Now Playing: The Harlem Shakes’ Technicolor Health
June 5, 2009
The Harlem Shakes are a band that I first heard after coming across their Daytrotter session about a year ago. I was pretty quickly taken in, and soon after I got their Burning Birthdays EP. The EP is fantastic, and the six songs it contained got a lot of play around the apartment/on the iPod. So needless to say I was really happy when I heard that they had a full length coming. It came at a time when I was feeling a little bummed about rock and roll. I mean that almost everything I listen to these days is a little quieter than in days past, I have to admit that there aren’t a great number of rock bands that I’m all that into right now. Technicolor Health was a quick remedy to this. This Brooklyn based band is taking great strides to resuscitate my faith in rock music.
The record is one that is full of really nice guitar and synth hooks. Likewise, some of the vocal melodies are just as memorable as any of the other instruments and the record is rich with well placed, beautifully executed backing vocals. On top of all of this are lyrics that are at once dark and comfortingly playful in their delivery. At times the band is exceedingly tight, while at other times they are brilliantly sloppy. I remember someone describing Karl Blau’s Beneath Waves as being really sloppy, and that, to me, is why that is such a great record. There is as much to be said for controlled clumsiness as there is for a really tight beat and melody. The point is that they know when to lay it on; the album goes between the two to build a really interesting, effective sound. In all this record is a cut above many new albums I have heard lately, I wholeheartedly recommend this one. They are touring with Passion Pit right now (here in a few days… should be great), check them out if you can.
-taylor
Airshow in the Forest 