Happy Little Robots – Sneak Preview
Noel White’s Mill Creek Studio is doing it again. This time with Southern Illinois transplants Liquid Indian. Fronted by songwriter and guitarist Greg Harris, Happy Little Robots find the middle ground between songwriters like Neil Young and Steve Earle and more esoteric fare like the Flaming Lips and Sparklehorse and Harris says that’s no accident. He told Underground Wednesday that he’s drawn to influences as disparate as Townes Van Zandt and Guided By Voices, and on “Analog Ohm,” he gives each of them a nod. You can try and pigeonhole Liquid Indian but neither alt country, psychedelic or slacker rock labels really fit. What’s indisputable is an organic style that’s both literate and visceral.
Harris says that White has helped flesh out his sound. “I’m a believer in songs standing on their own with just me and a guitar, but then it’s great to blow them up,” he says. “Working with Noel and the guys he’s brought in has been great for that. And when they come, I just get out of the way. Let good musicians do their thing and you usually get the best results.”
Those good musicians include White on drums, Annapolis stalwart Larry Melton on bass, and Harris’ brother Chris on guitar. “When I write songs, they are more or less pretty simple folk type songs,” Harris says. “I love that kind of music, but getting them in the studio with some great musicians has pulled them into some other realms that I love.”
Those realms include the anthemic grunge of “Golden Age” and the quirky melancholy of “Contact Buzz.” Enjoy both while Harris continues work on an album due in 2011 but you can hear now – only on Underground Wednesday.
MP3: Happy Little Robots – Contact Buzz
Happy Little Robots – Golden Age
Plugged it into the car stereo and it sounded great. Jude was quite pleased.