Bones Howell

Some bands are lucky enough to chance upon a name that sums up their strengths. In Bones Howell, everybody has an appropriate handle. The singer's performances are raw and sinewy, and he's the possessor of a pavement-rattling howl. Guitarist Dark Cave plays riffs that slither at the listener like a filthy primeval beast; Boxcar, the bassist, is as solid as they come -- and he can't be derailed. And the drummer, Woodchip, hammers on his snare like a berserk machine, chopping away with uncommon intensity. Together, they're an unstoppable force: a brutal, streetwise, delightfully-nasty rock combo that couldn't have come from anywhere but New York City. Bones Howell, their debut EP, showcases everything they do so well, discharged with all the attitude you can handle. Here's a set songs about being destitute and lost in the urban jungle, love and sex during wartime, alienation, a sick (and eventually dead) girlfriend, and, of course, red meat sizzling on the grill. With a wigged-out "meat and potatoes" refrain, "BBQ", the kickoff single and lead track, sounds to us like a perfect anthem for summer parties to come. The band's scalding performances on the Brooklyn's hippest stages have won them comparisons to Jon Spencer Blues Explosion, Rocket Form The Crypt, The Horrors, and other masters of inner-city scuzz-rock.