Just about everyone has heard the song "Flagpole Sitta", a alternative rock classic. Yes, that would be track 2 on Where Have All the Merrymakers Gone?. Harvey Danger busted out of the scene and decided to change things up rather than sticking to the same old alternative rock formats, song like "Wrecking Ball" and "Problems and Bigger Ones" are perfect examples of it. While there from Seattle, they don't carry that Grunge sound that was popular years before, but you can definitely here some influence in there. So Where to start?
Ten Songs, and all the songs are nicely structured and they give you this feeling of a small band giving everything they got into each song, not to mention and entire album. The lyrics are different from what you'd expect. Sean's wit and use of clever words seem to fit the songs perfectly. Sean's vocals are stronger then ever, as he shrieks in songs such as "Carlotta Valdez" and "Private Helicopter". When guitar player Jeff J. Lin gets to do backing vocals, he does them well, going to the perfect pitch higher the Sean's, "Terminal Annex" Is a great example of that. The guitar on this album sounds amazing, roaring the entire time and makes the songs build up well. "Problems and Bigger Ones" is a song with great meaning and you can just tell by the way he sings it, and when the chorus comes up and the guitar kicks in, it's something that not many bands can pull off with such emotion.
There are plenty of humorous tracks with lyrical wit as well, such as "Private Helicopter" and "Jack The Lion". The band does a great job on the track listing, from the slower songs, to the more rocking ones, right next to each other, making the album flow so nicely. The Closer, "Radio Silence", is possibly the best song on the record, not to mention what should be considered one of the greatest closer's in Alternative rock history. "Old Hat" builds up probably the best on the album, and is the best guitar track on the record, as Jeff holds a note for an entire chorus. "Terminal Annex" is a fun one with lyrics that are so memorable and full of great lines. "Wooly Muffler", probably the track with the best bass on it, builds up nicely as well. Harvey Danger never got anymore popular after this album. "Private Helicopter" set there path for a little while but Harvey Danger was never exactly a popular band.
Where Have All The Merrymakers Gone? Is an album that should be considered a classic, in the indie world. It's Harvey Danger's finest work, and to be honest...there's not even close to a bad song on here. It defends a sound of a generation without being to much, but never being to little, with this album, Harvey Danger hit it just right. Not to mention, Not a day goes by when somebody doesn't completely rock out to "Flagpole Sitta", and knows every single word. Every single word.