Witnessing a band on an obvious ascent to stardom can be a pretty breathtaking thing. The confidence, the ambition, the pursuit of rock and roll dreams about to come to glorious fruition. But most exciting of all is the realisation that their music has struck a chord so sweetly that it's impossible for others not to feel the same way. Seeing Howler in a small venue last night was the first time I recall that sense of anticipation since The Strokes in 2001. Songs straining at the leash to be heard by the masses, a band so immaculately attuned to each other's movements that it looks unerringly effortless. Of course The Strokes are a good reference point as This One's Different attests - fuzzed-out guitars, arrow-sharp melodies, a seductive insouciance - but Howler are a little more ragged, in obvious thrall to Seattle as well as New York and not quite as predestined to magazine covers. All of which makes them more lovable but no less effective when it comes to indie dancefloor thrills. Ones to watch in other words.
This One's Different by Howler - listen on Spotify here.
From: America Give Up (2012)
No comments:
Post a Comment