Press By year: 2004
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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