Tom Gabel
Heart Burns (Sire/Warner)This solo EP from Against Me! frontman Tom Gabel runs the gamut from acoustic folk-punk to hard rock with electronic percussion. As usual, Gabel’s at his best when awkwardly dissecting youth culture at the top of his lungs, on tracks such as “Random Hearts” and “Conceptual Paths.” Heart Burns‘ most notable track, though, is “Anna Is a Stool Pigeon,” a plainspoken narrative protest song in the style of Dylan’s “Hurricane,” about environmental activist Eric McDavid, who was recently convicted on terrorism charges. The title refers to an FBI operative who may have entrapped McDavid, but Gabel’s real complaint is against the agency itself, and targeting the agent comes off as nearsighted. In other political news, “100 Years of War” falls victim to timing: Gabel couldn’t have known when he wrote the song last winter that the 2008 apocalypse would be economic, not military. (3pm, Stage 2.)
This article appears in November 7 • 2008.