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In my opinion, this record is a classic
example of where commercial radio has gone wrong. If you have
paid any attention to your local top 40 station, (or MTV for
that matter) you already know "Harvey Danger." You
know them as that awkward pop band whose recent hit "Flagpole
Sitta" has spun itself into the heaviest of rotation and
is probably grating your last nerve now A LA Bare Naked Ladies.
However, what you probably don't know is that "Where Have
All The Merry Makers Gone?" is home to tracks that are more
intelligent, more well written and all around better then "Flagpole
Sitta" will ever be. And why is it that you do recognize
"Harvey Danger" as the pop guru's that they are? It's
because the same commercial outlets that created the big splash
for the band have subsequently glazed over the band and grossly
ignored them. But enough of my rantings against commercial radio.
"Where Have All The Merry Makers Gone?"
opens up with the raucously gripping "Carlotta Valdez."
Jeff J. Lin's guitar cracks and grinds a catchy pop riff that
is headbobbingly inspiring, and is soon joined by the perfect
pop formula of Aaron Huffman's bass and Evan Sult's drums. Even
Sean Nelson's vocals are strikingly different than the bands
radio debut single.
"Flagpole Sitta" sits high on
the track list, no doubt coincide with the massive radio work
that has been done for the track. After all, it must be easy
to find right? Dig a bit deeper on this one though, and you will
come to "Woolly Muffler," a shy, melodically quite
tune that builds to a surprisingly refreshing crescendo by third
verse. It's this type of innovative writing that is sadly missing
from most pop music today.
"Private Helicopter" is hands
down my favorite track on this record. The bass line is catchy,
the drum line is catchy, the guitars are gripping and the lyrics
here are just oh-so clever. Jeff Linn croons on a hypothetical
placement of himself, and various people who he has had a falling
out with, in a situation where they are "stuck" together.
Verse two places Lin with a friend who he is no longer speaking
with. "I'm on a hovercraft to Paris with my former best
friend/ We've got to get to the cinema tech/ We're not alone/
But no one speaks English/ So we're free to look into each others
minds/ And see what we are thinking like we always used to."
My favorite line from the song comes later in that verse "Cast
off the ego scars and lets go hit the bars." It's just this
kind of wit that drips from this record and makes it so great.
"Problems and Bigger Ones" represents
the only obviously serious and introspective song on the record.
Gliding and coasting on melodic sadness, this one is just really
pretty and serious all at the same time. Lyrically recognizing
the problems of the world: "here's a fact you cannot rise
above, we'll have problems, yeah, then we'll have bigger ones."
"Jack The Lion" is extremely
catchy, radio worthy and utterly cute. In almost Wheezer style,
"Harvey Danger" bounces and bounds about to bring us
the character "Jack The Lion."
From here the record begins to slip. "Old
Hat" is a good, but not great, song borrowing a lot from
what has already come before it on the record. The final three
tracks are slightly generic and do not necessarily stand out,
however this is definitely a record you could easily enjoy in
one sitting. All in all, "Harvey Danger" put forth
a fantastically impressive first foot. "Where Have All The
Merry Makers Gone?" is most defiantly worthy of your record
collection. And so I submit for your consideration a brand new
cliche. Never judge a record by it's single.
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