Harakiri is a progressive, indie rock band hailing from Saint Paul, Minnestoa. Harakiri’s charismatic stage performances and eclectic style changes create a parallel to The Mars Volta; that being paired with soaring three part vocal harmonies and riff based guitar work embody the spirit of Freddy Mercury and Queen. All the while being compared to Incubus, for their melancholy 90’s vibe and unconventional song structure; Harakiri splits the seams of genre based music wide open leaving nothing off limits but reinterpreting the past in a way true to the individuals in the band. They are determined to pave their way in this 21st century “Wild West” music scene by doing nothing short of everything to make sure their music is heard.
Harakiri definitely takes some patience and some getting used to, but isn’t that true of all your favorite music? We lent an ear to a couple of songs from their upcoming album and the first thing that strikes you is the songs have unusual bridges and tempo shifts, added to blazing shots of amazing melody that gives everything an indelible sense of being. In fact, it’s this very same complex and creative song structures, the tempo changes, the dynamic contrasts and the way this band can stop and start on a dime, that truly makes them so endearing!
The rhythm section of Fraser Wills on drums and Jeremy Johnson on bass is incredibly tight and powerful, as is the all-round guitar playing by Geoff Davidson and Jacop Delapina, while the vocals and harmonies are completely in another league. This is more than evident on “Lorelei”, one of the first singles to come off the album.
Sonically, it is eclectic and mesmerizing, while the arrangement is sprawling and interesting, going through several phases before its conclusion. The song is a throwback to the indulgent and ambitious progressive rock era, but Harakiri always have a keen sense of direction on where the music needs to go as opposed to prog-rock, which almost always induced band members into aimlessly overplaying. This never happens here!
“Lorelei” contains a blending of different musical genres, which crosses over from rock to funk, then alternative pop and everything else in between. The haunting melodic hooks that keep drawing you back in for more, along with the eclectic time shifts and startling vocals courtesy of Jordan Manus together with Holly Ogg and Alexa Blake, brilliantly tie all of the transitions together, making “Lorelei” a song of absolutely remarkable quality.
If you are starving for some quality and gifted talent, this band is a must to satisfy your appetite. There are a handful of bands that come around now and again to produce albums that you can’t put down, but throughout your entire life you will encounter only two or three bands totally capable of changing the way you think about and listen to music. Harakiri could very well, be one of those bands. The release of their upcoming album will provide us further evidence of this affirmation.
In the meantime the 7 members of Harakiri have managed to blend instruments, voices, rhythms, and melodies into one massive musical orgasm! And we’re talking about just one single!
Bring on the album…
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