Thursday, October 1, 2009

Harvey Danger - Where Have All The Merrymakers Gone?

I suppose that I could easily start a whole other series based off of albums like this one. This is Seattle sweethearts Harvey Danger's debut album. This album features the hit song "Flagpole Sitta". The song was featured all over the place and was a alternative radio rock hit in the late 90's. What's upsetting is that, as great as that song is, it overshadowed this album, and ultimately i would say, the band's career. They were viewed as a one hit wonder from that point on. And honestly, its true. The band is a one hit wonder. But you know what? Who the fuck needs hits? It took me awhile to give this album a honest listen. Probably because I was, and still tend to be, put off by radio rock bands. Often times they seem disposable to me. And I would rather listen to some rare obscure shit (that I cant talk to anyone about) than give that stuff a chance. I think the present state of radio and what is popular now makes me feel like a dick for ruling shit out back in the day. This album is great start to finish. And its really too bad that, for whatever reason, this band didn't continue in the limelight. There are other tracks on here that I feel like would've made even better singles. But I don't really understand how major record companies work with choosing singles and stuff like that. This is a great alternative rock album. You can sort of tell that this band is from Seattle based off of their sound. Though they have a quirkiness that seems more influenced by Black Francis (Frank Black, whatever hes calling himself now) and the Pixies. I just feel like, you should hear this album if you are a fan of 90's alternative rock. This album is weird in that, if you hate the single, you can still really enjoy the record AND if you enjoy the single you can still really enjoy the record. Rarely does that happen. I'm glad I got over my bullshit and gave it a honest listen. I hope you will do the same.

Buy it from a local independent record store if you like it

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