loose2009iTunesA.A. Bondy messes with your head. A refugee from the grunge era, when he fronted the band Verbena, Bondy has repositioned himself as a potent folk 'n' roots artist...
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New WaxA.A. Bondy's rustic 2007 debut American Hearts was the sort of album that left folk fans salivating for more. With a deft understanding of song structure and an understated yet genius knack for image-driven wordplay, not to mention a wonderful voice, the once-member of 90's grunge/rock band Verbena established himself as a songwriting force. On his new album When The Devil's Loose, which...
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| Title | Lyrics | Buy |
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| 1 Mightiest of Guns |
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| 2 A Slow Parade |
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| 3 When the Devil's Loose |
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| 4 To the Morning |
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| 5 Oh the Vampyre |
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| 6 I Can See the Pines Are Dancing |
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| 7 False River |
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| 8 On the Moon |
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| 9 The Mercy Wheel |
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| 10 The Coal Hits the Fire |
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Click to purchase…
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 "When the Devil's Loose")
