Lords of Howling

Lords of Howling, Baltimore Pearl Crescent White Admiral Sister Meadow Painted God Will Visit You (Discobolus)

The packaging is incredible: squares cut from two LPs are sewn into a jacket, Lords of howling is branded on the front along with a couple of squiggly designs, notes from an elementary Spanish tutorial are pasted on the inside and the disc is wrapped in greaseproof paper, duck down and hemp. The whole bundle is secured with about half-a-mile of wire held in place by a dog-tag. Jesus, I'd buy the disc just for that.

Having summoned up the courage to open the thing, it's a small step to stick the CD on and become immersed in the broken-down fragmentary country-folk songs. The music is heartfelt and sorrowful, born from improvisation and minimal rehearsal, a sparse mix of violin, cello, guitar and drums. Each song is a maudlin prelude to a lifetime of stories, leaving so much unsaid and unresolved, conjuring up images of one-shack towns in the deep Mid-West.

Damn. I had the same problem with their last release, there's so much that needs to be said, but no words do it justice, it's just fucking beautiful.

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