ALBUM REVIEW: Howling Bells - "Howling Bells"

First published: 2006-03-22

This isn’t what Australian bands are meant to sound like! Howling Bells’ dark acid folk is about as far removed as it’s possible to be from Jet. Recent single "Wishing Stone" has the sort of scratchy lo-fi ambience that could soundtrack Tarantino’s next film, while the elegant wall-of-noise that is last year’s "Low Happening" has melodies that sound like they’ve existed forever. The four piece’s frontwoman, Juanita Stein, adds an ethereal Martha Wainwright-getting-stabbed wail to her brother Joel’s gritty guitar lines. Uneasy but majestic, Howling Bell’s debut album is a sophisticated, adult record. The antipodean My Bloody Valentine, anyone?