The Horrors and The Duke Spirit

9. The Horrors- Skying
At first, the latest Horrors record was a bit of a disappointment. It was interesting enough, and was definitely the latest lateral and interesting sonic gear shift from the band now becoming known for being consistently in flux. But I loved their last record. I was blown away by the production, the restraint, and the strength that they had finally wrestled onto a full release.

On Skying, much of that was gone. The darkness had been replaced with a sense of openness, as if sunlight had finally made it through the window after one of the darkest nights the Horrors had seen. But with the arrival of the dawn, a new and different Horrors had arrived. Much of this comes from their musical touchstone trajectory. They have done their Nick Cave and The Birthday Party and Bauhaus and were moving on (in chronological order) to the mid-late 80s. So out wen the tight black swatches and in came the paisleys, the band collars, the baggy psychedelia of early Primal Scream or the shimmer and shine of Talk Talk or Echo and the Bunnymen. It's not the evil I love, but a totally commendable shift to a spot where very few are right this second. Good for them for avoiding the crowds.




10. The Duke Spirit- Bruiser
Another recent past favorite, The Duke Spirit have plateaued. That's not particularly a bad thing. While others struggle to make more than one good record, The Duke Spirit have now come to a point where they don't need to change a formula. Their songwriting, attitude, look and stamina are above and beyond most of their peers, so they can now fashion something all their own in the space that they have made. With fewer rockers, than their last release, Bruiser still brings what makes this band worthy. Pop hooks with muscles, and vulnerable moments with just enough of a pout throughout, Bruiser cements the fact that this is one of the best rock band out there right now. Keep on keepin' on.

The Howling Bells

One of the main problems with music being reduced to electronic files is that in a silly slip up or simple misplacement, loads of sings can be lost or at least forgotten. Which is not to say I'm against music as easily portable data, but it makes one have to be that much more vigilant. Unfortunately, The Howling Bells fell prey to my lack of vigilance. I've had this record for a while but it somehow hadn't made it onto my iPod. Another blogger's "'best of' mix' reminded me of them again, so I remedied the situation and am richer for it.

I'll come right out and admit the overwhelming similarity between The Howling Bells and The Cardigans. From the timbre of the lead singers' voices to their beauty, as well as the meter of the songs and some of the lyrical content, the similarities cannot be ignored. I will give the Swedes the upper hand though, because of their knack for stamping each release with a distinct flavor and sound that made each record totally unique and yet almost always a success.

The Howling Bells do not have that sense of artistic flourish yet, but what they do have is a warm, inviting and attractive sensibility that is worthy of your attention. Their lack of experimentation does tend to leave me a bit less than lovestruck, but I'm definitely interested. perhaps the sound is a bit late 90s but with all of the reunions and the like, there don't seem to be many acts making this kind of music right now, so The HBs are a welcome change. It feels as though, The Howling Bells have a sound in mind and will make that sound, no matter what is de rigueur. There is cooing sensuality, but it's never sappy, and the songs are first and foremost considerably "catchy" rather than some grand brooding of the moment allusion. Besides another AEC fave, The Duke Spirit, this feminine take on rock/pop is wanting right about now. Bat For Lashes, Florence and the Machine, Marina and the Diamonds and the like all seem to be channeling Fleetwood Mac or Kate Bush. The Bells seem to avoid those currents and keep on their own course. And hopefully that course will bring their third record (due out later this year) as a fully fledged vision of who they are and what they sound like, sans the hippest of now.

Top 10 for 2008

I have meant to post this for months (obviously). But I would be remiss to avoid posting it altogether. So here it is, my Top 10 records from 2008:

1. Glasvegas- Glasvegas
   
2. The Duke Spirit- Neptune
   
3. Be Your Own Pet- Get Awkward!
   
4. Sons and Daughters- This Gift
   
5. Santogold- Santogold
   
6. Elvis Costello and the Imposters- Momofuku
   
7. The Enemy- We'll Live and Die In These Towns
   
8. Coldplay- Viva La Vida
   
9. The Roots- Rising Down
   
10. The Last Shadow Puppets- Age of the Understatement
    

If you don't already have all of these, you should remedy that right now. 2008 was actually a pretty great year for music, and I was very happy to find that it was difficult narrowing it down to these 10. But each of the above records really delivered, and are still in heavy rotation even now, half way thru 2009.