0
Har Mar Superstar! Remember him? When he first appeared (about 10 years ago! Fuck, I feel old), Har Mar was a breath of fresh air – a reaction against indie-bands who took themselves and their by-numbers music far too seriously.
The image of his chubby, balding self gyrating in his underwear with a gaggle of amazonian half-dressed women was the perfect flip-of-the-bird to the all Justin Timberlakes of the World, too.
Now however, the scene has been done to death, and something in me also feels that Har Mar is in some way to blame for all the horrific, mysogynistic low-rent advertising American Apparel have been ramming down our throats for the past few years too. The image of Dov Charney in his underwear surrounded by a gaggle of possibly underage but beautiful, half dressed female models is calloused into my memory. And for that he loses a great deal of cool-points, straight off.
However, although it does sound a little dated, the album is still great fun. An R&B, electro treat for the American Apparel generation. Single ‘Tall Boy’ – a song originally written for, and subsequently rejected by, Britney Spears – is a smut-heavy, anti-love song which is prime for some awesome remixing possibilites and a future position as an indie dance-floor staple.
The whole album is trash-tastic. Laced with some wickedly garish nods to nauseous early 90’s love songs (‘Dope, Man’ – which is almost unbearable in its twee, New Kids On The Block B-side exuberance), lo-fi gangsta-pussy-pullers ‘Even Gangsters Want To Cuddle Me’ and the lithe electro-funk ode to the dancefloor ‘Turn The Key’ (which sounds like it was written for Kylie to cover).
So, he mightn’t still be at the peak of the cutting edge or even fashionable any more, but if you’re looking for a little something to boogie around in your knickers to with a vodka and coke pre disco, then this is a god-send. Get involved.
http://www.myspace.com/harmarsuperstar
Buy / Download ‘Dark Touches’: http://tinyurl.com/yatlxzt
In the flesh:
November
Sunday 29th Academy 3, Oxford
Monday 30th Garage, London
December
Tuesday 1st Thekla, Bristol
Weds 2nd Wedgewood Rooms, Portsmouth
Thursday 3rd Caberet Voltaire, Edinburgh
Friday 4th Bodega, Nottingham
Saturday 5th Brickyard, Carlisle
Sunday 6th King Tuts, Glasgow
Monday 7th Ruby Lounge, Manchester
Tuesday 8th Plug, Sheffield
Weds 9th Academy 2, Dublin, IRE
Thursday 10th Stiff Kitten, Belfast, NI
Saturday 12th Concord 2, Brighton
Sunday 13th Barfly, Cardiff