Many people were introduced to Von Bondies singer Jason Stollsteimer by a December 2003 photo in which he looked like a bloodied and bruised Mike Tyson opponent. The perpetrator? Fellow Motor City garage-rock kitty Jack White. The White Stripes singer and amateur boxer apparently had a bone to pick. Circumstances surrounding the fight are unclear, but suffice it to say that White won't be reliving his days as producer of the Von Bondies' 2001 debut, Lack of Communication. In fact, the foursome enlisted ex-Talking Head Jerry Harrison to work the boards on its major-label bow, Pawn Shoppe Heart. The result is a raw shudder of hulking blues-swing ("Been Swank"); taut, rattling rhythms ("Not That Social"); and plenty of vintage Detroit riff-sludge ("Broken Man," "No Regrets"). While Stollsteimer is singing his battered mug off, lethal doses of backup-vocal hellfire complements everything from blistering walls of sound (like those spun by Black Rebel Motorcycle Club) to slow-simmering, moody interludes reminiscent of the Doors.
