If you had told me a year ago I would be loving a bunch of young, hungry bands the “kids” of today were into, I guess I wouldn’t be that surprised: after all, I’ve been loving The Dirty Nil since discovering their brand of loud, in-your-face pop punk. But the sheer volume of these young bands, and the strength of their music gives me hope that maybe, just maybe, rock is coming back. Case in point: Militarie Gun, whose second (or third depending on how you count) album God Save The Gun was recommended to me by my friend Sean, who wasn’t even alive when I started dating my wife. It’s a terrific, heart-on-sleeve rock album that straddles the swagger of garage rock with pop punk and indie with a bellyful of hardcore/emo themes.

Things I learned while writing this and listening to God Save The Gun for the umpteenth time: leader Ian Shelton was a former straight edge kid who didn’t have a sip of alcohol until age 30. Which isn’t what surprised me; what surprised me was it means Shelton is in his mid to late 30s – not the springiest of spring chickens. I also learned how a band can seamlessly integrate modern R&B and hip-hop production tricks into a punk rock album, as on the coda to “Kick.” I learned that at age 52 I can still get a head rush when guitars kick into gear like on opening track “B A D I D E A” with its Rancid-inspired chanting chorus.

The hooks throughout the album are massive, and rather than the tight, compressed power chord arrangements of a lot of bands, Militarie Gun opt for a loose, shaggy rumble for William Acuña and Kevin Kiley’s guitars. I also love the open air sound of the drums: drummer David Stalsworth has a great sense of dynamics, and can thunder and hold back in service to the nuances of each song. Bassist Waylon Trim has a gritty bass tone that does more than just replicate the guitars or accentuate the kick drum, and I dig the way he lays the foundation on a song like the slower, reflective “Thought You Were Waving”.

But I’d be lying if I said the main draw wasn’t the cathartic, melodic rasp of singer Ian Shelton. His voice has a weariness when it’s not in danger of tearing his vocal cords on God Save the Gun’s more bombastic moments. The latter half of the album takes an interesting swerve with tracks like the pop-forward “Wake Up And Smile” and the brief segue of “Isaac’s Song” with Issac Brock of Modest Mouse. By the time of the closing title track (again, great guitar tone here, with the tremolo really making it pulse and throb) I’m ready to flip it back over and start again from scratch.

I still haven’t gone back to the earlier releases in Militarie Gun’s catalog, which could be seen as a slight knock against the band, but in truth, it’s because I haven’t even begun to tire of this record yet.

I’d say that’s a good thing.