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And though the change in volume might be ‘Howl’’s defining characteristic... it’s the shift in attitude that is its finest.
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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.
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This turn for the yee-haw is a bit mystifying but hardly a mistake; Howl is exactly the cry the BRMC needed to make.
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BRMC’s third album is a triumph.
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Overall, the songwriting and performances are consistently gripping.
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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.
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Howl is surprisingly solid.
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They've broken their own mold and achieved something unexpectedly fine and durable.
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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.
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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.
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"Howl" burns with just as much commitment and fervour [as the previous two albums]; it simply burns slower.
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Under The RadarIt's a generally unconvincing re-direction of their sound. [#10, p.105]
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Los Angeles TimesA 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]
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MojoThe new approach... lets them explore their lyrical side. [Sep 2005, p.94]
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UncutSparse, literate... and full of killer tunes. [Sep 2005, p.105]
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Q MagazineThis is a record of towering acoustic-based songwriting. [Sep 2005, p.114]
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Paste MagazineHowl feels consistently meaty and comfortably crafted. [Oct/Nov 2005, p.121]
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Rolling StoneThe songwriting on mellower numbers like "Promise" isn't as finely crafted as the expansive sound. [25 Aug 2005, p.99]
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Alternative PressDisappointingly forgettable. [Nov 2005, p.218]
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BlenderSound[s] like bad Southern swamp songs covered by the world's most miserable bar band. [Sep 2005, p.131]
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A refreshing and revelatory palate-cleanser.
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Entertainment WeeklyDeeply hypnotic narco-blues that conjure both The Band's epic pastorals... and Nick Cave's Southern Goth. [26 Aug 2005, p.59]
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SpinHowl 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]
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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.
Awards & Rankings
User score distribution:
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Positive: 44 out of 54
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Mixed: 4 out of 54
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Negative: 6 out of 54
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JorinRNov 26, 2005
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MarkL.May 2, 2007
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FrankDOct 14, 2006