Posted on: February 7, 2012 Posted by: James McQuiston Comments: 0

Fans of Total Babe will likely know about guitarist Gatesmith’s new act, Howler. However, I feel that Howler as a whole surpasses in quality Total Babe, while breaking eirself free of the former trappings. America Give Up is one of the first good albums of 2012, and it is due to this free and expansive sound.
The album opens up with Beach Sluts, a track that will immediately introducer listeners to the fuck-all attitude that is cultivated on America Give Up. This is pure rock, stripped down to its constituent elements. This is not music that will be dissected for crazy Odyssey references, but is something that will have listeners completely moved by what issues forth. There is more common with acts like Jet and The Ramones than to John Zorn and Philip Glass; I feel that America Give Up nevertheless shares commonality with the latter two acts in that it looks to considerably and completely change the dominant paradigm.

Minneapolis has decreased in importance as a music-making city in the last twenty or so years, but Gatesmith does eir best to restore eir hometown to its former glory. I feel that the 11 cuts that are on America Give Up are enough to get individuals back into this pure and homegrown type of rock, while this title acts as a perfect jumping opff point for any number of albums that Gatesmith may release in the months, years, and decades to come. Check them out live, pick up this album, and see what all the hubbub is about. We’ll just be here, spinning America Give Up throughout the next few months.

Top Tracks: Back To The Grave, Too Much Blood

Rating: 8.4/10

Howler – America Give Up (CD) / 2012 Rough Trade / 11 Tracks / http://www.howlerband.com / http://www.roughtraderecords.com

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