Shout Out Louds - Howl Howl Gaff Gaff
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Free Music Notes for Howl Howl Gaff Gaff
Free Music Review: 3.5 Stars... The humble yet promising beginnings of Shout Out Louds
Hit: 4 Stars
Shout Out Louds are an indie-rock band from Sweden, and came out of nowhere with this 2005 debut album. If you wonder where I found out about this band, internet-only station WOXY ("BAM! The Future of Rock and Roll!"), the best indie-rock station in the country by far, plays them regularly and that's how they came to my attention.
"Howl Howl Gaff Gaff" (11 tracks; 44 min.) brings a mix of mostly up-beat songs, intertwined with a couple of more pensive tunes. Opener "The Comeback" (one of the singles from the album) sets the stage perfectly, a tune that will get even wallflowers going. The singer's vocals are somehow reminiscent of the Cure's Robert Smith, but obviously without the darker undertones. Other highlights on the album for me include "Please Please Please" (another single from the album), "There's Nothing", the fast track "Hurry Up Let's Go", with energy exploding all over, the pensive "Go Sadness", and the closer "Seagull", which sums up the album perfectly. The entire album flows by in no time.
This is not a bad album, but not a great one either, albeit it a promising one. Since this, however, Shout Out Louds released a great second album, 2007's "Our Ill Wills", and I can't wait to see where these guys will go from there. I had the opportunity of catching Shout Out Louds live earlier this year at the Langerado music festival in South Florida, and they put on a tremendously enjoyable set, bringing a lot of the "Our Ill Wills" songs, but also a number of tracks from this album, which frankly sounded better live than on the album.
Free Music Review: Not Bad
Hit: 4 Stars
Okay...I'm consulting my How To Write A Snobby Indie Review handbook and it says that I must start by namedropping. Um...Unicorns...that's the first band that comes to mind when I think of Shout Out Louds. And maybe the Strokes (or any other recent NYC garage band), but not quite as mainstream. Of course, for the really pretentious I should mention that the band is Swedish, and this album is similar to the other pop that's been coming out of that country for years.
I saw one guy write that this album is "just" another pop album, but what's the harm in that? Pop is still the purest form of music, and the Beatles and Beach Boys were more than content to make good pop music for years. That guy must be a high school kid who hasn't realized that pop is back in.
Howl Howl Gaff Gaff is not actually a pop "album." It's a collection of singles that were previously released in the band's native country, so there's a bit of variety to the songs and no smooth feel to the album. Ultimately, this album won't change your life and it may not become one of your favorites of all time, but it's hard not to enjoy the simple pleasures here. "The Comeback" is without question the best song and it's a good representation of the rest of the album, so give that a listen...if you enjoy that you'll probably enjoy the rest. (Or if you enjoy the Unicorns, Islands, or any other lo-fi, indie pop band).
Free Music Review: A fantastic garage/pop Rock debut by these Swedes!! One of 2005's best - 4.5 stars
Hit: 4 Stars
This album is filled with very good electronic-influenced garage/pop rock songs (though not as good as White Stripes songs, for example). They're very entertaining with a very catchy hook. The lyrics aren't always that good, but you won't really mind. It also has a slight cheesiness to it which stops it from being a classic (the vocals aren't that great either). I'm not really sure who else to compare them to - the singer especially is unique (as far as I know anyway, I've heard a great many albums). Practically every song is instantly catchy and memorable, though I don't think you'll be singing along to any of them. "A Track And A Train" is my personal favorite of the bunch (can't get enough of the bell part). All in all, though, this is a VERY satisfying purchase. Highly recommended!
Highlights include:
"The Comeback"
"Very Loud"
"Oh, Sweetheart"
"A Track And A Train"
"Please Please Please"
"100 Degrees"
"There's Nothing"
"Hurry Up, Let's Go"
"Shut Your Eyes"
"Go Sadness." (to an extent)
Free Music Review: Pretty good
Hit: 4 Stars
So the sticker on the shrink wrap has a quote from NME that says something about the music being "trembling dream pop" (it isn't) that sounds like Arcade Fire, the Strokes, and Bright Eyes (it doesn't). That sticker is full of crap.
Because the Shout Out Louds REALLY sound like the b*stard son of Robert Smith met up with Johnny Marr one night and they recorded some music together after discovering a mutual love for the Honorary Title. And you can take that to the bank, folks...just listen to "Please Please Please" and "There's Nothing" for the definitive proof.
But it is a good album. Not terribly original--the band wears its influences pretty conspicuously. It's an enjoyable listen regardless, with catchy tunes and competent vocals. At at the price it goes for, it's certainly worth it.
Free Music Review: Solid ipod music
Hit: 4 Stars
I got this CD a few years ago after reading a review of it in a magazine -- not realizing that all CDs reviewed in mainstream magazines are same-sounding hipster life soundtracks. (When did this become the only music it was cool to like?)
That said, having left it on the shelf for a long time, I put Howl Howl Gaff Gaff onto my iPod for one last listen to determine whether or not to chuck it out, and came to really like a lot of the songs. It's the perfect kind of music for listening to alone, with headphones, while wandering around a big city, so if you're a portable music person, this could be for you.