Album of the Week. On…Tuesday.

Excuse the rose tinted glasses here, but somehow we’ve all let our quality control get a bit limp haven’t we? I don’t think we should ever, EVER accept an album with ‘filler’ material. An album that consists of the 2 singles (the reason you bought it) 4 fillers (of which maybe one shows a hint of promise) and then an overzealous couple of ending tracks maybe be the most common conception of an album but it shouldn’t be the norm. AGCS is just out the womb and covered in proverbial afterbirth, so a revolution isn’t likely – but if you are reading this – expect more. Expect a band who wants to give you 10 or more release worthy songs.  Of course, you’ll probably argue that this is oversimplified subjective conjecture, and you’re probably right, but keep reading, because I’m about to tell you about a great new band and you won’t regret it.

Harlem Shakes are brilliant. They’ve toured with Deerhoof, Vampire Weekend, and Beirut, and opened for Wire and Clap Your Hands Say Yeah – so this gives you some idea of the scene/sound, but honestly, I think they trump all those guys, especially Vampire Weekend. Lead singer Lexy is nasally and whiney, like Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, but somehow it’s entirely tolerable. Naive synths and electronic drums play a part, but only ever add to new dimensions, unlike shit-eating Vampire Weekend who flaunt their ‘quirky’ instruments at every opportunity. Most importantly, there is NO filler. Granted, there are only 10 tracks, but I’d like to imagine they left out the not-so-strong tracks for my sake alone. If they haven’t already, I suspect this album will ensure these guys turn up on Skins (or a car ad in between Skins) and be flaunted by the MNSTRMrs. Until then make sure you take a listen and download-enjoy-return-repeat.

9.8789/10

Alistair

Harlem Shakes - Strictly Game