3 stars (out of 5)
For their third full-length album since forming in 2004, Sydneysiders Howling Bells ditch the indie-country Goth that got them noticed.
Juanita Stein's saccharine-soaked vocals still sit high in the mix, with brother Joel's chiming guitars layered underneath, but the distinctive feature of The Loudest Engine is its accessibility.
The Loudest Engine comes across initially as a loose jam polished into a set of songs. But that is temporary. Given time to breathe, Stein's seductive compositions, built on a bed of folk-psychedelia, begin to take hold. Some plodding fillers sully what would otherwise be a great album.
Single download: Charlatan
For those who like: Julianna Hatfield, Mazzy Star, PJ Harvey, The Black Ryder
- Mark Orton
4 stars
A down-tempo dance producer and an alt-country artist walk into a Viennese studio, but instead of a pathetic punchline, we're left with American Primitive, an intriguing collaboration between Rupert Huber (Tosca) and Walkabouts frontman Chris Eckman as L/O/N/G.
This compelling piece of genre-splicing makes for surprisingly easy listening - the woozy, off-centre electronica and gently strummed Americana radiate good feeling and warmth, with the beguiling melodies of Longitude Zero and Land of the Lost's droning bass, and Eckman's hickory-smoked vocals swiftly to the fore.
Single download: Land of the Lost
For those who like: The thought of Neil Young jamming with Thievery Corporation
- John Hayden
3 stars
The third full-length album from Nottingham power trio Little Barrie strays little from the grubby garage rawk they've embodied since their 2005 debut: blistering guitar rave-ups shimmy past bluesy struts, evoking in one distortion-drenched riff the Stones, Primal Scream, and The White Stripes (no surprise then that guitarist-vocalist Barrie Cadogan has acted as touring guitarist for the likes of the Scream and Paul Weller).
Though some water is trod, it's hard to deny the swaggering grooves of Surf Hell and Now We're Nowhere, as well as Does the Halo Rust?'s pitch-perfect psychedelic coda.
Single download: Now We're Nowhere
For those who like: Primal Scream's Stones obsession, The White Stripes, Blues Explosion
- John Hayden
