Shout Out Louds - Howl Howl Gaff Gaff album review

Shout Out Louds - Howl Howl Gaff Gaff (Capitol) Reviewed on: 31/7/06

These five melody makers from Iceland hit the right chord with this record. Uplifting, introspective, soulful, thought provoking and magical like sounds grasped me in a way that no other record had managed to do in a long time. Not a million miles away from ‘The Hush Sound’ and transpiring to a more chilled out ‘Kings of Leon’.

The Shout Out Louds manage to write love songs that give hope to the romantically challenged or a shoulder to cry on, but you wont be crying for long. ‘The Comeback’ is a superb introduction, they set the scene straight away. You get the notion that everything was gloomy and depressing before this record hit the sound waves but ‘The Comeback’ allows you to believe good things are to come. There’s no time to come down either, ‘Very Loud’ keeps rising and its time to getaway, “I always choose another way/this is why this love can’t stay”. They never remain in one place, love is the core but it won’t stop the perplexing undertone of loss . “But I got a plan, a plan to get us out of here”.

‘Go Sadness’ is the magical moment, it encapsulates the album as a whole. Very eccentric although the music is calming. “Hello sparkles and flies” Adam sings with similarities to Mercury Revs’ Jonathan Donahue. Although this track captures the album it seems to be a moment of escapism and poignant thoughts.

It’s as though the albums kicking off again after an interlude, but its never stopped. ‘Please Please Please’ is the happy dance floor song, propelling two people back together. On ‘100 degrees’ they’re back together and “in my room its gonna be at least 100 degrees”. Nothing can go wrong from this point and everything seems to be perfect.

“C’mon love is all we’ve got” (’Hurry Up Lets Go’) is the lyric that shows the true meaning of the album. This fades out, then starts again with an identical beat but this is ‘Shut Your Eyes’ now they want confirmation that the lover’s going to stay. Will they walk off into the sunset? “it came as a big surprise, ha ha”.

Howl howl gaff gaff isn’t a load of gibberish. It’s about wanting love, looking for love, finding love, relishing love and holding onto love. This timeline of feelings transpires to many different but universal endeavours. The Shouts Out Louds make a lot of sense.

8/10

Track listing

1. The Comeback
2. Very Loud
3. Oh, Sweetheart
4. A Track and A Train
5. Go Sadness
6. Please Please Pease
7. 100 Degrees
8. There’s Nothing
9. Hurry Up Lets Go
10. Shut Your Eyes
11. Seagull

Broken Horizons

This is not where I belong among stone built statues
Bring me horizons of sun broken haze instead of falling people ablaze

Stars are spat at by white t-shirts
Trailing jeans are torn in scuffle fallen knees

There are eyes to make sure you are correct
Stolen hearts are not seen or given respect
My thoughts have not yet processed
Or realised I’m among the hopeless

This place hasn’t sunk
It just shot its own foot and hobbled across
As white shirt ties call themselves boss
And trailing phones have no tones

Now, making sense of senseless, silly and strange
Punching bouncer to make his point, if not someone face he will rearrange
The moons light shadows this dark cage
It started with the three of us and it’ll end the same
These streets of Wimbledon will remain
These streets of Wimbledon I disdain

Crippling cold shivers the good, individual lone walkers walking home
Street light vision, bouncer blues, happy slapper
Racing hearts aiming for that one solitary mission
Glazed eyes for the chiselled charming caper
Reflected puddles mirror selfish, forgotten thoughts
No more

Now this place has reaped the rewards
But never taken credit for the young drunken cowards
And this place has reaped the rewards
But never taken credit for the young drunken cowards
This place has reaped the rewards

This place hasn’t sunk
It just shot its own foot and hobbled across
As white shirt ties call themselves boss
And trailing phones have no tones

Now, making sense of senseless, silly and strange
Punching bouncer to make his point, if not someone face he will rearrange
The moons light shadows this dark cage
It started with the three of us and it’ll end the same
These streets of Wimbledon will remain
These streets of Wimbledon I disdain

Knocked out lady with flashing lights oblivious
Stretching voices to make young happy people obvious
Stone cold lady with flashing lights oblivious
Stretching voices to make young happy people obvious
Dead end lady with flashing lights oblivious

This is not where I belong among stone built statues
Bring me horizons of sun broken haze instead of falling people ablaze

Stephen 'Kokanez' Caines
06/08/2008

Open Hand

Open hand, will you play what you want to play
Open hand, will you show the ball each and every way
Open hand, this one isn’t a crime
Open hand, this ones gonna take time

200 degrees
Out here, out here, out here
Touched on the white
You know, you know, you know
I will take this to the fight

Open hand; lower yourself to the lowest point
Open hand; don’t hold back this time
Open hand, I got a move up my sleeve
Open hand, this one will make you cry

200 degrees
Out here, out here, out here
Touched on the white
You know, you know, you know
I will take this to the fight

Make eyes at the other end
Making eyes for purpose and ready
Which one will you send?
One last ditch to keep it in
Making gasps for one last chance
This ones for the win

Open hand, giving it away
Open hand, oh
Open hand, see my flow
Open hand, oh
Open hand, see my flow
Open hand, oh
Open hand, open hand
Open hand, I’m out

Stephen 'Kokanez' Caines
30/07/2008

Scattered Patterns Gone Astray

Scattered Patterns Gone Astray 16/07/2008

These effervescent nights
And a stream of colloquial repetition
Shanghi will be my place
Of rest tonight
My eyes will close at 12
No matter what enters

Bring on the next minute
‘cos I won’t be here
I shall drift away now
But I’ll be back soon
To meet my withering eyes, yeah
This is not perplexed today
Scattered patterns have gone astray

Let’s lay our head here in this place tonight
Let’s lay our head here in this place tonight

My skin will itch and I will fall
To battle these weaknesses
I cannot stand up tall
You sigh “nothings ever happened”

Eyes are fading, fading
Eyes are fading, fading

Eyes are fading
Near here or far
“This will be my night”
Once was muttered among the sanguine
Amongst the sanguine

Bring on the next minute
‘cos I won’t be here
I shall drift away now
But I’ll be back soon
To meet my withering...

Bring on the next minute
‘cos I won’t be here
I shall drift away now
But I’ll be back soon
To meet my withering eyes
This is not perplexed today
Scattered patterns have gone astray

You are the invincible
But you hold me above regardless of my imperfection

Stephen 'Kokanez' Caines
16/07/2008

Leeds and beyond

The next month or so should prove to be spacial to say the least. Leeds has been on my sub-sub-conscious for the last 11 months and a very close call of not nearly getting any tickets was pretty hell raising.

It all started a few months back when myself and Mr. L decided on a whim to go and see Sons & Daughters Fibbers and it turned out to be a delight. But most of all it reignited the flame for live music which had been dwindling for a short while.

Watching a band who have had medi-core success but have just continued to do what they do best with no compromise whatsoever made me think that's there are band/artist out there that shit on the door step of the mainstream shit stream.

Knowing that Leeds will be impregnable and a strong listening regime to allow maximum listening time for all band at the festival meant all I had to do was turn up! But then on the horizon, The Duchess turns up, sticking its fingers up to its neighbour and could well be setting a new bar. Evan Dando, We are Scientsis, Iglu & Hartly to mention a few are gracing this new palace of audio orgasm.

On my return I shall be turning my attention to 'Stay Positive', the staggering new album from the Hold Steady.

Until then, I shall burn at beached, fly at Leeds and punch the air with joy at the up and coming Time to Leave gig.

The future looks bright but that's not to say I will stop looking...