Review Summary: A winning formula
The Heist Revenge is a solo project in the most literal sense, the type of creation which has become increasingly accessible in the internet era - one guy (Zack Lorenzen) is responsible entirely for the songwriting, the playing of instruments, the singing, and the production, and any of us can go onto Bandcamp.com (see link below the review) and listen to his brainchild at our leisure. In some respects, the resulting debut LP is about what you’d expect from that origin story - pretty rough around the edges, but full of untrammeled energy and heart. Beyond those attributes, though,
For Losers Craving Love greatly impresses - not only is the album quite ambitious, but there’s a whole lot of talent on display in multiple facets, and the major takeaway here is that I’m sure glad we live in an age which offers those who will listen ready access to independent music like this.
Lorenzen describes this record as his attempt at a rock opera, and that feels about right. At times, these songs are zany, or absurd, or over-the-top, and the six long-winded pieces which comprise the album are filled-to-the-brim with storytelling. The biggest sonic touchstones, to my ears, are the raw, lyrical indie rock of Empty Country and the passionate, heart-on-sleeve punk of Titus Andronicus - The Heist Revenge does its own thing, but those references will get you in the ballpark.
The half-dozen tracks each provide the listener with the voice of a different narrator - some easily identifiable, some more cryptic. The album’s central conceit is the education (of sorts) of its youthful protagonist, learning about the world and his place in it, while being offered life advice from assorted influences. The tone is sometimes cynical, often biting, and pretty much always a little bleak, but the album still manages to carry a hard-to-kill germ of hope which makes it all go down a bit easier. In the end, the finale’s assertion of a universal truth might be rather predictable in the context of the album, but it still feels
earned after all that came before.
All that came before?
For Losers Craving Love operates within a familiar and gritty rock framework, utilizing a fusion of genres ranging from punk to emo to heartland rock and, on occasion, visceral post-hardcore. The instrumentation rarely steals the show, instead supporting the near-omnipresent lyricism, but there’s plenty of catchy melodies to be found, and the periodic moments in which the verbal narration subsides aren’t a letdown. It must be noted that Lorenzen’s vocals are rather gruff and unpolished, enough so that they may form a barrier for some listeners, but the storytelling here is worth the price of admission. The lyrical style tends to be wordy, but it works, adding a literate and philosophical touch to the more blue-collar ethos the record otherwise embraces, while always feeling like something “real” is being transmitted.
Ultimately, despite its grand pretensions, the thing I like most about
For Losers Craving Love is its relative subtlety - the story it tells leaves plenty of room for the listener to tie things together on their own. For one thing, the songs’ various narrators require some puzzling out and ultimate interpretation on the listener’s part - even if some, like the youthful burnout (literally?) in “Firestarter” and the embittered coach in “A Broken Ladder” are reflective of, likely enough, someone you know, or if not, at least reminiscent of an archetype you’ve watched on screen in some movie. For another, what you take away from this album has less to do with what its creator and/or his stock characters advocate, and more to do with what you put into it, and where you’re coming from - this isn’t a preachy record insistent on a particular message. And, finally, the album’s narrative doesn’t actually end, in any real sense, as the final track’s title (“The Middle of a Story”) alludes to. There’s some cathartic realization that the great mass of humanity is in the same boat, delivered by some kind of sinister extraterrestrial visitor (naturally!), but that’s not really “meaning of life” material, rather just an acknowledgement we’re all still looking for answers, and probably always will be. On that note, what a closer - cosmic, epic, replete with beautiful recurring motifs from elsewhere in the album, and perfectly encapsulating the record’s strengths. The Heist Revenge’s introductory full-length is quite a triumph - it’s a thought-provoking listen, for one thing, but if nothing else, I can’t get the singing of the LP’s titular phrase out of my head. Give it a try! Or not, I guess - you don’t need to take my word for it, I’m simply another loser out here, craving love.
