Howlin Rain hail from San Francisco and are possibly one of the best bands on the planet at the moment. That’s a bold statement, you may say, but one listen to ‘The Russian Wilds’ will soon have you proclaiming this FACT from every rooftop in every town. In an age when computer bleeps and scantily clad women are the order of the day, here is a band who eschew all that in favour of something much more primitive. This is a band who play rock music…not just any rock music either, this is classic rock that harks back to the golden age of the late 60’s and 70’s.
’The Russian Wilds’, their third album, is a monolithic record that takes in every aspect of what used to be great about rock music from its pounding riffs, old school singing and a penchant for psychedelic wig outs. Think of classic acts such as Allman Brothers Band, Led Zeppelin and Queen and you have some idea of where they are going. Before you shout The Darkness at me though, this is no parody…Howlin Rain are deadly serious.
Opener ‘Self Made Man’ sets the scene with its unhurried intro and extended coda where the twin singing voices of Ethan Miller and keyboardist Joel Robinow intertwine into a semi psychedelic rock anthem. This is followed by first single Phantom in the Valley, a seven plus minute epic which throws in everything from tribal drumming, Queen type harmonies and, best of all, Mariachi brass to create a stupendous piece of music which really shouldn’t work. It is testament to the musical prowess of the band that they pull it off with such aplomb. This is mainly due to a rhythm section heavily versed in jazz as well as rock which keeps the bedrock of the song.
As with all great rock albums from ‘Physical Graffiti’ to ‘Sheer Heart Attack’, there is plenty of variety to stop the music going stale. In fact, this album is probably the best Queen album never made, ‘Collage’ is representative of this with its multi-layered vocals whilst ‘Walking Through Stone’ features guitars that Brian May would have been proud of.
Power ballads are represented as well with the stunning ‘Strange Thunder’, an epic track which builds and builds into an anthemic ending where the only missing ingredient is a field, some cider and lots of rock chicks singing along. It is this return to a more “innocent” age that propels the song along. Never mind lyrics that mention Rorschach, surely a first in rock history.
Take a chance on Howlin Rain, dust off your air guitar, air drums and anything else made of air, grab some cider and put on your rock voice. ‘The Russian Wilds’ is the most fun you will have all year and also be one of the most satisfying. By blending superb musicianship with a classic rock mentality just maybe we can see a return of the old values of music.
Release March 12 through Agitated
Posted by Martyn Coppack
