Press
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IndependentClauses.com – “Our Arms” Review
“Daniel G. Harmann’s Our Arms has been kicking around my iTunes far too long without a review. I sat down to listen to it so I could review it, and I realized that I’ve already been listening to it. The three songs on this EP have been through my shuffle, at the end of DGH’s other albums in my iTunes, and generally in my brain for longer than I have realized.
It makes it incredibly easy to sit down and write this review. Harmann’s basic sound is a hyper-romantic, extra-melodic, beauty-washed soundscape; I coined the term “rainy day makeout music” while listening to a Harmann album. That’s just what the music sounds like. This time out, though, DGH has himself a band named The Trouble Starts, making the proper name of this release Our Arms by Daniel G. Harmann and the Trouble Starts. Does the band make a difference in the sound that I so love from DGH?
Well, sort of. Opener “I Became the Ground” is much more upbeat than anything I can remember previously. It still retains the extremely emotional, hyper-romantic vibe, but it’s not as rainy in tone. It’s oddly reminiscent of the jangly pop that Death Cab for Cutie has been churning out these days, and even a little similar to Anberlin’s slower-tempo work. It doesn’t stray too far from the tree, but it’s definitely a new seed in the ground.
“Dee,” however, is a return to normalcy. The song plods along gloriously, with each individual part making stately entrances and exits. The mood is the same one that I have come to know of DGH, and after hearing a deviation from it in “I Became the Ground,” it’s very welcome. The chiming guitar line pushes this song forward as the vocals try to drag it back; the tension makes this an incredibly effective song.
“Knob Creek Neat” is somewhere in the middle. The presence of the Trouble Starts is felt, as there’s a less dreamy feel to the work and much more aggressive moments throughout. But it never breaks the morose tempo that DGH is most comfortable with. The song may be a lot more direct than his previous work, but the Trouble Starts haven’t broken him of slow, dreamy soundscapes: the chorus of the song features his trademark vocal trick (it’s a certain interval jump that I wish I was smart enough musically to name), and the aggressiveness falls out in favor of layered guitar parts and melodicism.
This three-song EP shows that Daniel G. is spreading his wings a bit by heading out with a band in tow. But he’s still the performer that I love, and a couple new members isn’t going to change that. This EP is the best possible way to move forward: one foot in the new, one foot in the old, and one in the middle. I’ll let you deal with the mental image of a three-legged man. Good work, Mr. Harmann. Good work.”
- IndependentClauses.com -
the Stranger – Band of the Week / Our Arms Review
“Daniel G. Harmann’s newest release, the “Our Arms EP”, finds the stalwart Seattle musician expanding and further electrifying his beautiful downer ballads with the help of his band, the Trouble Starts. In the past, Harmann has sometimes played things lo-fi and spare, and while his foggy singing and his sad songs certainly don’t suffer from that treatment, they tend to land with a little more satisfying weight this way. The songs are still sleepy-headed and soft, but they’re wrapped up in warm, buzzing guitars against far-off echoes, with hard-hit drums holding everything down. It’s mope rock for sure, but it’s pretty lively mope rock. ”
- Eric Grandy -
Seattle PI – 11.20.08
WHAT: By himself, Daniel G. Harmann is a folksy troubadour with a delightfully laconic voice and a penchant for heartbreaking melodies. With a band, he’s still a heartbreaker but with a full-bodied, sweeping consonance underlining his bittersweet poetry. The Trouble Starts includes Forrest Haskell (bass), Ozo Jaculewicz (guitar) and Shea Bliss (drums).
SOLO VS. BAND: “I kinda hate playing solo. I love playing with the Trouble Starts,” Harmann says. “When I moved back from Portland in 2006, it took me a long time to start playing shows again, and I think that’s just because I wanted to play with other people, but just didn’t know where to start. I knew a lot of people through music, but getting people — musicians especially — to commit is tough. But Dorkweed had just broken up, and Forrest and Ozo were looking for a home. Then Shea came on board just after that. We’d all been friends since way before we started playing together, and that really helped.”
CAREER DEBUT: “I played in a band in Phoenix called Kendrick, and we did a few shows, but the first time I ever played as Daniel G. Harmann was in December of 2001. … It was at I-Spy. The first show with the current band was in August of 2007 at Cafe Venus.”
INSPIRATION: “For me, it’s kind of like ‘what doesn’t?’ Lyrically, I’m always writing, always writing things down, all day. Sometimes the songs are obvious in their direction, and those are the ones that get written the fastest. But it takes me years to write some songs, and that’s OK. I’m not in any rush.”
NERVES: “As long as we can all hear each other during the first song, and I can hear my vocals OK, then I’m happy, and I can kick back and enjoy it. We’re all really excited about the Goodness show. I think every human has a crush on Carrie Akre.”
RELEASES: “Failures in Motion” (EP, 2001), “The Lake Effect” (LP, 2004), “The Books We Read Will Bury Us” (EP, 2006), “Anthems From the Gentle War” (LP, 2007), as well as a song on the Low Tribute album, “We Could Live in Hope” (2004)
WHERE TO LISTEN: hellotower.com and myspace.com/danielgharmann, where the lullaby “Words” deserves a listen
NEXT SHOW: 9:30 Friday at the Tractor Tavern, 5213 Ballard Ave. N.W., opening for Goodness. Tickets: $12 at the door.
- Shawn Telford | Seattle PI
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the Stranger Show Review for 09.06.08 at the Tractor Tavern
“What freezes you about Daniel G. Harmann’s music is the expanse. A quietly loud expanse. It scans across a highway bridge at night. Someone driving realizes the perfectness of hands. Harmann cuts from quiet and clean to loud and distorted with a crafted sense of timing. When he gets loud, it’s more a movement to volume. His higher range vocals coat the shift and the rhythm steadily drives. Though it grows in volume, the music doesn’t seem louder. The quiet – loud, loud – quiet transition is one that Harmann and his band (the Trouble Starts) wield deftly. It’s a use of light and dark that Harmann has figured out. When he goes louder, it only deepens. Sound at the Tractor for Harmann was particularly dialed in. No earplugs were needed and that may have been another reason the high end of the band’s clean sounds were so pristine. Harmann’s lyrics add a layer to his gentle use of distortion and volume. You are paying attention to his words and there is association. In “Beer from a Bottle” he sings, “I’ve been known to drink far too much. And to spend the day washing off the night before. This is not a swan song, this is not a memory.” The way he sings “drink” I hear “drift”.”
- Line Out | the Stranger Music Blog -
STRANGER BAND OF THE WEEK 05.22.08 – 05.28.08
“It’s hard to get ahead in Seattle’s highly saturated pool of singer/songwriters. Rocky Votolato, PWRFL Power, Tiny Vipers, Sera Cahoone—they’re all doing well for themselves. But for each successful acoustically inclined artist, there’s three dozen hopefuls waiting in line. Daniel G. Harmann knows the struggle; he’s been waiting his turn for years. But his new album, Anthems from the Gentle War (his fourth studio release produced by Graig Markel), is his best yet. The songs are bigger, filled with lush strings, chimes, and vocal harmonies. And though its themes are still deeply rooted in the “sad bastard” category, the album’s triumphant guitars and Markel’s sparkling production make it glow with optimism. Harmann might get his day yet.”
- the Stranger, BAND OF THE WEEK 05.22.08 – 05.28.08
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KEXP Review
“Over the last several years and releases, Daniel G. Harmann has collaborated with many fine musicians including Head Like A Kite’s Trent Moorman and beloved songstress Rosie Thomas to name a few. There are few signs more indicative of talent than bringing in other talent. Most striking is Harmann’s sweet falsetto and backing melodies, which add up to an emotional breadth approaching that of Sigur Ros. The lush soundscapes are big enough to fill an arena and personal enough to whisper in your ear. Every song on the album is clean but not squeaky, consistent but never contrived. Upon first listen you may have a I know where he’s going with this moment, only to be proven wrong every time.”
- KEXP, February 2008
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EXODUSTER.com Band of the Month
“At first blush, your expectations are quite low for Daniel G. Harmann’s eleven-song Anthems from the Gentle War; on a label never heard of, ok album design, and the simple fact that very few acts with someone’s name as the moniker are any good. Yet, after you progress past the opening number “I Swallowed Twelve Grenades,” where you think Harmann is just seconds away from launching into generic rock, your whole perception changes. There is no shift to crap and soon enough the six-minute atmospheric “The Trouble Starts” hooks your ear and lowers your pulse to create a simple joy of pleasure. This is Harmann’s fourth album and he shapes songs into a cross of Sigur Ros taking a more indie rock path to songwriting. Joining Harmann on this recording are Forrest Haskell, Brandon Miller, Trent Moorman, Graig Markel, Louis O’Callaghan, Robert Deeble, and Mike Honcho (the porn star from Talladega Nights). Not all of the songs exist as ethereal, atmospheric soundscapes with diversions to more standard song structures, but all provide a mellowing sheen that could easily be reworked to float you into space. Among the fantastic are – well the entire album to be honest. Even spots where you think there will be a downturn, Harmann turns it around and re-envisions the spectacular. Exhibit A is the third track “Beer From a Bottle” that opens as ordinary fare before moving to the compelling chorus that reshapes your imagine of the song. Others that follow suit include the beat-driven “A Dying Dove,” “Every Song is I Need You Tonight,” and “Wrists.” The more instrumental driven atmospheric haunts come courtesy of “I’ve Turned to a Life of Crime,” the uber slow mover “Go Now, Rush Ashore,” the unique riff under “Last Swim of the Year,” and quirky closer “Barnburners.” Finding Daniel G. Harmann is an absolute treasure and hopefully it’s a joy that you’ll spread to others. ” FEBRUARY ‘08 ARTIST OF THE MONTH
- Exoduster.com -
Sound Magazine – November 2007
“The second full-length release from Phoenix native & current Seattleite Daniel G. Harmann goes on to follow the same blueprint that he has followed his entire career: just be patient, and good things will happen eventually. They do, as is made clear on “A Dying Dove”, which recalls Radiohead, if that band were willing to fit their sound into a nightclub. Harmann and his cast of rotating characters picks up speed quick. Thankfully, he doesn’t ape Thom York, but he does have the coveted gift to only speak when necessary. When he does, you always feel inclined to listen.”
- Sound Magazine, November 2007
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The Wheel’s Still in Spin – “Anthems…” Review
“This album is full of musical landscapes that are lush, sincere, and diverse. He’s a singer-songwriter, but one who writes songs with a larger palette of emotions than most songwriters. This is the kind of album that would be perfect to listen to if you were taking a relaxing drive around the countryside, wanting to escape from, while keeping your mind focused on, a larger life.” BEST OF SEPTEMBER 2007
- The Wheel’s Still in Spin -
Smother.net – “Anthems…” Review
“Beautifully woven atmospheres and crafty textures of sonic bliss greet the ear immediately as Anthems from the Gentle War waves its way over your body, lending a sensation not much unlike the best orgasm ever. Art rock that is unafraid of taking challenges to heart, “Anthems…” escorts you through the hallways of indie pop, rock, and post-rock with passionate catchy hooks. The long lost descendant of Sigur Ros and Low, Daniel G. Harmann waves his magic wand of awesome songwriting and invites you inside for a cup of tea and a good talk. Energetically subtle and sincere with emotional vocal deliveries presented with imaginative ethereal sonic spaciousness.” EDITOR’S PICK
- Smother.net -
Independent Clauses – “Anthems…” Review
“Stuffing Daniel G. Harmann into the emo/indie genre would be a slap in the face to this compassionate artist. Just as heartfelt as rhythms from New Order, Daniel G. Harmann is a solo man that makes his music out of pure honesty. Harmann’s voice quivers with the melodies of his songs. In “A Dying Dove” his gentle voice conveys the stage of his life as someone who is searching for their place in a world full of turmoil. Daniel G. Harmann brings subtle beauty through his songs, something that should be admired. Harmann’s simple, sometimes repetitive lyrics like in “I’ve Turned To a Life of Crime” make the album flow from track to track almost as if weightlessly. Harmann whispers, speaks softly, takes deep breaths and blossoms throughout this album. It is hard not to appreciate an album such as this on a day spent out in the sun on a blanket just for you or inside sipping coffee while it sprinkles rain. The album can apply to many stages of life, which is masterful even if Harmann meant to or not. I’ll go to sleep tonight listening to “Go Now, Rush Ashore” and in the morning I’ll wake listening to Harmann’s gentle anthems. Luckily for us, Harmann provides the perfect soundtrack to help pull us through good and bad times in his fourth CD that I beseech anyone who is a self respecting music lover to pick up!”
- IndependentClauses.com -
Lazy-I.com – “Anthems…” Review
“The problem is getting past the first impressions — the plodding monotonous rhythms (a la Red House Painters), the mossy falsetto that becomes easy to ignore after the first few songs, the chiming, echo-filled guitars that show an adoration for shoe-gazers. It’d be easy to discard it as not tuneful enough, but downbeat hey-look-at-me anthems like “Beer from a Bottle”, “Last Swim of the Year” and “I’ve Turned to a Life of Crime,” (which ends with Harmann “beggin you to stay”) catch your gaze and holds it. Produced by Graig Markel of New Sweet Breath (remember those guys?), taken as a whole, it soars more than plods.”
- Lazy-I.com -
Aiding & Abetting – “Anthems…” Review
“Ambitious rock and roll. Harmann has a fine sense of melody, and part of that sense is to emphasize melody over rhythm. His guitar lines, in particular, ring out with almost impossible clarity. His traditional songwriting style (anthemic; that part of the title isn’t ironic) probably informs that part of the mix, but it’s effective in any case.”
- Aiding & Abetting -
Seattle PI – “Anthems…” Review
“This is a lovely, lilting record, but to call them songs isn’t accurate. For his fourth studio album, Seattleite Daniel G. Harmann has crafted nine lush dreamscapes that plod along in a slow and midtempo trance. Track to track, the playbook doesn’t change much: twinkling guitars, melancholy minor chords, distant vocals that — regardless of the words he’s actually crooning — echo a distant despair or some far-off loneliness. While this may not be the best sales pitch, “Anthems” is actually a very gratifying and certainly hypnotic meditation on woe.”
- Shawn Telford, the Seattle P-I -
Line Out – “Anthems…” Review
“Daniel G. Harmann’s songs drift and ache, sad but uplifting. I’d say they’re brave, but they’re more subdued than that. Feels like fall. His latest release, Anthems from the Gentle War, came out September 4th and was recorded at Recovery Room Studio in Greenwood. If the Cure were from the South, they’d sound like Harmann. Anthems rolls scenes from your memory back to when you used to lay on the grass and look at the sky. When you used to run away and roll marbles down a path of tamped earth. It’s muted and loud. A match to a moth wing.”
- Line Out | the Stranger Music Blog -
Independent Clauses – “the Books We Read…” Review
“Do not miss out on this beautiful piece of art. This album definitely will be on my best of 2007 list.“
- IndependentClauses.com -
the Stranger – “the Books We Read…” Review
“Quietly Beautiful.”
- Hannah Levin, the Stranger -
Three Imaginary Girls – “the Lake Effect” Review
“Sometimes pathos is unbridled and relentless, something dangerous and out of control that scares us. Try as we might to look away, we can’t. Other times it’s fragile, something slow and soft that breaks us more like a virus and less like a hurricane. Over the past week, I’ve been listening to the Lake Effect by Daniel G. Harmann and sorting out the sounds, cathartic and beautiful with pathos of the far more subtle variety.
The opening track “Location is Everything” is breathtaking in its longing. Harmann’s vocals are tender and soft. He also has a gift for chord selection, exhibiting a deceptive simplicity of the structure in his writing. The second track comes in with a bit more urgency then the previous one, and it becomes obvious that Mr. Harmann is a gifted songwriter who finds splendor in dark corners and empty rooms. His use of negative space gives many of the songs a dreamy, ethereal quality. “Fade in/Fade out” resonates with a lovely piano line (played by Lesli Wood) that expands unchanging over six minutes.
So now you might ask, “Say mister, what’s the catch?” To be honest, the album begins to drag. These songs could have percolated a bit more, as they seem a bit hasty as a finished product. By the time “Fade In/Fade Out” fades through my speakers, I usually find that feeling — the one that I previously couldn’t fight — has evaporated. Many of the songs lack dynamics within; other instruments have to do something to create hooks to prevent the sound from stagnating… but they don’t. This may sound odd, but Harmann relies too much on his talent.”
- Three Imaginary Girls
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Eyeheartmusic.com – “the Lake Effect” Review
“The clouds on the cover of Daniel’s second full length say it all: this is a thoughtful album of delicate melancholy. Each of the ten songs is a portrait of intimacy as DGH croons his personal observations and notes on life/living taken from the pages of his heart.
To flush out the sound, Daniel enlisted several Seattle celebrities to supplement the record including Greg Markel, Lesli Wood, Rosie Thomas, and Bob Smolenski. The more complete band elevates the songs from the laments of a solo performer to the lovely conspiracy of a sophisticated crowd.
It encourages and accessorizes idle, overcast afternoons spent woolgathering while contemplating the beauty of gray.”
- EyeHeartMusic.com
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Delusions of Adequacy – “the Lake Effect” Review
“I think it’s fall. I think it’s sweater weather, even though its on the cusp of 70 degrees right now. I think its one of those days where I should lock myself in my room and gaze out the window at leaves falling from the trees. I listen to Daniel G. Harmann’s The Lake Effect, and I feel like being sad and rocking myself back and forth. These are all good things, as Harmann’s debut is intensely touching and sincere, and could be the new soundtrack to your sadness. If I chose to lock myself in my room, while on the verge of tears and muttering to myself, The Lake Effect would surely be playing in the background. It’s an album perfectly crafted for those moods. Not that this is bad, because we all have those moments, and the results can be therapeutic.
I’m not quite sure where Daniel G. Harmann came from, but he’s released an album of poignant bedroom rock. It’s thoughtful, sad, touching – but, perhaps most satisfying, it is good. It’s emotional and vulnerable without being over indulgent or whiny. Don’t get the wrong idea, you would be grossly mistaken to call this emo.
Touches of Red House Painter’s and Pedro the Lion enter Harmann’s soundscapes of sorrow, but his orchestrations are certainly fuller than those two. Though his primary weapon is an acoustic guitar, the sound is flushed out with vocal overdubs, strings, reverb, and other assorted atmospherics. This lush vibe and soaring melodies call to mind British shoegazers Ride almost instantly.
Though it’s full of melancholy, if you thought this might be a monotonous and unrelenting assault on your heartstrings you’d also be mistaken. There are some upbeat (though still sullen) numbers that move towards pop. “Broken Will, Bleeding Heart” is the would-be standout radio hit.
This album is good. After listening all the way through, you may feel the sorrow of a solitary autumn day, but you wont have the emptiness that goes along with it. Harrman’s music easily fills that void.”- Delusions of Adequacy
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Aiding & Abetting – “the Lake Effect” Review
“Big music–you know, crashing chords, warped string arrangements, breathy vocals, etc. This could be pretentious and dull, but Harmann’s energy is unflagging. He never fails to give a song the last bit of gas in his tank, and that’s what sells this for me.”
- Aiding & Abetting -
the Oregonian – “the Lake Effect” Review
“…Brimming with wistful songs that address disappointments and farewells… Harmann writes wonderful songs where aching melody and minimalist structure provide a sturdy platform for his plaintive voice. At times Harmann’s vocals recall a young Art Garfunkel or the late Elliott Smith.”
- the Oregonian -
Smother.net – “the Lake Effect” Review
“The Lake Effect grabs a lock of your hair and teases you willingly through the lush valleys of sonic bliss with its atmospheric soundscapes. Not often does an album waltz through and demand to be noticed in such a subtle way… Indeed [it] will ripple through you and unlike a skipping stone won’t eventually sink in—it sinks immediately into your soul in a place reserved for your favorite lovers and best of friends as a perfect invasion of your most private of emotions.” EDITORS PICK
- Smother.net -
KEXP – “Failures in Motion” Review
“Seattle shoegazer Daniel G. Harmann waxes sentimental over simple acoustic rock guitar. Backed by cinematic keyboard hazes and lullabies, this plaintive, high-pitched singer measures pitfalls while hanging onto a thread of hope.”
- Michele Myers, KEXP
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Sup Magazine – “Failures in Motion” Review
“There’s a lot to be said about self indulgent music. It’s honest. It’s unpretentious. It’s appealing to the ears, mind and soul. Daniel G. Harmann recorded his solo debut of a musical diary in quite an impressive manor. Beautiful, simple, powerful. Based around himself and a guitar, these songs have minimalist lyrics and structure. There are few words, but they do say quite a lot. Also featured on this album is the talent of Graig Markel (cello), who also produced the album. Fans of artists such as Red House Painters, Mark Lanegan and Elliot Smith should really enjoy kicking back to Daniel G. Harmann.”
- Aimee Nelson, Sup Magazine