Released shortly before his death in 2009, Rowland S Howard’s dark/sexy/edgy masterpiece Pop Crimes is the final instalment in his sporadic recording career and testament to his visionary and craftsman-like approach to songwriting. Woven into the gritty tapestry of Pop Crimes are elements of Dick Dale’s guitar driven surf rock, Spector-esque 60’s pop, the fatalistic sneers of Lou Reed and Leonard Cohen and the dissonant virtuosity of Howard’s old band the Birthday Party. Undertaking the recording of Pop Crimes while struggling with serious health issues, Howard surely suspected that this record may be his last and lyrically it can be interpreted as something of an epitaph, although even in failing health Rowland remains razor sharp. He sings of Catholic girls with uzis and narcotic lolipops with a weary conviction as the album takes shape around hypnotic, dirge-like arrangements and stinging, chaotic lead guitar breaks. Highlights include album opener (I Know) A Girl Called Johnny, the slinking title track, Wayward Man in all of its Lee Hazlewood inspired glory and the epic album closer the Golden Age of Bloodshed. Howard’s work has always had a sense of the cinematic and Pop Crimes is no different – an immersive record crafted around rich texture and great writing, a feather in the cap of Rowland’s always provocative oeuvre.
Pete Whelan 