REVIEWS - The Constantines - Tournament of Hearts (Sub Pop)

If you like easy, one-word descriptions of bands, then you might describe The Constantines as being akin to Fugazi and, believe it or not, Bruce Springsteen. But you probably don’t. And that’s good, because neither do we. Neither do The Constantines, I would imagine. On their newest album, Tournament of Hearts, they trade in some of the vitriol of their earlier albums for a more refined and slightly more complete sound. The fist-raising anthems are still here (“Working Full-Time”), but now there’s also some quieter, more plodding songs (“Lizaveta” and “You Are A Conductor”) that help round out the band’s populist repertoire. Granted, this album doesn’t have the immediate hooks of its predecessors, but give it time and it will become just about as gripping and as driving as anything that they’ve released.

- Miles Clements