The Old Haunts

Fuel on Fire

(Kill Rock Stars)

Record Review by Michele Fair

The Old Haunts have a certain vibe about them: fierce, strong, and solid.  Fuel on Fire, the follow-up to last year’s Fallow Field, is another notch in the belt for this Olympia, Washington band.  While this album is just as tight as its predecessor, Fuel on Fire doesn’t really show a marked difference from their last set of songs.  In fact, upon first listen, one could easily mistake it for Fallow Field.  After a few more turns on the CD player, though, it takes on a life of its own.  The title track, which serves as the opener, brings you right into the Old Haunts’ world, breaking into a bouncy, carnival-like combo of guitar and Craig Extine’s unmistakable vocals.  The rest of the album generally follows this path with straight up balls-to-the-wall rock n’ roll.

Fuel on Fire is a good, listenable album, particularly for fans of post-punk and harder rock.  The guitar work is great, and really gives the album a kick.  For those who like a little variety and multiple methods of songwriting within one album, however, the album may be a bit of a disappointment.  Each song does have its own personality, but the overall tone, timing, and basic feel of the songs remain very similar.  While Fallow Field presented listeners with a fresh sound, Fuel on Fire doesn’t bring a whole lot to the table that they haven’t already heard before.  There’s no question that The Old Haunts are a talented band, but it will be even better when they put out an album that shows another side to them.