Howler
World Of Joy
Rough Trade Records [2014]
Fire Note Says: Former buzz band takes a solid step forward from their debut on World of Joy.
Album Review: Howler was a bit of a buzz band a few years ago when their debut album America Give Up was released. It was a tasty slice of rock equally influenced by The Strokes and The Ramones, you can’t go wrong there, right? Fast forward a few years and Howler has dropped World of Joy on us with considerably less buzz, but the results are more satisfying than the debut. While the hooks remain strong, the songs are a lot looser and grimier, and all the better for it!
World of Joy adds a whole lot of” I don’t give a shit” attitude that makes the record seem more dangerous than their debut. It has a razor sharp edge that the debut was lacking. Where America Give Up sounds like an homage to their influences, World of Joy sounds like the work of a band who is confident and ready to kick your ass at a moment’s notice. “Al’s Corral” gets things started off in rousing fashion, the vocals snarl at you and the guitars slice your ears open, leaving you saying “oh hell yeah” to yourself. The intensity doesn’t drop off at all on “Drip”, in fact, it goes up a notch. This is The Ramones on as much speed as humanly possible, with a touch of The Damned thrown in for good measure and to give it character. Even though I think all of the rockers on the album are totally solid, it’s the slower song “Here’s The Itch That Creeps Through My Skull” that gets my vote for finest track on the album. It still has all of the attitude of the fast songs, but dare I say it introduces some sensitivity to the band, and goes a long way towards establishing Howler as a band with its own identifiable sound rather than a band that you can play spot the influences with.
The first half of World of Joy is jam packed with pop infused garage rock songs, whereas the second half of the record finds the band stretching their sound a bit, and finding their footing on some slower paced songs as mentioned earlier, and even some dronier songs, like the title track, which locks into a nice stoner groove and massages your neurons into pure ear ecstasy. This album is an improvement on their debut album, and shows that Howler certainly has some serious potential and is definitely worth keeping an eye on.
Key Tracks: “Here’s The Itch That Creeps Through My Skull” / “Al’s Corral” / “World of Joy”
Artists With Similar Fire: The Strokes / Palma Violets / White Denim
Howler Website
Howler Facebook
Rough Trade Records
– Reviewed by Kevin Poindexter
Born and raised in Dayton, Ohio, I am extremely proud of the area I grew up in and the influence it has had on the world at large, from the Wright Brothers to Robert Pollard, the area has been a center of innovation both technologically and artistically. During my college years at the University of Dayton, I found myself becoming more and more immersed in the local music scene, a period of time in the early to mid 90's that coincided with the rise of bands like Guided by Voices, Brainiac, and The Breeders, who added to the rich musical legacy of the area. Dayton is also the hometown of many giants of funk in the 70's and is also the birthplace of Jazz greats Billy Strayhorn, John Scofield and Bud Shank. I wrote extensively for The Fire Note, a great online magazine focused on indie rock, in the 2010's while simultaneously being a partner in Rockathon Records, before retiring from both in 2018. In 2024, my thoughts turned back to helping at Rockathon and more importantly to pick back up on my writing, and more specifically to write about my love of jazz. I'm always listening, always searching for something new, something great. It's been a lifelong journey, and I still feel like there is so much out there to hear.
- Kevin Poindexterhttps://thefirenote.com/author/kpoindexter/
- Kevin Poindexterhttps://thefirenote.com/author/kpoindexter/
- Kevin Poindexterhttps://thefirenote.com/author/kpoindexter/
- Kevin Poindexterhttps://thefirenote.com/author/kpoindexter/
