magnificent fiend

howlin' rain's self-titled debut was one of my favorite albums of 2006, but their forthcoming follow up, magnificent fiend, is even better...by easing up a bit on the distortion & adding a few new elements (the hammond b3 in particular), they've created an incredible sound that's more or less a rough take on the best psychedelic blues rock of the early seventies...think extended jams from the likes of traffic, cream, or even the grateful dead, but with a little more noise thrown in...some of the best stuff i've heard all year, magnificent fiend comes out next tuesday...& don't sleep on the live show, howlin' rain will be down at sxsw on march 13-15 & then up in chicago at the empty bottle on march 27...see you there.

download: howlin' rain - lord have mercy
download: howlin' rain - goodbye ruby

related: according to pitchfork, the band has also contributed a pair of tunes (one of them a wings cover) to the oscillation iii subscription cd series...may have to sign up for that.