Harlem, Best Coast, The Sandwitches, Young Prisms

Description

Harlem is a band exciting record geeks, music critics, and punks alike. This band, a three-piece from the musical wonderland of Austin, TX, mixes the best of pop, rock, soul, and punk with the thoughts, philosophies, and ramblings of your typical twenty something. Their record, Free Drugs ;-), has been playing non stop in my tape deck, and on the turntables, CD players, and iPods of a growing number of fans. Recently, the trio of Jose Boyer, Curtis O'Mara, and Michael Coomers, have signed to Matador with a 2010 album slated for release in just a few months.

Harlem harnesses pop energy (often with shouts and ooh/aah backing vocals) in every song, with the two main members switching between drums and guitars while singing about girls, drugs, and "Psychedelic Tits." Messy at times, let's call it "lo-fi" or "slop-pop," the sound coming from Harlem is nothing less than fun and smart. This band, currently a favorite of many garage kids, punks, and regular ol' enjoyers of music, is another sign that the music world is only improving. Harlem is simple, beautiful pop music wrapped in the primitive shell of a garage punk group that wows audiences with their live performances, but still amazes when blasting from the tape deck in your '88 Pontiac Firebird or iPod headphones.

Harlem may sound retro, but don't call them a throwback. They are just one of the leaders in a wave of bands paying homage to some great music of yesteryear in their own way: simply and sloppy, upbeat and beautiful - choosing to be straightforward rather than gimmicky or mysterious. It's a choice that pays off, as a listener you can take Harlem with you anywhere - put the record on at a party or listen to them on BART with equal pleasure.



Best Coast

Child star turned indie rock goddess is a career path any girl would love, and a route that has proven successful more than once. Best Coast is the lo-fi, surf rock, love songs of Bethany Consentino.

Having moved away from her home state of California to New York for college, Consentino returned with tons of inspiration for her collection of catchy pop tunes. The songs are instantly familiar to any California girl with songs like "The Sun Was High (So Was I)", and instantly lovable to just about anyone else.

More Info

Link

http://www.myspace.com/harlemduh