Tom Gabel had a few things that he wanted to get off of his chest with this album. Maybe that ís why he titled it “Heart Burns.” I got a sense that the subject matter for all of his songs was near and dear to him. Additionally, I thought that he chose subjects that he judged to be important to the lives of the listeners, even if what he presented is in the form of concepts. Because it’s a music album, he was aware that it has to sound nice, too.
Overall, I’d say Gabel was successful. His songs are catchy and I did find myself interested in hearing exactly what he had to say about the subject matter in his songs. His lyrics are well written. He did a good job of turning his thoughts into lyrics. Every song delivers a message.
The first song “Random Hearts” has a catchy pop- music sound, matched with what may be described as a punk rock style delivery (slightly). I’m not sure if this was Gabel’s intention. Gabel recites his lyrics in a forceful, loud manner that makes for impact initially. That’s not a complaint, by the way.
The next song was “Conceptual Paths.” It sounds like Gabel wanted to give some advice on how to live your life based on his experiences. Look at these lyrics: “You don’t owe anything to anyone” and “Don’t spend your life paying rent to a slum lord.” If that advice helps you right now, he was successful. Of course some would argue that you do owe something to someone. In some situations you arenít obligated to do certain things, I think that’s his point.
“Cowards Sing At Night” is an amazing title for a song. It appears that the song is about Vietnam War veterans, unless the song has a double or hidden meaning that I’m unaware of or missed. Some lyrics from that song are: “Come back home Johnny- come back home from Vietnam” and “Your War is over, Johnny.” Socially and politically itís a good idea to bring attention to missing and unaccounted for POWs, and that’s what this song brings attention to.
“Amputations” may be about soldiers who have had limbs amputated. Or, it may contain a double meaning. It states: “Amputations. Coming home from our father’s wars. Amputations. Coming home to mother from our father’s wars. We were just children.” What do you think the lyrics are about?
“Anna is a Stool Pigeon” appears to be about a man falling in love with a FBI informant. It is amazing how Gabel created a song out of this.
The last two tracks are titled “Harsh Realms” and “100 Years of War.” Both songs are worth listening to for their content. “Harsh Realms” states: “I’m waking up in night terrors. I can’t stop the future. It keeps pushing me ahead.” “100 Years of War” states: “Candidates are running. They want their name to be the one you choose when your ballot is cast. 100 years of war is promised. Xenophobia and global warming, teenagers marching into shopping malls, they’re armed to the teeth. Don’t miss your chance to see it while it’s all happening. These are once in a lifetime events and time will wait for no one.” I interpreted the lyrics to mean that many politicians get involved in wars.
Overall, it’s a nice album. I could see it being used as workout music, because it brings a fast paced energy for all seven songs. Not all songs are fast paced though, but the album is consistent in terms of pace. It has a good relevant message and nice tracks. The album gets two thumbs up.