Howsie - The Climb

Hear The Track Here

Howsie is a new MP3 Unsigned name for me, but not for members of that site's forums who know him for the chatterbox he is. By the looks of his collaborators, and the list of influences (Pat Metheny, Weather Report, Jeff Beck) Howsie is going to be well up my musical street. Certainly both Beck and Weather Report had a hefty contribution to raising my own musical sights. On another subject entirely, my wife's maiden name (Ed: Oh dear, where the fekk is he going with this...) happens to be Howse and and Howsie is the English way innit? So, he's a distant, distant relative and his track is wonderful so you should all download it right now and make him rich. Maybe he'll then adopt me and my brood. Ah, but wish it were that simple.

Besides that, he's got horns and that's gotta mean something not nice.

The Climb, on the other hand, is very, very nice in every way. I'm not much taken for the fad of making 'soundtracks' because they - to me - often sound just like soundtracks and therein lies the rub. By definition, soundtrack music should support the visual information being pumped into your eyeballs. In other words it's secondary experience, the visuals being the predominant feature. Therefore, the most important criteria I bring to this argument is: would this tune track stand up as the main feature and in this case the answer is a joyful (nay fekkin elated) yes. From the very first notes, this extraordinary production will suck you into what appears to be a brooding lurker of a track, then spins out the other side in a surge of pure musical adrenaline.

I consider what I do (ie making music, not this reviewing bollocks) to be an art, so I expect a certain level of professionalism from myself as well as in the music I review. Howsie is so far ahead in those stakes it's a no brainer. The technical side of this track is jaw dropping. Each sound loving tailored to fit in its little niche, and proper attention paid to ALL the sound spectrum (now there's a thing). In short, a masterclass in how to do it right. Musically, The Climb is exhilarating, joyous and pure ear nectar, I'd top rate this for the depth of sound even if the music wasn't up to the task but the arrangement and setting of this peice should be entered in the National Music Curriculum. I stand in awe.

Quality. Highly Recommended.