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So, BRMC’s eagerly awaited third album has landed and the new direction that they announced last summer after their spilt with Virgin has finally come to fruition. The band have themselves said that they had exhausted their rock back catalogue, however for hardened fans who are expecting another album built for crowd surfing they may be a little disappointed with ‘Howl’…
Opening track ‘Shuffle Your Feet’ kicks off with a slightly unexpected chorus of “Tiiiiime won’t save our souls”; will this album be a voyage of discovery or have BRMC gone all religious on us?…not religious, thank God, just country and despite their success in the rock genre, they have to be applauded for branching out into a zone that not only suits the voice of Pete Hayes but also allows them to add another string to their already buckling bow.
‘Still Suspicion Holds You Tight’ could be described as the backbone of this album, its gently plodding harmonica infused guitars steadily guide you through Hayes’ vocals while he wails “You’re everything you need but still suspicion holds you tight”. It is just one of the many tunes on ‘Howl’ that you could expect to hear round a campfire in Texas somewhere…though at first they may seem a little boring, they are poetic songs that concoct lines like “risen from the tide to my father’s door” and that after a time leave you slapping yourself at the notion that you could think this album is anything other then superb.
'Weight Of The World' is the most beautiful tracks on the album but without a glimmer of a doubt the best track by a very long shot (and the most similar to the old BRMC) is the stomping, country infused ‘Ain’t No Easy Way Out’; an obvious choice for their first single release from ‘Howl’ and a track that keeps on growing and growing with the addition of harmonica’s, slide guitars and those rasping vocals of Hayes all leave the listener drowning in pleasure as more voices and drums abruptly end the best song of the summer.
Despite the initial down tempo nature of ‘Howl’ BRMC have managed to create another album that ticks all the boxes and that will no doubt endear BRMC to a slightly different fan base but that should keep old fans happy at least after a few listens…
