Hippies, the most recent release by Austin garage-rockers Harlem, was the first (musical) impulse buy I have succumbed to in a long time. The entire time I was in middle and High School, I bought multiple CDs every week. During that period, I did not have access to the internet the same way I do today and I had to rely on my instincts to select music. I would get to recognize the names of different music labels and musicians who appeared on different albums. This being said, I cannot deny that one of the most common factors in my purchase decisions was cover artwork. Sometimes an LP cover would manage to reach out from the rack and grab my attention with its provocative image or interesting typeface. This allowed me to make some really great purchases (ie: Radiator by Super Furry Animals) and probably some that were not so great. Hippies is one of the best surprises I can remember.
When I shop for music, I usually look through every single CD and vinyl that the store has multiple times; I am actually pretty meticulous about it and having my ritual interrupted definitely annoys me. On this year’s Record Store Day, I was making the rounds as usual when I came upon two young adults of opposite gender gallingly flirting in front of the ‘H’ section of the new vinyl rack. It was incredibly clear that they were not looking at music but they were instead blocking my path. My first instinct was to pause for a moment and glare towards them hoping that they would notice and decide to move; when this did not work I pretended not to see them and stood directly in between them looking towards the ‘H’ section as if it was not blocked by the gentleman’s underfed hipster torso. After what seemed like an eternity of their continued inane chatter being volleyed around me, they decided to move. As soon as the offender stepped aside, the Hippies LP was directly in front of me. Immediately upon seeing the cover photo and the unassumingly pink typeface, I knew that there was something different hiding within and in the spirit of the holiday: I decided to buy it right then and there.
I love this album. From the very first song, “Someday Soon”, I found myself immediately hooked on the melodic and inherently hummable garage rock. The juxtaposition of the surprisingly angry lyrics with the sugar coated hooks helps Harlem to stand out amongst their numerous peers.
The song describes a fantasy scenario in which an acquaintance finds him or herself on fire and when asked for help, the singer casually refuses. This leads to a haunting chorus which will play in your head for days:
Please, please, please put me out
I promise not to do it again
whatever I did to you
At first this chorus is sang normally but by the end it develops an unhinged; frantic energy which is as musically thrilling as it is conceptually disturbing.
Not every song on the album uses this same technique, but they do all have very memorable melodies and lyrics that are extremely expressive in their simplicity. The second song, “Friendly Ghost” brings to mind Austin’s treasured Daniel Johnston and his frequent references to Caspar. One of the best moments on the album is the back to back straight-up (if rough around the edges) pop expertise of “Be Your Baby” and “Gay Human Bones”. It is clear that while Harlem likes indie and lo-fi, they also are well versed in early 60s song craft. In fact, as the pitchfork review also noted, many of these songs would fit right in on one of Rhino’s Nuggets collections.
My only criticism of the album is also in step with the reviews of other writers: it feels about one song too long. With a little bit of editing, this album would be perfect but it is pretty close as it is. When it comes down to it, perfection is not the point with Harlem. A large part of this album’s success is the idea that you could walk by an open garage in the summertime and hear these raw gems blasting out. With Hippies in my collection, this summer is going to be a good one.
