One of the most wonderful things about garage rock is its inherent sense of brevity. It’s a world where three-chords are cause for a celebration because logic dictates that two-chords is surely enough for any decent rock song. And why waste time on overdubs when the effort of merely rewinding the tape would take thirty seconds away from getting started on rolling tape for a new song?
Harlem, a three-piece garage band from Austin, certainly subscribes too much of the genre’s basic points-and there are more than a few fine examples of their Nuggets devotion on their sophomore effort, Hippies. But like many young Americans, they should go back and study the source material to find out when it’s appropriate to shut the fuck up.