Harlem

What it sounds like: Nirvana meets Pixies
Albums to listen to: Free Drugs and Hippies
Songs to listen to: Cloud Pleaser, Three Legged Dog, and Stripper Sunset
Harlem sound like what you would think a band whose album titles are Free Drugs and Hippies would sound like. Hailing from Austin, TX, Harlem is a throwback to the simple garage rock of earlier years. Michael Coomer and Curtis O'Mara trade off between songwriting, lead vocals, and lead guitar, resulting in a strange duality that benefits what is at times too comfortable and predictable. Harlem is an amalgamation of garage-pop sound, pulling from the early 90's to the 50's. This album is nostalgic yet equally fresh.

Harlem's ironic and rowdy lyrics sound like something that would come from the Black Lips, in lines like "Someday soon you'll be on fire, and you'll ask me for a glass of water, and I'll say noooo, you can just let that shit burn." They also have a song called "Cloud Pleaser," which is pretty awesome on the title tip alone, not to mention that the song is decently singable.  Coomer and O'Mara slow it down for the song "Three Legged Dog," providing a swingy pop song a la Beach Boys; a nice break from the sloppy chaos heard on the majority of the album. Harlem definitely crank out some lazy arrangements. They focus on developing hooks but not much else, however, it works for their boozy image. In the song "Stripper Sunset," the guitar weaves in and out of a classic rock vibe while the lyrics stay consistently crude, successfully creating a good jam for the end of the album. The last two songs, "Pissed" and "Poolside" are way too similar, and although "Pissed" is the better of the two, both could have been forgotten. All in all, this album is fun and is the perfect thing to dance to when you are home alone.