Thursday 27 June 2013

HARVEY DANGER

This post's artist is from the May 2013 Mix, this is track #20.

Band: HARVEY DANGER
Genres: Indie / Alternative / Rock
Related artists: Sean Nelson, The Long Winters and Sleepy Kitty.
Country: Seattle, USA
Years Active: 1992-2001, 2004-2009
Song: "Little Round Mirrors"
Album: Little By Little cd
Year: 2005
For fans of: Nada Surf, Weezer (early material) and basically any other pop/rock act that knows how to write a decent song.

HARVEY DANGER are, by most conventional standards, well-known enough for their history to be well-documented. So, I don't feel the need to go into much detail. Here's my attempt at a condensed version of the enigma that was HARVEY DANGER, and why the hell they're not a household name, like Muse or Radiohead.

Like Nada Surf, another ridiculously underrated band, HARVEY DANGER had a hit from their debut album that catapulted them into the spotlight back in 1997 with "Flagpole Sitta".
Pretty cheesy, I know. But the song is great. So was the album. 'Where Have All The Merrymakers Gone?' is a masterpiece much in the same way Weezer's 'Blue Album' is - it came out of nowhere and brought a powerful yet catchy style to alternative/indie/grunge music. But when HARVEY DANGER recorded their fantastic follow-up, 'King James Version', their record label and therefore their contract went the way of too many incredible artists back then, straight down the toilet due to corporate reshuffling, lack of singles (apparently) and general douchebaggery by their amalgamated and faceless label.

This, in part, caused the band to become a little pessimistic about things, as I'm sure it would to most people. The band went on hiatus only to reform a few years later with a calmer and more mature style of music. 'Little By Little' dropped almost all electric instruments and opted for a piano and vocal-driven record.

HARVEY DANGER disbanded in 2009, for what seems like a final time. The vocalist Sean Nelson recently released his first solo album. I've heard it, but haven't really absorbed it yet. My first thought? It's no HARVEY DANGER.

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1997 - Where Have All The Merrymakers Gone? cdLP

1999 - Save It For Later cd single

2000 - King James Version cdLP

2004 - Sometimes You Have To Work On Christmas cdEP

2005 - Cream and Bastards Rise cdEP

2006 - Little By Little cdLP
2006 - Little By Little 2xcd (includes bonus disc, which I will post once I get it)

2009 - Dead Sea Scrolls cd/mp3 (out-of-print/live/demo record)
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youtube )))))embedded official video((((( links

HARVEY DANGER - "Sad Sweetheart of the Radio" (from 'King James Version')

HARVEY DANGER - "Save It For Later" (single)

HARVEY DANGER - "Private Helicopter" (from 'Where Have All The Merrymakers Gone?')

HARVEY DANGER - "Sometimes You Have to Work on Christmas" (single)
 
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HARVEY DANGER has posted a few albums for free online
 

3 comments:

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  2. I love where have all the merrymakers gone. Seriously an underrated record. I've had it since elementary school and actually still listen to it. King James Version had some great tracks too, and I felt like Little by Little was a very mature record. Great write up.

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    1. Thanks dude! Yemen, this band is so overlooked. Have you heard Sean Nelson's new stuff?

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