IN REVIEW: Headstones - "Little Army"

Upon making their recorded debut 25 years ago, Headstones were positioned for a quick rise in the ranks of Canadian rock. Rough-and-tumble cousins to hometown pride The Tragically Hip, Headstones were the bloody knuckled alternative that fit in so nicely in that angsty time known as the early '90s. Sure enough, their first three albums (Picture of Health, Teeth & Tissue and Smile & Wave) solidified them as tried and true hit makers, amassing a string of rock radio staples and building a loyal fan base through their intense live shows.

Like most bands of the era, Headstones' star faded around the turn of the century, and their career petered out with a couple of well-crafted records that unfortunately didn't rouse much interest outside of the devoted. Resigned to fate, they called it a day and went their separate ways until about a decade later, when they reconvened and went the grassroots route for sixth album Love & Fury. Funding the project through fan support and coming through with their most boisterous record to date paid dividends, and Headstones found themselves in the rare position of rising once again where so many of their peers never got the chance.

Clearly, they understand how to adapt and survive, and so four years later they've returned with Little Army, a record that picks up where Love & Fury left off and once again was created and presented with their fan base top of mind. I can't fathom a situation where any self-respecting fan of the band would be disappointed in what's on offer here, from the swaggering classic stomp of Devil's On Fire and Broken to the punk-informed intensity of For Your Consideration and Dead To Me. The band is fully engaged in their performances, with Hugh Dillon spitting and roaring at his usual high level of efficiency; meanwhile Trent Carr strums and slashes at peak power and Tim White's bass holds it all in place while offering a few head-turning lines (check the closing seconds of Broken in particular).

That's not to say this is simply more of the same; three new members help bolster the lineup and stretch the band's sound; Steve Carr and Rickferd Van Dyk join on keys and guitar respectively (Lyle Molzan joins as the band's new drummer), and their contributions are heavily felt on expansive songs like the viciously sinister title track, the nocturnal Sunlight Kills the Stars and the soulful and retro-leaning The View Here. Also of note is the nostalgic and propulsive hometown ode Kingston (including the sly Hip-referencing line "angst on the planks in Kingston"); it's immediately followed by the thick and groovy Los Angeles, which feels like an intentional continuation, a lyrical look-in at another stop on Dillon's journey.

Little Army might not be quite the adrenaline rush Love & Fury was, but it's just as consistent in quality while offering a more diverse array of thrills; it's proof that the only thing Headstones are less interested in than catering to trends is resting on their laurels. If Love & Fury was a supercharged love letter to rock n' roll and their fans, Little Army is a postcard to creative freedom from a head space where anything is possible and everyone is welcome.

June 2, 2017 • Cadence Music Group
Highlights Devil's On Fire • Broken • Little Army

Year in Rock 2025

Alright, I've got some explaining to do. By now anyone who's visited this blog is well aware of how infrequently I've used this space in recent years; aside from the occasional fertile year of content, I really haven't posted all that often over the last five years or so. There are many reasons for this, which have already been outlined in previous apology posts; but, essentially, it boils down to my own laziness and the cold reality that blogs are, like Refused (again), fucking dead. So, I wouldn't hold my breath for a triumphant return to reviews, or even semi-regular posts, but: a) I feel like Year in Rock posts have always belonged here and, even though I've experimented with different methods of presentation recently and been satisfied, the "blink and you missed it" unveiling via Facebook stories this year was perhaps ultimately a disservice to the records I lauded. After all, cramming the list into short videos isn't too far off from ju...

Year in Rock 2011 Nominee: Sam Roberts Band

SAM ROBERTS BAND I Feel You From: Collider Released: May 10 Having already endured the breakout success ( Brother Down was Canada's it rock song of 2002), the tentative dabbling in the U.S. market, as is the rite of passage for all moderately successful Canuck artists (2003's debut We Were Born in a Flame was the best time to try; one of the best albums of the year, it made a small dent in the American mindset upon its release there a year later), the difficult, druggy third album (the aptly named 2005 disc Chemical City ), and the subdued creative step backward (2008's Love at the End of the World , aside from hit single Them Kids , was really kinda bland), it seems according to script that Sam Roberts would start settling in on his fourth album (and first with the band credited as equal contributors), Collider (you know, I think it was a bad idea to give me brackets). Well, as far as settling in goes, Roberts does and doesn't on Collider . W...

IN REVIEW: Rancid - "Trouble Maker"

As far as punk rock goes, it's hard to name a hotter hot streak than the trio of records Rancid cranked out between 1995 and 2000; the star making ...And Out Come the Wolves , the far-reaching Life Won't Wait and their balls-to-the-wall second self-titled album solidly positioned Rancid as leaders of the second generation of punk. It also preceded a period of slow progression, as Rancid would take eleven years to release their next three records. By the time ...Honor Is All We Know came in 2014, many fans (myself included) had to wonder whether or not this was the end of the road. Such concerns are handily dealt with on the closing track of the standard edition of their ninth record, the positively punishing This Is Not the End . Well, okay then, that's sorted. Now, what of this new record? What do we make of the use of their original logo on the cover, a logo that hasn't graced a Rancid record in 25 years? Is this a throwback to the band's heyday, a new begin...

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