Herald rating: * * * *
Label: Universal
Verdict: Infectious, two-tone punk that's dressed to impress
You gotta hand it to Howlin' Pelle Almqvist, he's made a damn fine job of turning unabashed self-worship into an endearing quirk. He could look rock 'n' roll in wet socks. It's anirrepressible aura which has allowed his fellow Fagerstarians from the sticks of Sweden to recycle a fine line in well-turned out garage punk for nigh on 10 years without caring what anyone thinks.
They've succeeded to the point where they are as much a look as a sound while keeping their tongue firmly in cheek. Check the album title. Now if you're already a fan of their tightly-focused riffaramas, then you'll be shaking it throughout the opening stanza from single Tick Tick Boom to You Got It All ... Wrong. Then you'll hit a few curlers.
Not content with dabbling with sequencers and processed sounds, the guys have hired producers Pharrell Williams (Neptunes, NERD and countless hip-hop and R'n'B singles) and Jacknife Lee (U2, Editors, Kasabian) to add new shades to the usual monochrome. Williams' efforts are mixed, including an odd punk funk number in T.H.E.H.I.V.E.S - still not sure about that one - while Lee's Hey Little World is full-on indie. Elsewhere, it's fairly normal transmission and a rollicking ride through to stadium-sized closer, Bigger Hole to Fill.
