Gig Alert: Harlem at Rubber Gloves Tonight

Formed in Tucson, Arizona, but now residing in Austin, the band Harlem makes its way to our area quite often, delivering a unique brand of noise that takes inspiration from the fuzziest bands of the late '60s. Often erroneously compared to Nirvana and the Pixies, Harlem's clatter is much less...

By Darryl Smyers

August 18, 2009

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Formed in Tucson, Arizona, but now residing in Austin, the band Harlem makes its way to our area quite often, delivering a unique brand of noise that takes inspiration from the fuzziest bands of the late '60s.

Often erroneously compared to Nirvana and the Pixies, Harlem's clatter is much less rehearsed and much more stoned. The band's recently released effort, Free Drugs, is as plainspoken a statement of purpose as I've come across this year.

Songs like "Witch Greens," "South of France" and "Psychedelic Tits" will certainly please those who dig Grizzly Bear and Blitzen Trapper, as Harlem goes for broke on just about every cut on the new disc. It's a thrilling and cathartic record that displays a sense of humor often missing from bands of a similar ilk.

Anyhow, catch Harlem at Rubber Gloves tonight--or perhaps next month, when the band opens for the much-lauded Monotonix (at the same venue) on September 24.

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