Harriet: Tell the Right Story
With it’s debut, Tell the Right Story, LA based band Harriet proves it can make music on a grandiose scale. Harriet’s sound mixes elements of folk and Americana with electronic pop. The bands piano man and lead vocalist, Alex Casnoff, is a veteran of Dawes and PAPA, and with Harriet, takes a cinematic approach to storytelling.
“I Slept With All Your Mothers” is a power rocker. Casnoff’s voice is a mix of ’50 crooner with a gritty blues edge, and on this track we see the greatest range. On the chorus he has a howl that is almost Bono-esque, and is steadly backed by a driving piano rhythm.
Harriet shifts gears with the second track “Soldier,” which plays off the dissonance of a distorted rhythm guitar and a clean lead. Casnoff vocal delivery on this song is subdued, but still powerful.
“Sign” is a pure piano ballad, which I think suffers from some overproduction as Harriet ventures too far into the electronic pop end of the spectrum. The percussion on this track seems too flat, and there is a little too much overdubbing on the vocals which strips Casnoff’s voice of it’s color.
“Don’t Fight the Feeling” tries to get things back on course. The track has some things going for it, especially the extended intro driven by a jazz inspired piano and bass. Her Casnoff’s voice regains it’s vulnerability, The song relies on the repetition of lyrical motifs to build tension, but when the payoff comes it leaves the listener underwhelmed.
With “Send ‘Em,” Harriet returns to what it does best on this album, the piano based power ballad. This song uses the same loud quiet dynamic as “Don’t Fight the Felling” but to a much better effect. The song is driven by Casnoff singing with a simple piano accompaniment that seems to swell in the transition from verse to chorus.
Tell the Right Story has its moments. “I Slept With All Your Mothers” and “Send ‘Em” stand out as anthems, but the disc seems to lag in the middle. Harriet may be a good band to keep on your radar, but I can’t recommend buying this EP.
Rating: 6.5/10
MP3: Harriet “I Slept With All Your Mothers”
Download: Free on HarrietMusic.Com
Harriet: Tell the Right Story
