Howls of Joy

Hailing from France, but with their hearts buried deeply in the indie pop heartland of Scotland, Beat Mark's debut album Howls of Joy is an expertly crafted noise-pop nugget that would make their heroes (the Jesus & Mary Chain, the Vaselines, the Pastels) proud. Delivering supremely hooky songs dipped in overdriven guitars, thumping drums, and buckets of reverb, the quartet taps into the power of C-86 but gives it a nice twist. Instead of tweely chirping, male vocalist Julien Perez intones his slightly off-kilter lyrics in a voice pitched somewhere between Lux Interior and Count Floyd. On paper, that may sound pretty weird, but in practice it totally works; making sure things don't get too sweet and adding an edge of campy danger to the proceedings. Plus, it makes Karin Schlageter's sweet singing all the more refreshing when she comes in to add some occasional counterpoint. The songs come in two basic varieties: pounding rockers that buck and shake like they're about to go off the rails and slightly more restrained tracks that subtract some of the energy and cut back the tempo, but retain plenty of the noise. The thrilling "Breezing!" and "Saw a Cold Mirror" are the prime examples of the first type, "When the Trees Fall" and "Love at First Sight" of the second. There are no bad examples to mention; there's not a single weak track on the album, and there are even a few that their heroes may have wished they had written (the aforementioned "Breezing!" and the ultra-hooky title track to name two.) Anyone who has an affinity for clattering, melodic, messy guitar that has plenty of hooks and heart, not to mention noise, will fall instantly in love with Howls of Joy, and definitely anyone who was ever a fan of Psychocandy, "Molly Lips," or the Shop Assistants. In modern terms, anyone who wishes the Fresh & Onlys hadn't cleaned up or that the Crystal Stilts would get their hands dirtier. Beat Mark may not be doing anything new here, but they do what they do perfectly, and that makes them a special band, and this album a vital addition to anyone's noise-pop collection.