Wisdom of Harry - House of Binary
(Matador)
Pete Astor of Creation bands like The Weather Prophets returns to
music with the aid of David Sheppard of State River Widening to
create cluttered, beat driven, lo-fi electronica as The Wisdom of
Harry. There is a simple test to see if music like this is
worthwhile. Put the music on while doing something else. If
your toe starts tapping--entirely on its own without any
assistance from any other body parts--then it is hard to find
fault. The Wisdom of Harry's first proper full length, House
of Binary, fails that toe test.
Before House of Binary, the band released several EPs and singles,
and the music there was quite a bit different from this album.
The melodies were clearer, and overall the music was like bedroom
folk over electronic-based pop music, like Smog's stab at the
Folk Implosion. This release sounds more like soundtrack music
for the underbelly of Metropolis. The sounds are subdued, dark,
and confused. The lyrics are meaningless, referencing books
most will never read or just saying "hello" in different languages.
The singing of these lyrics is possibly the only thing worthwhile
on this release, giving this textured soundsacpe music a pop
element it is in dire need of. Even those, though, are
nothing special. On the album's first single, "Coney Island of
Your Mind," Astor sounds like Ween singing the chorus, backed only
by layers and layers of Beck-ish beats and an occasional blues
guitar riff.
These pop vocals are the only thing the listener has to grab hold
of. Remove those vocals--and plenty of artists do them just as
well--and about all that's left are beats, a cluttered heap of
beats that cannot move you where it counts (your toes!).
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