Harris - The Light is Seeping Through the Cracks

Hooray for talented up-and-coming bands. Harris fits the definition, and my knowledge of their existence can be traced to my love/hate relationship with that damned Myspace. A sickening site in many ways, yet it does allow me to expand my musical horizons. Harris is much more than a throwback to a decade past. Though their influences--Braid, At the Drive-In, Chisel, the Dismemberment Plan--are all apparent, these young Massachusetts natives pull their own sound out of this culmination of inspiration. There's more of a pop element present here, and it works. "Carousel" is one of the catchiest songs I've heard this year, subsequently becoming one of my favorites. A little Hot Rod Circuit pops up now and again in their music, but Harris is comprised of better musicians, and they avoid painting themselves one-dimensional. "Solid Ground" would make Bob Nanna proud; the keyboards in the same song are goofy enough to suit Piebald. The Kinsella brothers have impacted The Light is Seeping Through the Cracks in many ways, as you'll notice from a listen. But let's not leave this review at comparisons, though they do garner many. This is a self-released record. As a promising band, Harris has yet to succumb to a style that would compromise their integrity and have modernized one that I definitely don't mind having back. "Emo" or not, The Light is Seeping Through the Cracks is a hell of an album and don't be surprised when Jade Tree comes knockin'. [www.harriscore.com]