Posted 30, December, 2012
It’s nice to take a breather sometimes, reflect on what’s been happening and whatnot. The final throes of the year are a good time to do this; pat yourself on the back a bit before someone has to pat you on the back to help the last dreg of bile into the toilet on new years day.  2012 has been an amazing year for everyone involved with Howling Owl. We are just a couple of plebs in a couple of bedrooms, so it goes without saying that there is no way in the world we’d be where we are right now without a whole troupe of noise soldiers with us. And where are we anyway? In the grand scheme of things: nowhere. The bottom rung on an ever-unstable ladder that’s been trampled up by an endless stream of shit encrusted boots…but we like it here.  Our bands have infiltrated the ‘mainstream’, delivering jabs to the national press and venues up and down the country. They are dazed now, wondering when and where the next blow will arrive. It will arrive soon and one day it will be a pummeling. Why am I writing like this is a battle? It’s not! This is the biggest ball of fun we have ever played with, and 2013 is going to be even funner.  I’ll stop spouting about Howling Owl for a second now, as we are a mere piece of feedback within the often superlative world of music. Here are our respective top albums and top gigs of the year. This is probably when you will lose all respect for us. Adrian - Albums 1.  Sharon Van Etten – Tramp 2.  Metz – S/T 3.  Memoryhouse – The Slideshow Effect 4.  Diiv – Oshin 5.  Jessica Pratt – S/T 6.  Ty Segall – Slaughterhouse 7.  Goat – World Music 8.  Melody’s Echo Chamber – S/T 9.  Death Grips – The Money Store 10. Godspeed You! Black Emperor – Allelujah! Don’t Bend! Ascend! Gigs 1.  At The Drive In – Bristol Academy 2.  Bo Ningen – 1234 Festival  3.  Come Dance With The Dead - The Crypt   Joe - Albums    1.    Sharon Van Etten – Tramp     2.    Hot Chip – In Our Heads    3.    Metz – S/T    4.    Ty Segall – Slaughterhouse    5.    Beak > - S/T    6.    Goat –World Music    7.    Godspeed You! Black Emperor – Allelujah! Don’t Bend! Ascend!    8.    Death Grips – The Money Store    9.    Soko – I Thought I Was An Alien    10.   Dirty Lies – The Very Best of Dirty Lies   Gigs   1.Thee Oh Sees – Primavera   2. Sharon Van Etten – Thekla   3. The Crypt/Old Blue Last/Bristol Diving School – All Howling Owl nights so apologies but fuck it.   So there we have it then. That’s two years in a row we have had the same number one…both times with releases that are almost polar opposites to what Howling Owl is all about (last year was The National), which just proves that we are only in this for the money, or loss of it anyway. Here is our deserved winner performing Give Out somewhere in France.  Happy new year!!   x

It’s nice to take a breather sometimes, reflect on what’s been happening and whatnot. The final throes of the year are a good time to do this; pat yourself on the back a bit before someone has to pat you on the back to help the last dreg of bile into the toilet on new years day.

 2012 has been an amazing year for everyone involved with Howling Owl. We are just a couple of plebs in a couple of bedrooms, so it goes without saying that there is no way in the world we’d be where we are right now without a whole troupe of noise soldiers with us. And where are we anyway? In the grand scheme of things: nowhere. The bottom rung on an ever-unstable ladder that’s been trampled up by an endless stream of shit encrusted boots…but we like it here.

 Our bands have infiltrated the ‘mainstream’, delivering jabs to the national press and venues up and down the country. They are dazed now, wondering when and where the next blow will arrive. It will arrive soon and one day it will be a pummeling. Why am I writing like this is a battle? It’s not! This is the biggest ball of fun we have ever played with, and 2013 is going to be even funner.

 I’ll stop spouting about Howling Owl for a second now, as we are a mere piece of feedback within the often superlative world of music. Here are our respective top albums and top gigs of the year. This is probably when you will lose all respect for us.

Adrian - Albums

1.  Sharon Van Etten – Tramp

2.  Metz – S/T

3.  Memoryhouse – The Slideshow Effect

4.  Diiv – Oshin

5.  Jessica Pratt – S/T

6.  Ty Segall – Slaughterhouse

7.  Goat – World Music

8.  Melody’s Echo Chamber – S/T

9.  Death Grips – The Money Store

10. Godspeed You! Black Emperor – Allelujah! Don’t Bend! Ascend!

Gigs

1.  At The Drive In – Bristol Academy

2.  Bo Ningen – 1234 Festival 

3.  Come Dance With The Dead - The Crypt

 

Joe - Albums

   1.    Sharon Van Etten – Tramp 

   2.    Hot Chip – In Our Heads

   3.    Metz – S/T

   4.    Ty Segall – Slaughterhouse

   5.    Beak > - S/T

   6.    Goat –World Music

   7.    Godspeed You! Black Emperor – Allelujah! Don’t Bend! Ascend!

   8.    Death Grips – The Money Store

   9.    Soko – I Thought I Was An Alien

   10.   Dirty Lies – The Very Best of Dirty Lies

  Gigs

  1.Thee Oh Sees – Primavera

  2. Sharon Van Etten – Thekla

  3. The Crypt/Old Blue Last/Bristol Diving School – All Howling Owl nights so apologies but fuck it.

 

So there we have it then. That’s two years in a row we have had the same number one…both times with releases that are almost polar opposites to what Howling Owl is all about (last year was The National), which just proves that we are only in this for the money, or loss of it anyway.

Here is our deserved winner performing Give Out somewhere in France.

 Happy new year!!

 

x