Harvey Milk (the band)

The first "real" post i'd like to make concerns the incredible band known as Harvey Milk. They play a sludgy, droning, metallic, grindingly slow take on American blues and rock and roll. Their records are notoriously hard to come by (especially the 7" singles from their early days). However, thanks to the power of the internet and a little bit of disposable income, i've been able to obtain quite a few of these rarities. Below is a poor picture of the collection i've come to own:

 Top row, from left:
Courtesy and Good Will to Men (Grey, 2x12")
Courtesy and Good Will to Men CD (w/ bonus live CD)
Harvey Milk (Black Tour press, 2x12")
Life...the Best Game in Town (Grey 2x12")
Life...the Best Game in Town CD
Life...the Best Game in Town  2xCD (Japanese import)
Live at Supersonic 2008 (Yellow)
Second row, from left:
My Love is Higher than Your Assessment of What My  Love Could Be (Gold 2x12")
the Pleaser/Live Pleaser (Red and Blue 2x12")
the Singles (Blue 2x12")
Special Wishes (Red 2x12")
Third row, from left:
the Kelly Sessions CD
a Small Turn of Human Kindness CD
i Do  Not Know How to Live My Life 7"
i've Got a Love 7"
Pals Forever [Split w/ Hayride] (Clear 7")
Volcom Split with Wildlife (White 7")
Bottom row, from left:
the Martians "Low Budget Stunt King" CD (Note: Drummer Kyle Spence played in this group)
Anthem DVD/ 3" CD
Fiddlehead "Bleat" 7"  (Note: Drummer Kyle Spence played in this group)
Creston Spiers "Yesterday's Parade" (Clear 7") (Note: Creston is the lead singer of Harvey Milk)

Today, i've chosen to write about several of my favorite HM records and some of their highlights. i believe my first HM purchase was the "Small Turn..." CD, which is readily available from many fine independent record stores nation-wide. This record is the closest thing to a "breakthrough" experienced by HM thus far. Coverage on such venerable media outlets such as NPR, Metalsucks, etc.? Yerp. And for good reason, too. This album plays like one long song, a la "Thick as a Brick" or, more recently, "Colors." Of course, the media coverage doesn't prevent this from being anything different from the rest of HM's cannon: long, slow, sludgy dirges that feature Creston wailing as though he's performing a self-exorcism and there happened to be a tape recorder running nearby. The band plays relatively simple, yet incredibly-effective metallic-blues stomps to match Creston's raw fury. This is harrowing stuff, a real party record if you ask me. According to Hydra Head Records, HM's label home for now, this album will be pressed on wax in January of 2011, GOD willing, and i hope HE is, as this really will play well on my turntable.

Of course, any of you old HM fans know that the phrase "A Small Turn of Human Kindness" is not simply the name of the new LP from the band, but is also an instrumental track on the "My Love is Higher..." album, complete with an accompanying story in the liner notes of said album. "My Love..." is the first piece of HM vinyl i purchased, as it was the most readily-available. My copy of the album is a beautiful gold color. This album contends to be one of my favorite HM records. The songs are, as always, human emotion at its most-raw and the band is, of course, heavier than the headlines.

Another album of note is "Life...the Best Game in Town," released on Hydra Head records. The album continues the tradition of dirty, sludgy, slow rock, this time complete with artwork detailing the innards of the apartment of a drunk guy with poor hygiene habits (and an Iron Maiden poster!). Anyways, the packaging is awesome (Silt gray 180g vinyl and a double gatefold), the songs are great, and the band still rules. Songs of particular note include "Death Goes to the Winner," "Motown," "Roses," and "Goodbye Blues." As i'll probably say about all of the band's albums, it is one of my favorites (despite the fact that the band hates it, as evidenced in this gem of an interview: http://www.self-titledmag.com/home/2010/03/08/primer-harvey-milk-tear-their-discography-apart-from-the-shitty-blues-rock-of-the-pleaser-to-the-total-creative-bankruptcy-of-their-latest-album/).

Then, there is the black sheep of the Harvey Milk discography, "The Pleaser," which also includes a nearly-track-for-track live edition of the album, on red and blue vinyl, respectively (and a weird picture of the band at a picnic of some sort). The album itself is still depressing, dirty, and grungy, but instead of Buzz O. and the Melvins, Ozzy and Sabbath, this album is more ZZ Top and mustaches, Camaros and mullets than anything else the band has yet recorded. It's certainly a "beer" album and something to behold in its own right.

Finally, there are the elusive and rewarding singles. Of course, one could be resourceful and acquire the Relapse-records released (and aptly-named) "The Singles" double LP (my copy is on blue vinyl). This compilation collects all of the band's hard to come by (and damn expensive) 7" singles. My favorites include the Kiss cover "Easy Thing," the traditional "Greensleeves," and the original "i Do Not Know How to Live My Life."Again, though, every song is worth hearing for its intrinsic emotionally cleansing characteristic, at times making you feel like you are the worst person ever, at times making you feel close to GOD and your mother.