REVIEW: Harvey Danger, Where Have All The Merrymakers Gone? (London)
- Franklin Johnson
Where has the indie rock gone? Where have the souls of Michael Stipe and Robert Pollard really gone? And, most importantly, where have all the merrymakers gone?
Harvey Danger asks the last question, and answers the first two, on the national re-release of their smash indie album, Where Have All The Merrymakers Gone? If you weren't around when R.E.M. created a major buzz in the early 80s, don't worry; "Carlotta Valdez" is vintage R.E.M., circa "Gardening At Night", meeting Pavement.
Of course, your introduction to the Seattle-based foursome probably came on the modern rock smash, "Flagpole Sitta". You're excused if you didn't quite pick up on the title; how about the refrain, which rings out 'I'm not sick but I'm not well / And I'm so hot / Cause I'm in hell.' I'm sure that rings a bell, and with the smarter-than-thou lyrics of 'only stupid people are breeding; the stupid cretins are cloning and feeding', it's likely many of the words are already stuck in your head.
Buck and Berry's guitar-influences show up throughout the remainder of Where Have All The Merrymakers Gone? (especially on "Private Helicopter") as do those of other indie-rock idols such as Guided By Voices and Sebadoh, without Harvey Danger ever forgetting to sing clearly and make pop records. It's a lesson that other Seattle bands such as Pearl Jam too often forget.
The major labels have shot themselves in the foot by frequently signing independent acts before their maturation, and in effect, killed the careers of many bands prior to getting started. Here's one that is likely to flourish. Consider this the band's Murmur, and think of Harvey Danger as this year's R.E.M. Complete with drummer.
