Harmony Avenue

Jade Hairpins is the work of two members of the band Fucked Up, and if anyone is looking to them for the same kind of fiery punk drama, they are barking up the wrong tree. While its true that Jonah Falco drums for Fucked Up and Mike Haliechuk plays guitar and writes songs, here Falco takes over the guitar and vocal duties while Haliechuk handles the bass and the band is influenced by highly danceable post-punk, rambunctious indie pop, and post-Postcard Orange Juice. Their debut album, Harmony Avenue, bounces joyously from bracing, highly infectious guitar pop songs like J Terrapin and Mary Magazine to stripped-down, danceable songs (Dont Break My Devotion, Post No Bill) that come across like a snappier, more focused LCD Soundsystem thanks to the elastic grooves, burbling synths, and Falcos declamations. In between these two almost polar opposites, the duo settle into a relaxed, mid-tempo mode that takes Orange Juices Rip It Up as a guide, layering jagged guitars, vocal harmonies, and vintage keys over the rubbery rhythm section. Tracks like Broadstairs Beach and Dolly Dream balance that laid-back feel against Falcos insistent vocals in a way Edwyn Collins would surely approve of, Truth Like a Mirage wiggles and struts like late-period Talking Heads, and Father Coin injects a little punk attitude into the formula with good results. No matter the mood or mode, Haliechuk and Falco make nary a misstep and show they are equally adept at inspiring weird dance moves, conjuring up post-punk ghosts, or delivering indie rock thrills. At their best -- which is most of the time -- they leap past being a sum of their influences to make music that sounds supremely fresh, and if the shifts between sounds can be a little jarring on the first couple of listens, at least Harmony Avenue is never boring. Quite the opposite in fact, and if Haliechuk and Falco want to give up their day job for Jade Hairpins, it would be hard to argue with that choice on an artistic level. ~ Tim Sendra