Remember back in December when Jack White was arrested for beating up some guy from some band in some Detroit bar, enabling him to join the ranks of celebrities with unflattering mug shots on www.thesmokinggun.com? And remember how all that press launched that guy and his band out of the abyss of never-heard-of-'em-must-be-some-indie-crap status?

Don't fret -- I don't remember the second part either.

Regardless of name recognition, or lack thereof, and lukewarm on the heels of that barroom brawl, garage rock band the Von Bondies (with battered frontman Jason Stollsteimer) has released Pawn Shoppe Heart, an album that might rescue the band from obscurity.

Pawn Shoppe Heart starts off well enough with the catchy "No Regrets," then the band continues to pound out the same formula for the next four songs. Granted, it's a pretty good formula, but even the best formula gets tired after a while.

"Not That Social" shakes things up a bit by replacing Stollsteimer with bassist Carrie Smith as the lead vocalist. Smith's voice is a welcome change, a lighter companion to the band's often cluttered sound than Stollsteimer's baritone.

The album isn't an entirely innovative effort, and at its best is clearly similar to mentor-turned-enemy the White Stripes, only a little busier. At its worst, the Von Bondies sounds like an amalgamation of The Cure on crack, your friend's little brother's band and a pubescent Jim Morrison.

-- Reviewed by Laura Kruczynski