Labels: perpetual motion machine
Review by: Andy Malcolm
Contrary to what may or may not be a popular opinion, Wow, Owls! is a great band name. It captures fully the essence of youth, the innocence of seeing a bunch of owls all flying around with mice in their talons, causing you to exclaim “wow, owls!” in a voice that is quite literally stuffed with awe and wonder and a mars bar. Blatantly.
Musically though Wow, Owls! are wise and have big eyes and sit on branches. This album has nine songs and it lasts 28:46, and I really like it. The songs are superbly melodic and jammed with a lot of catchiness that makes them stick rigidly in the mind – they rely on great big grooving moments and build ups and the excellent, powerful vocals which are ably provided by Jeff Byers who you may recall him from the time I name dropped him in a review about Stop It!! or something. Also he was in some band called Light the Fuse and Run. Anyway, I love the vocals. They are right good.
Pretty much every track on Pick Your Patterns rolls along at pace with booming guitars providing the power and stellar drumming tearing things up too. I guess things are kind of like a stripped down emo band, dispensing with all the noodling and twinkly prettiness, and dishing out the crunch and flailing bits where you clap your hands, spazz and pump your fists like an insufferable loon. Thats pretty much what you get for the full half hour. Great choons, rammed with energy and the essential lashings of full-bore melody that ensures it doesn’t all dissolve into a mess of shit that you forget the instant that the record is over.
Fine, fine album.