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Sydney's Howling Bells were one of the underrated treasures of 2006. Their self-titled debut album of haunting waltzes, country balladry, epic ambience and all-out indie rock was drowned in the swamp of bands emerging in the wake of Arctic Monkey mania, despite extensive touring with the likes of The Killers and Placebo. Their failure to gain notoriety thankfully prevented the possibility of being forgotten in the midst of that swamp, as was the case with so many of the new acts that year, and this second outing can be looked upon as their second chance at making a first impression.
Despite uprooting from their homeland and firmly ensconcing themselves in London life, Howling Bells' first record evoked Australia both in its sound and its imagery. It was a collection of tracks individual from each other and strong both standing alone and in amalgamation. Unfortunately, Radio Wars is the antithesis.
Much of the material here is so directionless it's simply bland. Opener Treasure Hunt has the same echoes of shoegaze that helped to make the debut so enchanting, but lacks any semblance of a tune. It Ain't You and Let's Be Kids drudge and drag through their 3 minute durations, seeming twice as long and thrice as laborious.
Ms Bell's Song brightens the outlook, albeit only slightly, with cute xylophone and a psychedelic run-on named Radio Wars Theme, inspired by an oddly behaving radio which went on to provide the album with its motif and its moniker.
Singles Into The Chaos and Cities Burning Down are the better tracks, but tellingly would have been the weakest if included on the debut's playlist. It seems the quartet's decision to produce this album 'democratically' - each member writing their contribution separately - has resulted in an ill-fitting and impotent collection. The second chance may well have been squandered. --Keira Burgess
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Customer Reviews
There are some proper 'tunes' on it. 'Watchtower' is actually a very good opening track, whilst 'Digital Hearts' had hints of PJ Harvey to it (which at least to me is a plus point). 'Cities burning down' is a very good track as well. The original in my opinion is better but this song is one of the few not to suffer from a 'bigger and poppier' sound. 'Ms Bells Song' is bit of a gem-the only track that really could have slotted nicely into the first album. But there are some real blanks on the album as well. 'It ain't you' almost sounds like its going to develop into something melodic but then it literally goes nowhere. 'Golden web' is funny. Not in a good way. 'How Long' tries to bring some emotion to the end of the album but really does fail to deliver like 'Into the woods' and 'I'm not afraid' on the first album. 'Let's be kids' is just awful. I know thats a strong word, but if you listen to that song you'll understand.
The second disc is ok. The live performances are better then the album versions. But with only 7 songs it's over quicker then you'd hope. However, i think it does portray an accurate account of the howling bells live and how some of these songs could have been on the new album.
After an unhealthy amount of rambling on i'll try draw this to a close. This album does have a couple of good points, so don't be totally put off by my negativity. If you've never heard howling bells before then go for their self titled debut. If you like your radio friendly pop/rock then you may actually like this. However, if you were hoping for more atmospheric rock like the first album i think you may be left disappointed by Radio Wars.
Radio Wars does not differ from this template. All that has changed is the ratio of pop to rock. Where previously Stein convulsed with meaning now she coos passively. Like the debut, Radio Wars' stand out moments appeal. `Cities Burning Down' welcomes back the trademark menace, the latter half of the title track is sinister melody embodied. `Into The Chaos' picks up where `Low Happening' left off, but is neutered in comparison.
The weaker tracks on the album are sadly bland to the point of banality. `Nightingale' is a cadent pop-rock piece, delivered lethargically. `Let's Be Kids' reintroduces the shoe-gazy element of the debut, vocally recalling the Cocteau Twins afresh, but it's a pity these lyrics are so trite. The musical backdrop is frustrating indie Muzak. `Golden Web' is an inadvisable and wistful duet, which embraces lost love against a spider and fly analogy.
Radio Wars is not a bad album, let that be clear. In fact, it is a lot better than initial listening suggests. The good does indeed outweigh the bad, but the so-so outweighs both. The problem with promise is sustainability. It is rare to achieve commercial and critical success and Radio Wars appears to have aimed to please the former rather than the latter. Only time will tell if the radio bites.
If you are new to this band I would recommend their first album over this one. I must admit that the new songs did sound good live.
At first I wasn't so sure whether I liked it as much as their debut. Read more
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