Less gritty and more hook-filled than '07's comeback album Destroy Their Future, Dear Friends and Gentle Hearts is a surprisingly eclectic and celebratory offering from this ace NorCal punk 'n' roll outfit. At a time when many punk acts seem to be maturing into a sound that owes as much to Springsteen and The Hold Steady as the old scene, American Steel has released a diverse affair that manages to remain evocative and immediate without ever looking back. Well, actually, it does look back - to the Mescaleros (“Your Ass Ain't Laughing Now,” “Where You Want To Be”), to moody New Wave (the taut verses of “The Blood Gets Everywhere”), even to the best and most enduring elements of emo (“Finally Alone”). But while American Steel's trademark roughed-up dark edges persist, it's obvious the band has no intention of rehashing its own back catalog, and every experiment here - including maudlin last-call crooner “Meals & Entertainment,” a tune that in lesser punk-scene hands could've come off as a disastrous joke - is satisfyingly successful. - Scott Harrell