Juanita and Joel Stein were hot-looking siblings in an ambitious young band called Waikiki until about a year ago. Their music was nice and sweet, but for rock it was twee. Good that the London-based Australians realised that and formed the Howling Bells - a four-piece with a darker, more
atmospheric sound.
This debut is produced by Ken Nelson, the man behind Coldplay's three albums, so it sounds slick. But not overdone. The slightly ragged Aussie edge remains, the bent chords lend it a subtle My Bloody Valentine quality, and there's a tribal stomp in some of the songs that would go down well on walkabout. And Low Happening, a heavy folk rocker recalls the late 80s reign of bands like Throwing Muses and the Breeders, without the kookiness.
Juanita's velvety swoon softens the music but it's still haunting, especially with her steely serenades on Wishing Stones and The Night Is Young.While the opening, panicky guitar strum of The Bell Hit isn't as harsh as Nick Cave's Mercy Seat, there's a tension to Howling Bells' reminiscent of their fellow countrymen. But they're no copycats. Howling Bells are one of the best bands out of Oz in quite a while.
Label: Liberation
