Album Review: Howler - America Give Up

Album Rating: B+

A warning in advance: if you're not a fan of reviews which repeatedly reference and make comparisons to other bands, then you're probably best off stopping here. Such an approach can admittedly often seem lazy and somewhat dismissive, but the fact of the matter is that it's simply not possible to give an accurate account of these Minneapolis newcomer's music without making parallels with acts already established. Let's get this out the way; Howler couldn't sound more like The Strokes if they tried. Hey, maybe they do try; that would certainly go some way towards explaining why they've chosen lo-fi garage rock with vocals which sound like they've been recorded from within a tin as a career path, but in all fairness, they execute their aping of the New York legends with considerable style.

2012: A Look Ahead



Great Expectations... will 2012
be the year that The Gaslight

Anthem become huge?

Ah, finally it's 2012, and thank Christ - no more end of year lists!

Yes, the obligatory avalanche of retrospective madness has finally ran it's course, and at long last we can begin looking ahead at what the new year has to offer. And wouldn't you know it, even a cursory glance over the coming months reveals plenty that's worth getting excited about.

As well as the obvious big names and returning old favourites, there are also legions of newer acts hoping to make an impression with debut releases, while others who have already completed that opening hurdle will be looking to kick on and really establish themselves within the industry. So, with a run through the early year release schedule, as well as a few well educated pieces of guesswork, let's cast our minds ahead and behold what could well be another year of stellar musical achievement...

Live Review: The Vaccines, O2 Academy Newcastle, 21/11/2011

Their impact hasn't quite reverberated overseas, but in the UK at least The Vaccines have been the new band of 2011. Fresh from an a prestigious slot opening for the Arctic Monkeys and having comprehensively smashed the summer festivals, this really has been an enormous year for the London quartet, and as such there wasn't a ticket to spare for this -the first date on their biggest headline tour to date. In fact, their popularity is such that this particular run of dates was more akin to a victory lap than a promotional jaunt, something which was reflected by the celebratory atmosphere from the moment they took to the stage. On top of that, the main support of the night came from excellent local indie-pop band Frankie & The Heartstrings, meaning that this particular gig often felt like a co-headliner what with the reception they received from the appreciative home crowd.

Album Review: Howler - Mud EP

Apparently, after some introspection and working through some decision making on their music, Zucchini Drive is through. However, they make their triumphant return as Howler, quipped to lead their musical style "down a grittier, richer indie-rock inspired road". Their debut release under their new name is the Mud EP, which is a pretty dark, electronic, somewhat abstract piece of experimentalism / trip hop / post-rock. With a good half of the emphasis on mixing and synthesized sounds and beats, and the other on instrumental and vocal harmonies syncing together, the EP stands to be one of the more quirky pieces of music released this year.