Howling Bells
Howling Bells Radio Wars (Independiente)
The problem with great debuts is they are very hard to live up to and it's a problem Howling Bells have just encountered.
Their eponymous southern gothic 2006 release was the slow-burn highlight of the year. Full of dark, brooding guitars and frontwoman Juanita Stein's ethereal vocals, it kicked against the school of Arctic Monkeys social realism that prevailed at the time.
Sadly, the follow-up lacks any of the swirling gravitas or majesty of its predecessor.
Stein still has one of the finest voices in rock, reminiscent of the Sundays' Harriet Wheeler. But the songs lack cohesion and sound as if they were thrown together to meet a deadline.
Gone are the panoramic sonic sweeps that marked their debut and in is a hodgepodge of psychedelic noodling, plastic pop and half-thought-out demos.
The opener, Treasure Hunt, is promising but far too short - and sadly it's followed by nine forgettable tracks.
Let's hope this is but a blip in the progress of what was one of the most promising bands of the past five years.
