One of the most memorable acts out of New Hampshire in years, Durham’s own Harsh Armadillo is slowly spreading their unique brand of jazz, funk, reggae and hip-hop across New England.
With the release of their debut album …Thayer It Is (dedicated to the passing of the album’s producer and personal friend of the band Thayer Harris), this eight piece collective of recent UNH grads has already established themselves as much more than just your average, college-party band.
In particular, …Thayer It Is showcases a high level of quality compositions, musicianship and production that is really quite impressive for a band that has only been together for a little more than a year. Equally as impressive, is that the group recorded the album themselves, primarily in their jam space “The Barn” which they aptly named the album’s last song after.
Fueled by an explosive, soulful horn section (comprised of Max Harris on sax and Mike MacArthur on trombone), a bass-heavy rhythm section that refuses to quit (Thomas Forbes on bass and Dan “Dimone” Tauriello on drums), and guitarists Camden Riley and Aiden Earley sharing shred-duties, the group puts it all on display on …Thayer It Is. All of these components are beautifully complemented by the soulful harmonies of singer Andrea Belaidi, who is able to shift effortlessly between smooth vocals, bellowing choruses and even rapping. Rounding out the sound are the notably funky rhythms and melodies of Dimitry “Didi” Harris on organs, keys and synth, which are evident throughout, especially on “Banana Bass” of which Harris composed himself.
“Classified” showcases the band’s ability to combine humor in lyrics like “Facebook, Myspace, MTV. Suburbs, bitches, HIV…” sung by Max Harris, juxtaposed to slick guitar playing, groovy keyboard melodies and a simple, catchy chorus “I just sit here watching the world burn,” sung by both Harris and Belaidi.
“Banana Bass” begins with just funky organs and Belaidi setting the vibe, rapping “All day she throw up the poker-face, then at night she gets funky with the bass.” Her vocals ascend into a harmony of wooh’s and oh’s until the song finally explodes with the horn section and Forbes’s infectious bass slaps. The rest of the song flows beautifully with Forbes’s smooth rapping, Belaidi’s harmony-laden scatting, and the rest of the band following right behind, creating an imaginative musical landscape.
All of this aside, what really sets Harsh Armadillo and …Thayer It is apart from the already vibrant, diverse music scene of Seacoast New Hampshire is the group’s tight musical chops, penchant for live improvisation and their unique brand of humor, all of which are on display in both this album and in their live shows. The sense of preparedness and urgency never outweighs the blatantly apparent fun and loose atmosphere which permeates every Harsh Armadillo show that I’ve had the pleasure of attending. (I’ve lost count…)
Harsh Armadillo has geniously blended all of the ingredients necessary to make …Thayer It Is a truly unique album that will surely keep heads nodding and butts dancing for years to come.
Download …Thayer It Is on the Harsh Armadillo Bandcamp page.
-Mark McGwin