Harlem – Hippies
Posted by: nick
Harlem are an unashamedly ramshackle, heart on sleeve garage rock’n'roll band from Texas. We’ve been enamoured with them since seeing them tear it up in their hometown Austin at SXSW 2009 and leaving the show with their self-released debut Free Drugs. The band have now signed to Matador who released their second album Hippies a few months back. With even more hooks than it’s predecessor, welcome to the funnest record of the year.
For Fans Of: Pixies, Smith Westerns, Nuggets.
The forty minutes of the playfully titled ‘Hippies’ fly by amidst a sea of gorgeously catchy guitar jams courtesy of co-founding members Michael Coomers and Curtis O’Mara who switch between guitar/drums/lead vocals and song-writing duties on the album. ‘Someday Soon’ is a Coomers number and showcases his dark but pretty hysterical humour at refusing to help put out a friend on fire. ‘Torture Me’ meanwhile is Harlem at their self deprecating best with the line ‘My friends think I’m a fool and that my head’s full of shit’.
O’Mara steps up on lead single ‘Friendly Ghost’, the gloriously bouncy ‘Faces’ to add some more playfulness to proceedings. It’s back to Coomers though for ‘Gay Human Bones’ which pips ‘Psychedelic Tits’ on their last album as Harlem’s most bizarre song title.
The music is largely upbeat Pixies influenced surf guitar with a little nod of the head to the likes of The Kinks and the poppy parts of Nirvana even. New(ish) bassist Jose Boyer fleshes out the tracks nicely, adding all important groove to Harlem’s songs. What shines through most though, alongside the band’s sense of humour of course, is their prolific ear for a melody. Even the slower numbers, slightly new territory for Harlem, ‘Three Legged Dog’ and ‘Cloud Pleaser’ hit home and do so hard.
If you’re that side of the Atlantic then go see Harlem supporting The Dead Weather on their North American tour. A must see live for a good drunken night out we might add!
