Harvey Milk are a rock/metal/noise/grunge group formed in Athens, Georgia in the early 90's. Named after California's first openly gay politician who was murdered in 1978. Sonically speaking Harvey Milk combine slow heavy downtuned riffing with boogie and pop nous alternately, plus a touch of loud/quiet grunge form.
Vocalist Wharton Tiers has a phenomenal range of howls, whispers and soul craziness, whilst never appearing more than psychotically depressed. All this despite a grim satirical and self-deprecating humor similar to other grungers (see Nirvana's piss taking In Bloom, in which the targets of the piss taking remained oblivious and took the single to No.1), also Tiers has called this record 'the bands worst album' and the liner notes contain apathetic notes such as to the track Barn Burner 'Creston wrote this shit couldn't sing on it due to lack of interest' and After All I've Done 'another mighty turd I contributed, It's about nothing, fuck this jam'.
Joe Preston, traveller of Thrones, Earth, Melvins, High on Fire and Sunn o))) joined for this record adding further dirge, scuzz, metal and Bi-Polar disorder. The opening track Death goes to the winner, twists lyrics from Waiting for the man and Day in the Life 'Woke up got out of bed, raised a gun up to my head'.
Despite the obvious influences, Black Sabbath, Metal, Led Zep, ZZ Top, the group also profess a love of Leonard Cohen, Hank Williams, Swans and REM.
The cover is also worth mentioning, as one of my personal favorites containing a sombrero and an Iron Maiden patch pinned to a wall, the gatefold them reveals a filthy bedroom strewn with records, beer cans and other unidentified detritus, kinda appropriate.
No comments:
Post a Comment