Will Shenton
While often touted as a selling point, intricate instrumental layering has a bad habit of muddying albums that could otherwise benefit from some sonic pruning. Using the technique successfully requires pretty obsessive attention to detail, lest any number of voices become lost, noisy, or simply overwhelming for the listener. But no more than a minute or two into Har-di-Har's full-length debut, we will will you, it's clear that you're in capable hands.
The St. Paul, Minnesota wife-and-husband duo (Julie and Andrew Thoreen) build their tracks one voice at a time, introducing each with fairly straightforward pieces that gradually build into lush complexity. They trade vocal roles throughout the album, creating a sense of dynamic conversation. Occasionally reminiscent of other elaborate songwriters like My Brightest Diamond, Dirty Projectors, and Superhuman Happiness (impressive company to say the least), Har-di-Har nevertheless succeed in forging their own distinctive sound—one that's simultaneously cerebral and evocative.
From the unassuming opening bars of "What if We Don't?" to the final, fading echoes of "A Love Movement," we will will you is a staggeringly complex album that's sandwiched between assertions of simplicity. It's a structure that speaks to a broader thesis of Har-di-Har's music: our most beautiful, elaborate creations stem from our most elemental desires. It's also one that makes this a record you'll want to explore over and over.