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Post by blade on May 29, 2014 19:30:14 GMT
Please feel free to add any you find.... ********************* Source: drownedinsound.com/releases/18257/reviews/4147809Text: Howling Bells Heartstrings Release Date: 02/06/2014 by Sammy Maine May 29th, 2014 Back in 2006, a bunch of Aussies released a debut album that would put them at the forefront of the indie circuit. Howling Bells' self-titled offering was packed full of desert-drenched guitars, pulsating rhythms and smouldering vocals from frontwoman Juanita Stein and solidified their cinematic sound as one of the most exciting in recent years. Sadly, what to follow was not as exciting; 2009's Radio Wars was a confused dive into the electronic world, that had even the most loyal of fans struggling to press the repeat button whereas 2011's The Loudest Engine saw the quartet return to their rockier roots but with a lacklustre finish. The Howling Bells that stormed our shores almost a decade ago seemed to be lost forever. Severing ties with record labels and taking time out for themselves seems to have done wonders for the band. Whilst the album wasn't exactly 'planned', Heartstrings sees Howling Bells sound more defined and confident than they have in years. Working with Foals and The Killers producers Catherine J Marks and Alan Moulder has also allowed the album to sound fuller than ever, in the way Foals' 'Inhaler' pretty much blew everyone's ears off. As soon as the echoing, grungey riff of 'Paris' opens the record, it's like the last two albums never happened. Juanita is back to her husky yet feminine vocal, often tailing off into the odd gorgeous falsetto, giving the opener a real bite in terms of sing-a-long-ability. This is a song that says, 'We're back, bitches'. Howling Bells have often harked back to the soundtracks of eerie cult cinema. Here, that's explicitly evoked by the cover art and Heartstrings certainly sets a scene, song-by-song. 'Possessed' smacks you in the face with immediate angry, frantic strums as Juantia shouts "I've come back" that breaks down into a juxtaposing pretty bridge before abruptly finishing at a short 1.50. It's proof that this is a record where the band are focusing on their strengths - creating an atmosphere with a damn good dusty riff and a simple, yet addictive backing beat. This beat aspect takes centre stage with 'Your Love', bringing the drums to the forefront making for a climactic and epic instrumented surge. Juanita's repetition of the title may get a little tiresome but the overlapping harmonies and backing vocals allow them to eventually come into play with the rest of the instrumentation. Single 'Slowburn' is up there with 'Low Happening' and 'Setting Sun'. It could easily have slotted onto their debut with its catchy, stay-in-your-head-for-days crescendo chorus and the guitars sound absolutely full of depth in terms of production. The repetitive lyrics aren't a problem here, as Howling Bells so often demonstrate their ability to produce a hit in under three minutes. However, the repetitive lyrics do get a little tiresome and the metaphors a little obvious with 'Tornado', which is disappointing, as the instrumentation is often so full of cinematic glory. The band also love a good ballad and here we're faced with 'Euphoria' and 'Paper Heart' which, thanks to some tinkling xylophones, echoing bass lines and the band's token guitars, allows Juanita to really shine. The key changes on 'Paper Heart' are particularly beautiful. It does however, slow the album down a little too much, almost squashing the energy the first few tracks had mustered. Finishing with the grungey 'Original Sin' and 'Reverie' before ending with the slow-paced title track, this is a band back to their best. Confident song structures, accomplished, fearless vocals and beautifully put-together instrumentation, Heartstrings will coax the band's early fans into forgiving them for their previous offerings. Stick to the guitars guys, you sound wonderful. 8/10 - Sammy Maine's Score
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Post by blade on May 30, 2014 12:48:07 GMT
Source: www.theupcoming.co.uk/2014/05/29/howling-bells-heartstrings-album-review/Text: Thursday 29th May 2014 As the title suggests, Howling Bells’ new album is meant to be emotional: the songs on Heartstrings are about love and loss. The distorted instrumentation throughout speaks of a troubled mind suffering through misery, but there’s also a glittering expectation and hope. heartGuitars wail and grind, frontwoman Juanita Stein’s voice scratches like it’s being projected through a megaphone, but then there are songs here that shimmer like clear skies after a rainstorm. On the album’s title, Stein explains: “There are extreme highs and lows on it, and as a band we’ve tumbled through all of that.” Heartstrings plays out like a musical reflection of this mentality and experience. This album is personal, much of the lyrics openly reflective and introspective. Lead single Slowburn deals with Stein’s frustration with a life scuppered by stagnation, while the glittering Euphoria finds her both crying and laughing out loud. The most grandiose number, Your Love, begins with a grander statement than anything else on Heartstrings as Stein questions “where have all the moments gone, and where is all the love?” It seems too readily made for a Facebook status update to be personal, but then Stein follows with the line: “I miss your sadness and broken heart, but most of all I miss your love”, the final refrain of which she repeats over and over as if trying to summon it back into existence. Musically, Heartstrings find Howling Bells flitting between their country and folk tethering and a more visceral, grating rock sound. Tornado is a skittering track with a guitar line that twangs like a country western, while Original Sin has a bluesy rock vibe reminiscent of The Black Keys, right down to Stein’s distorted vocals and the woah-woah harmonies. Paper Hearts is the most theatrical thing here, with a bohemian-inspired piano line that sits just outside anything else on the record. Some tracks suffer from being overstuffed and mired in production overlays, meaning the country inspired tunes work better. The emotional resonance that this album aspires to does get lost underneath the noise of the band’s rockier pieces. Heartstrings finds Howling Bells in a confident mood. While not every song hits the same emotional heights, the music here is solid, and Stein’s sometimes visceral, sometimes theatrical sentimentality is dynamic and highly listenable. 4/5 Piri Eddy
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Post by blade on May 30, 2014 12:54:00 GMT
Source: dotsanddashes.co.uk/reviews/howling-bells-heartstrings/Text: Since Sydney-via-London-slash-Berlin four-piece Howling Bells were last heard from, tangential bands (most notably Juanita’s Albert Albert and Joel’s Glassmaps) have formed, bassists (namely Brendan Picchio) have departed and the former Stein has brought her firstborn child, Daisy Jean, into being. Thus to even so much as insinuate that the siblings – arguably going stronger than ever before – have been slacking off since The Loudest Engine of 2011 is contemptuous to say the least. Indeed, cut Heartstrings loose from your listening patterns at your peril, because the Antipodeans’ fourth full-length effort witnesses something of a reversion to the grandiose darkness both known and renowned of their dramatic eponymous début of eight years ago. This particular record may have been conceived, much like Daisy Jean, in London, although it begins with a track entitled Paris. “The opening riff just kills us! … There would have been no other way to begin this record” Juanita has said of said number and its beyond prominent positioning, and she’s not wrong, the song glimmering with glimpses of bygone glamour, and grandeur with it. Similarly, the sumptuous Euphoria hears Stein candidly lament atop typically ethereal desert-rock: “I cry, once in a while I cry/ I fall, every so often I fall.” Of its bridge, she soothes: “It’s all I want to be, drowning in harmony” and that is exactly how this sounds, although there is the discernible sound of human maturation at the heart of it all. Come a coaxing second verse, she remedies the song’s initial refrain, so that it should read: “We cry, every so often we cry.” Quite who she’s including in this first-person, plural personal pronoun remains unclear, although with two different sets of bandmates, besides a family to comfort her, gone is the lonesome, porcelaneous girl who once bewailed: “Broken bones may hurt, but a broken heart will… never mend.” With hers seemingly having been put back together again, moments of maternal tenderness are caught up in Heartstrings: “I wanna be in Paris with a son” (or should that be ‘the sun’? Given the French capital’s largely temperamental, if not inclement climate, the former somehow seems more likely in the longer run) she swoons of its opening number, while a perseverant, parental preserve hears her implore we “keep the voices down” during the otherwise unremarkable Tornado. Elsewhere, an increasingly comfortable lifestyle has had a seemingly detrimental impact upon Stein’s livelihood, to which an unbearably maudlin title track attests. Her likening a nonspecific affection to “some kind of romantic heroin” is one thing, setting the tone for a song bursting at the seams with such wince-inducing lyricisms as these. “Love doesn’t destroy; it creates” is quite another. For they don’t so much tug at your proverbial heartstrings, as much as they make you wish you donated your internal organs at birth, to then be left bereft of feeling throughout life itself. The hackneyed ballad that is Paper Heart proves equivalently ill-judged, the stationary allegory more Wernham Hogg than The Office. (A reference, one suspects, that will no longer be lost on adopted Londoner, Juanita.) However, as has always been the way, there remains a blustery, and at times outright tempestuous pomp and show to Howling Bells, that ensures they continue to resonate with their audience. Theirs is one that may well have dwindled a little, but those who’ve stuck around have become increasingly rabid with time. And they’ll surely take solace in the rambunctious Possessed as much as they will the streaky, bleached Slowburn. But it’s the rip-roaring stomp of Reverie that is perhaps this record’s very best, Stein beginning: “I’ve come full circle, I’m here again/ Poison ready for the lion’s den/ I’ve made mistakes, they’re not the last/ You’ve not a future without a past.” And in embracing their altogether more macabre beginnings, Howling Bells have, here and there, put together a further reminder of how and why they first entered into our affections. 3/5 Josh Holliday
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Post by blade on May 30, 2014 12:55:51 GMT
Source: howlingbells.proboards.com/post/new/676Text: Album review by Stu Lewis. Published 27 May 2014 Motherhood has kept Juanita Stein and Howling Bells off the radar these past years and fourth album Heartstrings must surely be a test of their staying power, eight years after the release of a hugely promising debut. The band's strength remains Stein's breathless delivery; she could sing the Australian phonebook and still make it a captivating listen. Where Heartstrings falls down is that when the music slips towards the pedestrian, her dark, sultry tones are not enough to hold it up. After a powerful opening (Paris's mean hook, Possessed's battering riffs and the reflective Your Love), the record starts to feel listless and repetitive. Euphoria is less than euphoric and Paper Heart is papyrus-thin – only Original Sin adds a little lust and wrath to the album's closing stages. It's all perfectly pleasant, but pleasant just isn't enough to demand repeated listening. Thus, Howling Bells early potential remains unfilled for the time being. 2/5
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Post by blade on May 30, 2014 12:57:21 GMT
Source: themusic.com.au/reviews/album/2014/05/28/howling-bells-heartstrings-dylan-stewart/ Text: Since changing their name from Waikiki and moving to the UK, Howling Bells have forged a musical path that lies somewhere between the anthems of The Jezabels (Your Love) and the angst of PINS and Savages (Original Sin). Tender moments like Paper Heart and the brooding title track exist, but across Heartstrings an angular approach is taken that never allows the listener to become complacent. While it doesn’t represent a huge change in direction from The Loudest Engine, Heartstrings will surely appeal to Howling Bells fans, and maybe pick up a few more in the process. Dylan Stewart 3/5
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Post by blade on May 30, 2014 13:00:07 GMT
Source: blankgc.com.au/review-howling-bells-heartstrings/Text: By Kyle Butcher / Music/ May 27, 2014 Review: Howling Bells | Heartstrings The fourth album released by Howling Bells is a standout. Titled Heartstrings, it brings a turbulent mix of guitar and drums, swirling to make beautiful indie rock. Opening track Paris is powerful with an entrancing vocal melody pulling the song along. Backing melodies coo and round out the first track. The tracks buzz in and out, and Heartstrings feels like an album that you have to sit down and listen to in full. Your Love fills your head with waves of sweet guitar, thick with reverb and perfectly matched vocals. Tornado feels slightly ominous while coming across as a warning lyrically. The drums crack and underpin the pivotal points of the track perfectly. Euphoria by contrast is smooth and sombre; it captures you in its melancholic sound and manipulates your emotions effortlessly from start to finish. Original Sin is definitely my favourite track from Heartstrings. The song shows off fuzzed guitar work and an intro with an impressive melody driving the song. Howling Bells originally formed in Sydney and now reside in London and Berlin, with new English bassist Gary Daines. Heartstrings was recorded at Assault & Battery Studios in London, and the album was written in the basement of lead singer Juanita Stein’s home. Alan Moulder produced Heartstrings, and is well known for his work with The Killers, My Bloody Valentine and Depeche Mode.
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Post by blade on May 30, 2014 13:11:17 GMT
Source: www.rockfreaks.net/albums/6944Text: Howling Bells Heartstrings Written by: BW on 28/05/2014 00:27:04 Usually, when a band has a break for life reasons, they do seem to have a knack of not quite being the same when they return to our ears. Howling Bells have had their fair share of ups and downs, what with motherhood, band members leaving and all sorts you would think that their new album "Heartstrings" may well be a far fling from their more usual repertoire of minor chord induced and trippingly powerful indie rock. I have to admit to only hearing of them just recently, but it was their back catalogue that drew me towards them. As soon as I hear "Paris" on this new record I let my heart go back to a bygone era with an almost Embrace like guitar riff, which is so sweetly accentuated with Juanita Stein's haunting vocals. She is one of the main draws to the band at the best of times, but what makes this as good is that it is just potent enough to set you into the album, rather than overdoing it and leaving you disappointed near the end because all the good stuff has gone already. What truly fascinates me about them though is that when you're my age you can swear there are bits of so many accomplished artists and bands rich in their blood; and it just keeps you listening. "Possessed" is a little more like what you expect from the group. Some sordidly distorted guitars in the verses and some almost Echobelly-esque singing again keep you captivated. There is an eerie distance created and that only helps to add to some atmospheric styling that appears throughout the album, all to good effect. "Your Love" is probably the only one that doesn't seem to grab me as much as the others. I don't know if it just feels a little left out compared to the rest, but something seems to lack in this one compared to the others. A fair bit of chorus repetition doesn't help; it has to be said, with either "Your Love" or "I Love" being more or less all you get. I think it could be that it may be a little too cheery for such an album that prides itself on such excitable chord changes. The pre-released track, "Slowburn" does pack a hefty punch and is a joy to listen to. It ticks all the boxes you would want for a Howling Bells song and this also includes some nice, haunting melodic work during the chorus and even in the fill towards the end. It's a really good soundbite of what you want to hear, not to mention the bass is just so lovely. "Tornado" is a very interesting proposition. It has such a lean towards a western musical that it could have a Calamity Jane cameo, but it does have enough life to it to keep it interesting enough, as well as having that occasional injection of minor, which really does make a difference in this album. Now for the major surprise, which is my favourite track on the album is a ballad. "Euphoria" is simply a wonderful song and I could listen to this a hell of a lot, in such a way that I don't think I could have that overkill moment where you sicken yourself off it due to hearing it way too often. It has leanings towards Goldfrapp, Air and other bands of that area and it is just truly stunning. The rest of the album isn't that bad either to be honest. "Paper Heart" is also a slightly less powerful track, but I do think situating them in the middle of the album works very well. The fact that they aren’t what you’re expecting can divide people, in that one set don’t want things changed, but others think it is a good show of diversity. In this instance, the latter is my own opinion. “Original Sin” goes strongly back to their roots and is a tour de force in exactly what Howling Bells are normally about. It is a strong, powerful, meaty track with enough sass to stand on its own. Mind you, “Reverie” isn’t too far away from that benchmark either, especially in the chorus section where it sweeps you away at all the right times and in all the right places. At the end is the album title track and “Heartstrings” is again another change of direction, but for some reason you’re happy with it there. It is almost like a winding down exercise after the overload of different band influences you’ve heard going through the rest of the record. What truly staggers me above all else is the sheer diversity of the album, as not a lot of bands can pull that off. You normally end up with a few songs that when they go off the beaten track usually end up mauled by a rabid dog and left in a ditch somewhere. That does not happen here and what you are left with is not so much a reinvention of a band, more like a reinvigoration. Sure, life has come in and changed their own paths, but the path their music is going now seems more refined for it and the balance to their lives also seems to be echoing in their music. It is an essential purchase, if only just to show how it CAN be done. Download: Original Sin, Euphoria, Slowburn, Reverie For The Fans Of: Sons and Daughters, The Ettes, Band of Skulls, The Duke Spirit 9/10
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Post by blade on Jun 2, 2014 10:10:11 GMT
Source: www.musicomh.com/reviews/albums/howling-bells-heartstrings Text: Howling Bells – Heartstrings Caroline) UK release date: 2 June 2014 by John Murphy | Posted on 1 Jun 2014 in Albums You would be forgiven for thinking that we’d heard the last of Howling Bells. Eight years ago, the Australians released one of the best albums of the year with their self-titled debut, and it seems their career since then has been defined by a struggle to follow it. Their second album Radio Wars was a crushing disappointment, while 2011′s The Loudest Engine was so flat, many people were surprised to hear it had even been released. Since The Loudest Engine, there’s been side projects (lead singer Juanita Stein formed Albert Albert with former Kaiser Chiefs member Nick Hodgson while her guitarist brother Joel has been recording under the name Glassmaps), line-up changes and splits from record labels, but no sign of any new music. Until now, that is – and from the very first note of Heartstrings’ opening track Paris, it’s clear that Howling Bells have undergone something of a rebirth. The term ‘rebirth’ seems appropriate, not just because this is their first album since Juanita became a mother in 2012. Heartstrings is the follow-up that Radio Wars should have been, in which the Steins seem to have gone back to the drawing board to discover what made them great in the first place. And what makes them great is their songs – dusty, folk-blues Americana which sounds almost cinematic in places (indeed, even the album cover is designed as a movie poster). Paris sounds like a statement of intent, right from the opening fiery guitar riff which introduces a melody that swoops and soars magnificently. Stein’s voice sounds terrific: brooding, passionate and longing, and when its followed by the powerful, frantic and incendiary noise of Possession, it’s impossible not to feel that this is a band re-energised after a few years away. There are several moments that remind one of that debut album – the terrific Slowburn sounds both instantly familiar and irresistibly fresh and Tornado has a surf-guitar motif that almost fizzles with energy. Yet there’s also a resigned sadness lurking underneath, especially in Stein’s mournful vocals, which adds a level of maturity which serves the band well. The stripped-back Paper Heart sounds especially poignant, being just Stein’s voice against a piano and some soft strings, while Your Love is positively heartbreaking, especially Stein’s delivery of a line like “I miss your sadness and broken heart, but most of all I miss your love”. Although there’s a tendency to repeat lyrics a little too much – as on the otherwise excellent Tornado – it’s easy to overlook when they sound this focused. As great as much of Heartstrings is, there are a few issues with it. It’s rather front-loaded, as after the fiery opening half of the album, it peters out a bit towards the end with a few too many mid-paced ballads. Some, like the aforementioned Paper Heart, are impossibly pretty, but others, like the nondescript Euphoria or the title track which closes the album, are rather bland. That is, in all honesty, a minor quibble though, as the majority of Heartstrings is the stirring return to form that much of us had hoped for each time Howling Bells released a new record. We’ve been waiting eight years for them to confirm that their debut album was no one-off. Now, we know that’s not the case. 4/5
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Post by blade on Jun 2, 2014 10:12:35 GMT
Source: www.theartsdesk.com/new-music/cd-howling-bells-heartstrings Text: CD: Howling Bells - Heartstrings Adopted Londoners are back to what they do best on album number four by Lisa-Marie Ferla|Monday, 02 June 2014 Back with a bang: Howling Bells' 'Heartstrings' is anything but a slow-burner Any fears that Howling Bells’ short hiatus, or the new motherhood of frontwoman and lead songwriter Juanita Stein, had softened the band’s deliciously dark yet melodic songwriting must surely be assuaged by the huge, squalling riff that opens new album Heartstrings - and its lead track, “Paris”. While the song itself is a gorgeous, languid meditation on Europe’s romantic capital (“oh Paris, every song’s about you, every romance calls you”) it’s the sonic power of the four-piece’s simple guitar-drums-bass approach that makes its mission statement clear. Loud, but never knowingly jarring, is as succinct a description as it gets for about two thirds of Heartstrings; while another line from that opening track sums up the rest. Among the album’s “oh so sad and pretty” songs are “Your Love”, where Stein repeats those very words in a monotone over what counts for a chorus over a huge, echoey and gorgeous melody line. Her voice sounds dreamily smitten against the butterfly-soft harmonics of her brother Joel’s lead guitar on “Euphoria”, even if euphoric is not quite the word for it; while the album’s closing title track is easily one of the most beautiful things the band has ever done. Although “Heartstrings” the song makes a good ending for Heartstrings the album, it’s hard not to imagine the band’s live shows from now until forever closing with penultimate track “Reverie” - a huge slice of shoegaze that deserves to be turned up so loud it drowns out everything else. The strident “Slowburn” - a cracker of a first single that wouldn’t have been out of place on the band’s critically acclaimed self-titled debut - is nothing of the sort; while “Tornado”, penned by the Steins’ blues-singing father, is the closest the band has come to straight-up country. Although the lyrics are a struggle, the way that the song casts Juanita as a bluesy-voiced snake charmer singing clumsy metaphors about love bodes well for that country album she recently said was in her future.
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Post by blade on Jun 3, 2014 10:21:12 GMT
Source: www.thevpme.com/2014/06/03/howling-bells-heartstrings-review/Text: HOWLING BELLS – ‘Heartstrings’ Review Andy Von Pip June 03, 2014 Howling Bells fourth album ‘Heartstrings’ has been described in some quarters as “a return to form”… so we obviously must have missed the bit when they supposedly had some sort of creative crisis? Because to our ears there’s always been something to savour on every Howling Bells album. What surprised and delighted critics and music fans alike when their now classic debut album arrived some eight years ago was that a band could seemingly materialise out of the ether sounding so fully formed which such a distinctive style and singular sense of purpose. However, their subsequent albums ‘Radio Wars‘, and ‘The Loudest Engine’ did not enjoy the same critical acclaim as its predecessor as the band sought to develop their sound, to grow as writers and musicians. As lead singer Juanita Stein told us back in 2009 just prior to the release of ‘Radio Wars -‘ I suppose in following up any significant piece of work for an artist, you’ve created a platform so to speak – and whether we could have easily continued in the same vein – But it was really important for us to move and progress beyond that. We experimented with different styles of writing/recording/lyrical content/production etc….” This confused the critics who seemingly wanted Howling Bells to replicate their eponymous debut ad infinitum rather than expand their musical horizons and explore new sonic territories, which is a little odd. After all aren’t critics supposed to applaud those who seek creative growth and refuse to stick to what could be perceived as a ‘winning formula?’ But the day you start writing music to please the critics is the day you hang up your guitar and there’s never been anything formulaic about Howling Bells who have always sought to write, perform, and produce music on their own terms. They are a band who have always had a penchant for light and shade and been able to conjure majestic cinematic sound-scapes replete with flashes of sweeping drama alongside moments of quiet introspection and emotionally raw tenderness. And with their latest album ‘Heartstrings’, they do exactly that. It’s as potent and impressive a collection of songs as your likely to hear, full of passion and verve. They create a world of doomed grandeur imbued with a moody seductive beauty allied to an often-thunderous driving psyche tinged sound and subtle shoegazy shimmer. This is not so much a reawakening as a reaffirmation of intent. The album kicks off with the stirring chiming guitars of ‘Paris’ as Juanita’s languid dreamy vocals reflect on the allure of the city of romance, then you’re plunged headlong into the insistent melodic grunge fuelled rush of ‘Possession.‘ Current single ‘Your Love’ is a woozy brooding melancholic paean to lost love whilst elsewhere there’s the widescreen sonic thunder of ‘Original Sin’ the majestic previous single ‘Slowburn’, the sublime ‘Reverie’ and the dusty country tinged noir of ‘Tornado.’ If you need to pause for breath there are also gentler ballads such as ‘Euphoria’ and the sparse but poignant ‘Paper Heart.’ All in all ‘Heartstrings’ is as good as anything that’s gone before (and yes, we include their amazing debut.) Admittedly, there are some who may see this as “a return,” but for us Howling Bells never went away. We’re just grateful that after ten years together, the mechanisms of the music industry and fickleness of the critics hasn’t eroded their enthusiasm – ‘Heartstrings’ is proof positive that Howling Bells remain as passionate and driven to make music together as they’ve ever been. And given the ‘churn rate’ whereby bands are lauded as the best thing since sliced bread before quickly being written off as ‘toast’ by all strands of the media, this is a huge achievement in itself. Long may they continue to chime! 9/10
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Post by blade on Jun 5, 2014 8:44:58 GMT
Source: www.subba-cultcha.com/music/howling-bells-return-literal-desert-perhaps-assured-interesting-album-date/Text: Howling Bells return with perhaps tehir most assured and interesting album to date Published on June 3rd, 2014 4th times a charm for the once much-hyped band. Heartstrings is an aptly titled collection of emotionally engaging, deceptively vulnerable songs, and it sounds like pure sex. Howling Bells are one of those bands who really should have ‘made it’ in any logical universe. But this is a just universe where One Direction are stacking shelves at Tesco and Will.I.Am is found alone in his one-bedroom flat, hanging from a shower rail with his pants around his ankles and his own voice looped on repeat, blaring from his Beats headphones. This is a universe that cannot and will not exist, because life just isn’t quite fair. OK I might have got ahead of myself there, but the fact remains that a band on their 4th album, who have not only a back catalogue lesser, more celebrated bands would kill for, but a front-woman possessed of an almost supernatural charm really should be making waves by now. Let’s hope ‘Heartstrings’ can tug liberally on a few hundred thousand of the same and give Howling Bells the acclamation they have deserved for so long. Howling Bells are an Australian 4-piece who deal in subtly psychedelic pop-rock, which is underlined by the sultry tones of one Juanita Stein; the band’s front-woman and (not so) secret weapon. Heartstrings is not only their 4th album, but quite comfortably their best album since that acclaimed but overlooked debut. Whilst their sophomore ‘Radio Wars’ felt like something of a compromise between their ingrained otherworldliness and the whims of the mainstream, and it’s follow-up ‘The Loudest Engine’ had so little personality that it failed to reignite the spark. Heartstrings brings us full-circle. That’s not to say it’s merely a retread though. The opening ‘Paris’ sets up the record with confidence over a subtle riff that almost sounds like a play on ‘Shine on you Crazy Diamond’ given a shoe-gaze makeover before Stein’s vocals melt into the mix. There’s nothing revolutionary here, in fact, a line can be drawn all the way back to Fleetwood Mac through The Jesus and Mary Chain, the alt-rock of Cocteau Twins and Ride, and even the brit-pop explosion of the mid-nineties, it’s so much more than the sum of its parts though. The “Don’t you take me home” chorus is a delightfully immediate hook and the hazy production sounds glorious through a decent pair of headphones; just the right amount of grit. The same could be said of the album as a whole; it’s almost certainly a pop record, but there’s just enough darkness, distortion and distress to keep it from growing dull. That being said, given it’s brevity, you’d be hard pressed to find anyone who could be bored by Heartstrings. It’s a record from another time, clocking in at just over half an hour with no song reaching past 4 minutes, it’s been created to be put on repeat. The sub-2 minute grunge blast of ‘Possessed’ fades into the gorgeous ‘Your Love’ (think ‘Just Like Honey’ with added sex), which then fades back into ‘Slowburn’, a 2-chord song that could be accused of being a little too simple, but gets by on pure atmosphere. The band are not adverse to the odd ballad either, of course, and here they offer up two of their very best in the sparse, devastating piano-led ‘Paper Heart’ (a baroque treat) and ‘Euphoria’, a song that gives a modern sheen to a song Roy Orbison would have been proud to call his own. It’s like the Beautiful South dipped in tar and it’s just bloody wonderful. The closing title track, meanwhile blends the melancholy of both Paper Heart and Euphoria with a more menacing undertow that owes a lot to latter-day Radiohead. The best cut on the album however is (for my money) the balls-to-the-wall ‘Original Sin’, a song that recalls the band’s former touring mates; The Joy Formidable in it’s sheer bluster. Heartstrings isn’t just the best Howling Bells album in almost a decade, after a few more spins it might even end up topping that glorious debut album in my estimations. I’m off to see them tonight, so let’s see how the new ones fare live. Expect my report on the morrow! 8/10
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Post by blade on Jun 7, 2014 14:29:42 GMT
Source: www.goldminemag.com/reviews/howling-bells-return-form-terrific-heartstrings-albumText: Howling Bells return to form on terrific Heartstrings album By John Curley Howling Bells’ first album, self-titled and released in 2006, was an outstanding debut. The band had relocated to London from Sydney, Australia. With the move, they also rechristened the band. They had been known as Waikiki when they were based in Australia and had released an album under that name in 2002, which was titled I’m Already Home. In addition to renaming the band, they also changed their sound, going from the power pop of Waikiki to a very effective country/rock/blues hybrid as Howling Bells. The new, very distinctive sound of the band highlighted the fantastic vocals of frontwoman Juanita Stein. Howling Bells’ great first album made it appear that they were poised for a major breakthrough. However, the band’s next two albums, 2009’s Radio Wars and 2011’s The Loudest Engine, were less successful than the debut album was. Fortunately, Howling Bells’ latest album, which is titled Heartstrings, can hold its own against the debut album. For this album, Howling Bells added a new bassist, London native Gary Daines, to the lineup of Juanita Stein on rhythm guitar and lead vocals, Glenn Moule on drums, and Juanita’s brother, Joel Stein, on lead guitar. Heartstrings only has ten tracks, which is a good thing as the listener gets one good track after another (and some really outstanding ones) with no filler to pad it out. Discussing the length of the album in a press release, Juanita Stein said, “I wanted this album to specifically have ten songs on it and no more –’cause I personally start to lose interest after ten songs. I wanted it to be pacy and brief and full of good and meaningful music.” “Paris,” the opening track, is a strong one, with Moule’s solid drumming and chiming guitars backing Juanita Stein’s dreamy vocals. “Possessed” is a brief but powerful song driven by Moule’s drums. “Your Love” is a really beautiful, ethereal track. “Slowburn,” the lead single from the album and the standout track, is a radio-friendly tune that highlights the guitars and Juanita Stein’s vocals. “Tornado,” written by Peter Stein, Juanita and Joel’s father, features a country sound to a nice effect. “Euphoria” is a slower, soaring, gorgeous song that puts the vocals up front. “Paper Heart” is a stunning track that throws a curveball at the listener, as it features only piano and vocals with no guitars or drums. “Original Sin” features the return of the guitars and drums, with a loud/quiet/loud dynamic that sounds like Nirvana with Juanita Stein on vocals. The guitars are highlighted on “Reverie.” And “Heartstrings,” the title track and album closer, is a slower song that features hypnotic vocals. Heartstrings is released on Birthday Records, an independent label founded by former Kaiser Chiefs drummer Nick Hodgson. (Juanita Stein and Hodgson play together in the side project Albert Albert.) The album was written at Juanita Stein’s home in North London last autumn and was produced and recorded at Assault & Battery Studios in London by Catherine J. Marks with Alan Moulder.
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Post by blade on Jun 7, 2014 14:30:33 GMT
Source: www.nme.com/reviews/howling-bells/15362Text: It's been eight years since Howling Bells' excellent self-titled debut album. On it, the Australian fourpiece fused Nick Cave's doomed Gothicism and the neo-noir of David Lynch's 'Lost Highway'. By the time second album 'Radio Wars' followed in 2009, the trick had worn thin, while 2011's dismal 'The Loudest Engine' found them out of ideas. A three-year break finds the Australians re-energised on 'Heartstrings', recorded in London in just 11 days. Opener 'Paris' is a stadium-ready ode led by Juanita Stein's suitably elegant vocal, but 'Original Sin' is the album's true standout; delicate one minute, bruising the next thanks to Joel Stein cranking up his guitar during the choruses. Howling Bells aren't back to their best, but they're within touching distance. Andy Welch 7/10
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Post by blade on Jun 17, 2014 11:55:11 GMT
Source: www.kcrw.com/music/shows/album-preview/howling-bells-heartstringsText: In their decade of existence, indie rock quartet Howling Bells have covered quite a bit of ground. Formed in Sydney, Australia, they are now based in London. Each of their four albums has been released on a different record label (their new one is on Birthday Records, a new label founded by the former drummer of Kaiser Chiefs). They have already toured much of the globe, often in the role of opening for the likes of Coldplay, Snow Patrol & The Killers. This latest album comes after a short break to give the members an opportunity to explore outside projects, and, in the case of front-woman Juanita Stein, experience motherhood for the first time. Despite this potentially unsettling amount of activity in a short amount of time, Howling Bells return with laser-focus for their new release, Heartstrings. Perhaps unsurprisingly, their sound covers quite a bit of ground as well. From the darkly-shaded, buzzing guitar sonics typical of the mid-80s (co-producer Alan Moulder's past work with bands like My Bloody Valentine & the Jesus and Mary Chain is reflected here), to the garage-bred, girl-pop vibe of new-millennial bands such as Dum Dum Girls and Best Coast, Howling Bells blend their influences into a heady brew worthy of this moment in time. Coming in at a brisk 31 minutes, Heartstrings starts with a strong one-two punch in the songs "Paris" and "Possessed." By the time the single "Slowburn" ends two songs later, we've hit the introspective center of the album, and when the soaring title cut & album finale concludes, the listener is left slightly breathless with a number of high-quality tunes rattling around in their head. Thankfully there's always the repeat button. -Eric J. Lawrence
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Post by blade on Jun 17, 2014 11:56:23 GMT
Source: www.thebrag.com/music/howling-bells-heartstrings#Text: Howling Bells: Heartstrings Hard to believe, but it has been ten years since Howling Bells emerged from the ashes of Waikiki, and what a journey it has been. Still based in London, the Sydney-born outfit now sports a local bass player in Gary Daines. What it has retained throughout is that almost-too-cool attitude that oozes from frontwoman Juanita Stein and into every punchy guitar riff and creeping bassline. Not many other bands can pull it off. Howling Bells have held true to their drool-inducing indie sensibilities, which combine elements of alt-country, ambient pop, rock and blues. And Gigwise was right in 2009 – Stein really is one of the sexiest women in rock, and her voice is code word for addiction. The album kicks off the rollercoaster with one of its most commercial-sounding tracks, ‘Paris’, before taking things up a notch with the jarring juxtaposition of ‘Possessed’. Keeping the listener on their toes, ‘Your Love’ coasts along with an ode to the sensual rhythm of the Wild West, while ‘Slowburn’ is definitely a highlight. While it doesn’t break the mould of what we’ve come to know and love from Howling Bells, Heartstrings reads deeper into what they’re capable of. Juanita calls? You will definitely answer. 4/5
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