Harlem Shakes are a five piece indie rock band formed in the early part of 2006 in Brooklyn. Since then they have been making their unique brand of handclapping indie pop and touring alongside bands as impressive as Deerhoof, Vampire Weekend and Beirut. They're off on tour again in February and March alongside Tokyo Police Club and Born Ruffians promoting the release of their full album 'Technicolor Health', due for release in March.
Their sound lies somewhere between Clap Your Hands Say Yeah! and in my opinion The Walkmen or The War On Drugs, the latter of which, if you haven't already, you can have a listen to here. One of the things i like about Harlem Shakes is that every member sings; you get full vocal harmonies (in a similar style to Born Ruffians) and a selection of background strummed acoustic guitar lines, upbeat indie pop choruses Florida's Black Kids would be proud of, and light electronic Wolf Parade-style keyboard riffs which complete the Shakes' vintage 60s pop/rock sound.
They are definitely an indie pop band to watch in 2009, particularly around Easter with their album release on March 24th and preceding tour. No doubt there will be another as they increasingly step into the public eye. It's a wonder they haven't already with their impressive roster of support slots.
I'll leave you with a few tracks from their growing repertoire - TFO, Sunlight and Strictly Game.
TFO (mp3)
Sunlight (mp3)
Strictly Game (mp3)
Buy their extortionately priced and widely unavailable 2007 EP 'Burning Birthdays' from here.
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