Harvey Danger : Little by Little Review

Remember Harvey Danger? Their first major release "Where Have All the Merrymakers Gone" included the quintessential annoying hit single "Flagpole Sitta". Well it wasn't as much annoying as we were all oversaturated with it, as tends to happen every time the national music industry decides something is a good thing. In terms of my lifespan, to go back to this era is a significant journey, and my middle school years is a place I would rather not tread at this point in time.

Of course, the success of such a novelty song just screams "one-hit wonder"... or to clarify, one mainstream-commercial success wonder. They put out another release in 2000, King James Version, to a certain amount of critical, if not financial success. The band was dropped from Warner Brothers and promptly broke up. After working on side projects, the band reformed in 2004, and started working on what became their new album.

The band is releasing their new release "Little by Little" in its entirety on their website. In the band's own words, here's why they're doing it. People are encouraged to make monetary donations to their cause, or to simply buy the CD, with an extra 30 minutes of music.

To be honest, releasing a record for free on the internet is going to make more of a splash than putting out a new one on any sort of label would. So does the record itself deserve any attention?


Little by Little certainly has a different overall sound than the last two records. The song "Cream & Bastards Rise" sounds a little more akin to older material with a stark post-grunge, sarcastic edge. With the musical climate as it is, the distorted guitar and 60's keyboards almost seem derivative. Also, it's a huge pet peeve of mine when a song screams SINGLE!!!! and this song definately does. It disrupts the flow of the album. This song is a connection to previous records, but seems out of place on what is overall a more reflective piece. If anyone actually buys this album for the single, there's a chance they might be pissed. It doesn't fit the record.

Piano, played by guitarist Jeff J. Lin, has a very prominent role on much of the album, with four of the first five tracks starting with piano introduction. This will cause comparisons to Ben Folds, Keane, and even Elvis Costello, and all are not entirely off. Regardless, this makes this section sound a lot the same.

Generally speaking, the record all meshes pretty well, with the exception of Cream & Bastards. The piano introduction section is limited to the first half of the record, with the more diverse stuff being in the latter half. Piano remains quite prominent thoughout, and is very well complimented by the excellent vocals of Sean Nelson. The whole of Little by Little is quite poppy, and bears comparison to the mood of Transatlanticism. Jangly, Chris Walla-esque guitars keeps pace.

Lyrical content remains mischievous, but turns introspective at times and even dabbles politically on "Diminshing Returns". A reoccurring theme seems to be focused on disappointment and seems to allude to the bands meteoric major-label experiences.

All this aside, the knock on the album is that it is not special in any way, besides the vocals. Musically speaking, while interesting at times, overall it does little more than announce the return of the once-successful band. This record doesn't do much to set itself apart and sounds quite a bit like a lot of music out there.

After a five year break, it seems that Harvey Danger is ready to make a splash on the music industry, but not entirely by the quality of the release. Little by Little is a solid, if unremarkable, album. It holds its ground in some respects but will ultimately be overshadowed by its unconventional marking strategy.