'Human BBQ'
Self-released
harmonicalewinski.bandcamp.com
Harmonica Lewinski, the fun-loving Rochester band whose name still raises eyebrows, has blessed us with another 10-inch party platter of lo-fi, surf-soaked garage rock ‘n’ roll, called “Human BBQ.” This new album, recorded at Mirror Records in Irondequoit and set for release on April 24, demonstrates Harmonica Lewinski’s affinity with iconoclastic artists in other fields, like David Lynch or Salvador Dalí.
“Human BBQ” is a little less noisy than stuff from the band’s earlier catalog. But it’s still good and loose (on the opening track, “Sleeper Cell” you can hear the snares on the drum; not just the snare drum itself, but the snares rattling on the drum). And no matter how wild this band dives into the wild end of the pool, they rarely cop to too much — if any — distortion or moments of raunchy freak-out. Cuts like “Dirt Nap” are sinister but play out cool without overdoing it.
“Human BBQ” is best when spun from start to finish; you can’t just spin one of the nine cuts and walk away. That’s not to say this is a concept album, it’s just magical how each song sets up the next with plenty of sonic salad, reverb, and a rough-hewn patina. Produced by the band along with studio whiz kid Alex Patrick, “Human BBQ” has plenty of sleazy moxie to supplement anyone’s record collection. Play loud.
Frank De Blase is CITY's music writer. He can be reached at [email protected].
