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Howl
EMAILPRINTby Black Rebel Motorcycle Club

Generally favorable reviews
Based on 24 critic reviews
How did we calculate this?
Based on 44 votes
Read user comments
Rate this album >
Album Info
Label: Red Ink / Echo
Release Date: 23 August 2005
Discs: 1 disc
Genre(s): Indie, Rock
Summary
A radical departure from previous efforts, the band's third album adds a lot of acoustic guitars and other Americana and blues elements into the mix.
Also By This Artist: Baby 81 Black Rebel Motorcycle Club Take Them On, On Your Own
Also On The Web: Official Artist Site
What The Critics Said
All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...
Entertainment Weekly
Deeply hypnotic narco-blues that conjure both The Band's epic pastorals... and Nick Cave's Southern Goth. [26 Aug 2005, p.59]
Neumu.net
They've broken their own mold and achieved something unexpectedly fine and durable.
Read Full Review >Dot Music
"Howl" burns with just as much commitment and fervour [as the previous two albums]; it simply burns slower.
Read Full Review >The Guardian
Overall, the songwriting and performances are consistently gripping.
Read Full Review >Uncut
Sparse, literate... and full of killer tunes. [Sep 2005, p.105]
Mojo
The new approach... lets them explore their lyrical side. [Sep 2005, p.94]
Q Magazine
This is a record of towering acoustic-based songwriting. [Sep 2005, p.114]
Junkmedia
This turn for the yee-haw is a bit mystifying but hardly a mistake; Howl is exactly the cry the BRMC needed to make.
Read Full Review >Spin
Howl is not exactly the group's Nebraska--BRMC dabble in too much "White Album" Beatlemania for that--but it's a general extension of that record. [Sep 2005, p.101]
Los Angeles Times
A love song to American blues, gospel, country dirges and classic songwriting, rife with harmonica, soulful harmonies and dark lyrical themes anchored in notions of loss and redemption. [14 Aug 2005]
musicOMH.com
It isn't their best record, but as an acknowledgement that slabs of feedback-laden noise weren't going to take them much further, and change was needed for an attempt at a long-term career, it's promising.
Read Full Review >New Musical Express
And though the change in volume might be ‘Howl’’s defining characteristic... it’s the shift in attitude that is its finest.
Read Full Review >Prefix Magazine
By the time the country twang of “Ain’t No Easy Way” hits with a massive drum-and-harmonica stomp, thoughts of Howl being a “Hey, let’s try this” album vanish, and the music becomes the entrancing jaunt of a band not necessarily finding itself, per se, but at least writing the best songs of its career.
Read Full Review >Pitchfork
Cramming together brash rock snottiness with meek country hollers is hardly uncharted territory (not that it matters), but BRMC's particular mash-up still makes for a strangely intriguing party.
Read Full Review >Paste Magazine
Howl feels consistently meaty and comfortably crafted. [Oct/Nov 2005, p.121]
Rolling Stone
The songwriting on mellower numbers like "Promise" isn't as finely crafted as the expansive sound. [25 Aug 2005, p.99]
Trouser Press
The further they veer from the course (like the misshapen slide guitar and honking harmonica in the stupendous single "Ain’t No Easy Way"), the more memorable the sound.
Read Full Review >Under The Radar
It's a generally unconvincing re-direction of their sound. [#10, p.105]
Alternative Press
Disappointingly forgettable. [Nov 2005, p.218]
The Onion (A.V. Club)
Howl indulges the band's heretofore-dormant interest in country, gospel, and Delta blues, in an exercise that sounds about as exercise-y as music gets.
Read Full Review >Blender
Sound[s] like bad Southern swamp songs covered by the world's most miserable bar band. [Sep 2005, p.131]
What Our Users Said
The average user rating for this album is 8.1 (out of 10) based on 44 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.
Mark L. gave it a9:
This album has incredible depth. I find that when artists explore a different sound for a collection of works, people freak out. Why that is, i have no idea. You'd think people would marvel in their ability to cover more ground than what they've previously achieved. BRMC knows how to write songs and capture a feeling with each song. These folk rock songs are a great modernization of old sounds done BRMC style... Great album.
Frank D gave it a9:
Excellent songwriting throughout. Devil's Waitin' would be on Cash's American Recordings VI if Rubin could milk him any further and Ain't No Easy Way is a killer tune. Too bad they can't play their instruments, but the songwriting is awesome.
Ron P gave it a10:
Don't expect the same ol' BRMC - expect something that will blow you away and bring you back time and time again for more...
Mark W gave it a9:
Obviously different to their earleir stuff. Definately better than the previous album. The slower more lyrical stuff works for me. Love it.
Zack A gave it a10:
I thoroughly enjoyed this album. It's one of my favorites of the year. I've gone back and started listening to some Blind Willie Johnson because of it.
TenaciousK gave it a10:
My favorite album of the year. Don't buy it expecting the same BRMC sound. If your musical tastes range broader than the last decade's top 40, particularly if you have some simultaneous appreciation of blues, folk and modern music, you'll love it.
matt a gave it an8:
This is a solid album and great redirection of their sound. Up until track 8 I was convinced I was listening to a definite top ten album of the year. After track 8 it isn't terrible just not as solid which puts it just in my top 25 right now. This is a great cd, much better than the metascore would indicate.
