123 - Howling Hex (The)

Advantages: A lot of very good tracks. See 'Setting Sun' and 'The Bell Hit'
Disadvantages: Very few - very close to perfect.

...After seeing the Howling Bells support Placebo last year, I've been listening to a lot of Howling Bells. Ever since I bought the album 5 months ago, it's been creeping back in and out of my collection and deservedly so - it contains some very good tracks, which makes me wonder why they haven't done a lot better than they have. The album begins with 'The Bell Hit', an excellent sing along song, packed with a great chorus and a brooding verse. Their is more to come in the way of hits, such as the singles 'Broken Bones' and the album highlight, and also a single, 'Setting Sun', which has an immediate effect to make the listener attach it. Other highlights are 'Low Happening' and 'The Night Is Young'. The best thing about this album is the voice, provided by the sexy Juanita Stein. It has an inate charm that oozes sex and style... Read review

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Advantages: nice change in direction, better than the last album
Disadvantages: a few weak tracks

...the effects pedals and feedback in the cupboard for a while, favouring a more polished approach.To say it's a poor album is misleading, because there's good stuff on there, it's just hugely deflating when a band like BRMC release something like this that doesn't fulfil any of the promise of the first album.The album got better reviews than it probably deserved, but was a commercial flop.The band slipped out of the music press radar and it seemed like the game could be well be up. Things got worse when Nick Jago was apparantly ousted from the band.Whether or not this was true is debateable, but he returned in time to make this album in 2005.After the commercial disaster of the last album, BRMC had a rethink and made a record that you can't really compare to their back catalogue at all.'Howl' is a record under the influence of country, blues... Read review

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Advantages: The Fall at one of their peaks
Disadvantages: None

...much more vital than anything else around at the time, simultaneously down to earth and almost alien. It's probably still the Fall album I return to most often So, if you want to hear one of our best bands at their uncompromising best, this is where you'll find them. Smith's 'unique' vocal style, together with lyrics like this: 'The mad kid walked left-side south-side towards me He was about 7 His mother was a cleaning lady She had a large black dog And the mad kid said: "Gimme the lead Gimme the lead Gimme the lead"' should at least arouse some curiosity. The recent CD re-release is tricked out with a bonus disc of mostly inessential alternative and live versions and other bits and bobs. Get it if you can but by all means get hold of Hex in one form or another. And then buy all The Fall's other albums.... Read review

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