Harem Scarem - Mood Swings
Harem Scarem have been around for quite a while now. Their first two albums were on my wanted list, but I never quite got around to buying them. The third album has just been released to a mixed reaction in the music press, following horror stories of 'gone grunge' circulating prior to the release. I figured that the band may have peaked and decided to check out the earlier albums instead of going for the new release.
If you're reading this, then you'll know that I've named my Web Site 'Mood Swings'. This is the album that was permanently resident in my CD player whilst I was first setting up my web pages.
This album sees the band pursuing a heavier direction compared to the more commercial first album. This album reminds of the albums by Eye Witness and an Australian band called Empire. The sound is best described as guitar driven melodic hard rock.
The hard rockers are 'Saviors Never Cry', 'No Juctice', 'Change Comes Around', 'Empty Promises' and 'Had Enough'. It's got a couple more commercial, possibly even radio friendly, tracks like 'Nothing Stranger Than Love' and 'Sentimental Boulevard', which reminds me of Red Dawn. 'Jealousy' comes over all groovy, with a funk/jazz feel. It's the sort of song I'd love to hear David Lee Roth do a cover version of. The instrumental 'Mandy' lets the guitarist show off. On 'Just Like I Planned' the instruments get a rest and the band get a chance to show just how good they are in the vocal department. It works well (Praise indeed, considering I'm no fan of Barber Shop Quartets).
I really like the production on this album. The music leaps out of the speakers, even at low volume. The vocals are upfront and don't get lost in the mix. In this respect it reminds me of 'Sahara' by House Of Lords.
Rating : 9
