That ‘John’ was released in August and we are now in November means I am a bit of a Johnny-come-lately (see what I did there?) as far as How is concerned. I’ll try to make up for that as best as I can.
Armagh 4 piece, HOW may be well named in that they can, at times, make you say ‘how did they do that?’ They could also have been called Why as in ‘why did they do that?’ because there are bits here and there that don’t always make sense, but then again, they could have been called WOW, as in ‘wow I am glad I heard that’. And that is HOW in a nutshell – left field, slightly eccentric, experimental. And ‘John’ encapsulates the band – there is a bit of everything in there. The band place themselves somewhere between The National and AC/DC – admittedly very wide parameters. For me, more than what they play, HOW have that feel of a band who refuse to conform and therefore it conjures up memories of bands from the past like Talking Heads and the newer, more ‘out there’ bands like Arcade Fire. They are the type of band who might release an album and you may not like every track, but there will be songs on there that you just can’t live without.
There’s so much about ‘John’ to like and one of the main things is Claudia Clendinning’s mesmeric vocals which balance Ben Whittington’s gruff vocals perfectly. Lyrically the song is very clever and hard-hitting. The ‘John’ of the song is all of us really; the downtrodden, the messed about, those stuck on the treadmill of modern living. The music reflects the lyric in a way that many bands have forgotten; forgotten how to help the singer tell the story by setting the mood.
As I said, the band is experimental and there are times in the heavier sections when I am not sure that everything matches between melody, music and rhythm. Is this intended or not? I am not sure. It one of those little ways that HOW keep you guessing.
HOW is definitely a band that makes you want to hear and see more. Now, where’s Mr Brown so I can get these boys added to one of our live shows? Rob…Rob..?? Take a listen to this!