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From its up-front Allen Ginsberg nod to the behind-the-scenes assistance of Grammy fave T-Bone Burnett, Howl practically begs to be taken more seriously than BMRC’s previous recordings. Such overt pleas for respect are often mixed blessings, and that’s sometimes the case here. But if the disc’s rootsy approach can feel awfully self-conscious, it also represents a creative step forward, providing the Clubbers with a way out of the noise-band trap in which they might have been stuck for all eternity.
Throughout “Devil’s Waitin'” and “Restless Sinner,” Robert Levon Been, Peter Hayes and Nick Jago seem as if they’re merely aping the Anthology of American Folk Music rather than developing a distinctive take on rudimentary genres. “Weight of the World,” in which they bring to mind three badly drawn boys, is a marked improvement, but imitation still trumps innovation. Fortunately, “Howl,” “Sympathetic Noose” and “The Line,” an eight-minute heart-wrencher, use throwback styles as influences, not disguises. The results are more promising, because they’re more personal.
After all, real Rebels go their own way.
