The Exploding Hearts - Guitar Romantic (2003)

This is one of those albums you can't stop thinking about. I listened to it all day, every day. It made me quite happy but then I found out about the tragic end of this amazing band. Now, there's a melancholic feeling every time I listen to it which in some sort of way has grown on me. If you're a fan of rock n' roll and punk, this is a must have. My personal favorites are "Sleeping Aides and Razor Blades" and "Rumours in Town". Here's some info on the band and their tragic end.

"The Exploding Hearts were a young punk band who had released just one album – the exceptional Guitar Romantic. On this 2002 disc, the Hearts eschewed those first-album hints of brilliance and went straight there. They were like a young Clash, blasting out powerful, poppy punk with a purpose. Only their purpose wasn’t the hopeless social conditions of working-class kids in England – it was the romantic, emotionally fragile psyches of American youth today. “Throwaway Style” and “Sleeping Aides & Razor Blades” below serve as two standout examples. It was songs like these that made you wonder what might come next – a London Calling for the romantically crippled?"

"During the early 2000s the band rose to prominence in the US Pacific Northwest scene with a combination of energetic live shows and extremely well received singles. The band drew their influence from early British punk bands like The Undertones, Buzzcocks, The Jam, The Boys and The Only Ones, as well as pop acts like Nick Lowe. The Exploding Hearts led a revival of 1970s-era power pop and new wave in the Seattle and Portland area along with bands like The Briefs and the Epoxies on the then-Seattle-based Dirtnap Records. They released only one album, Guitar Romantic, during their existence as a band.

On July 20, 2003 the band was in a car accident which claimed the lives of three members. Their touring van flipped over on Interstate 5 just north of Eugene, Oregon while en route from San Francisco to Portland. Jeremy Gage and Adam Cox were thrown from the vehicle and pronounced dead at the scene. The driver, Matthew Fitzgerald, died at a hospital. Terry Six and band manager Rachelle Ramos both survived with minor injuries.

The band ceased to exist in the aftermath of the accident. Their popularity has continued to grow through word of mouth, however."

rest in peace