Those Howlings “Manifest Blasphemy” (Swear Jar, 2013)

Not to be confused with the like-minded and similarly-named
Nashville loonies Those Darlins, this Texan (via Chicago) trio’s debut album is
comprised of Tascam cassette home recordings that’re catchy as hell and go down
as smooth as a worm-encrusted bottle of tequila. Only the good stuff from these
cowpokes! Garagey rockabilly seems to be the order of the day, with the jaunty
title track setting the stage for the alcohol-fueled, slap happy two-steppers
to follow. Alleged twins Kyle Fitzgerald and Jolie Cota Flink lead us through
their sweat-inducing floorfillers with reckless abandon and a good ol’ sense of
drunkin’ Saturday night fun. It’s the B-52’s with shit-kicking lizard-skin
boots!

The vocals may be a little out of tune, but that just
demonstrates the DIY spirit of adventure that went into these heartfelt
recordings. And when Jolie gurgles her way through the blink-and-you-missed-it
“Drown My Baby” like Minnie Pearl on a bender, you know that F-U-N is the name
of the game here! Elsewhere, there’s shades of fellow Texas wackos Red Crayola
in the vibrattoed cowpunk of “Jawbone”, a tip of the dome to acid pranksters
Camper van Beethoven (“Don’t Let Them See You Cry”), and the
what-the-fuck-was-that, singalong campfire ditty “Devil You Lose”, including
strangulated geetar solos and screaming banshee vocals that illustrate where
the band’s name came from! All in all, it’s more fun than pounding a couple of
40s at a Saturday night hootenanny!

Review made by Jeff Penczak/2013

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