Flatbasset Radio's Album Of The Week for the week of May 19th-25th, 2014:
Howler - World Of Joy
01. Al's Corral
02. Drip
03. Don't Wanna
04. Yacht Boys
05. In The Red
06. World Of Joy
07. Louise
08. Here's The Itch That Creeps Through My Skull
09. Indictment
10. Aphorismic Wasteland Blues
Confession: I've never heard Howler's debut America Give Up. Despite the fact that shambolic, hooky, garage rock is pretty much the greatest thing ever (and the fact that I did love the song "Told You Once"), I just never got around to it. I'm sure I will eventually. In fact, having given World Of Joy a few spins now, I find myself more curious than ever to go pick it up.
I realize it's not especially creative to compare World Of Joy to a Replacements record, but the similarities are inescapable (at least on the first half). From the album art (which recalls Hootenanny!) to the style & substance of the songs ("Drip" is essentially "Tommy Got His Tonsils Out"), the debt is clear no matter how much Jordan Gatesmith may say otherwise.
Keep in mind that I don't mean that as a criticism. Twin Cities bands have been trying to capture that magic-in-a-bottle formula for years to wildly varying degrees of success. With World Of Joy Howler nails it. The first batch of songs are snotty, self-destructive, and an absolute ball.
(Quick note for Smiths fans: It's well known that Howler is on Rough Trade and that singer Jordan Gatesmith is dating Johnny Marr's daughter. That doesn't make it any less curious to see noted Morrissey foil Geoff Travis' name in that "Thank You" notes. It does, however, make it pretty funny Gatesmith sings, "You don't have to listen to The Smiths if you don't wanna..." Clever guy, that guy.)
The second half of the album is where Howler really makes their case for a career that outlives the buzz. The title track skews shoegaze in the style of The Horrors. "Louise" sounds like very late era Replacements. "Here's The Itch That Creeps Through My Skull" is easily the highlight or the lowlight of the record depending on just what it is you want out of Howler. It's a mid-tempo pop song (complete with some sparkling, ahem, Marr-esque guitar work) that wouldn't have sounded out of place on the Singles soundtrack. It's a genuine high water mark for the band and an exciting moment for anybody who wants Howler's career arc to be more Replacements than Tapes N Tapes (for the record, I love TNT. We're talking career arcs here, people).
Anyway, that's what I've taken away from two spins. I'm sure the record will reveal plenty more over the course of the week.
