And we're back with another exciting edition of Slicky's Favorite Tunes. Today we venture off to explore a heretofore unknown AOR Canadian export, Harem Scarem. To those that know me well, this band came on my radar in the early 2000's and has ascended to top 5 status since. They are a masterful mix of powerful melodies, amazing guitar riffs, and hooks that would make a seasoned fisherman jealous. If these catch your attention, I highly recommend diving deeper into their catalogue where you'll find a blend of several genres represented. So come on in, the water's fine...
10. Here Today, Gone Tomorrow - I place this one here simply due to perspective I've gleaned over the last year & a half; about life, opportunity, self... We're here today, gone tomorrow, searching for some higher meaning. Something I struggle with on occasion, but the sentiment is universal, I think.
9. All I Need - I continue to insist if this song was done by a current pop star it would be unstoppable. A solid slice of mid-tempo excellence from note one. That chorus is simply exquisite; powerful, memorable, simple, yet effective.
"The walls are there to hide
The scars and hurt that's on the other side..."
The post-solo breakdown with only vox & drums is so perfectly executed.
8. The Midnight Hours - I've included the live version here to highlight just how impressive it is when a band can replicate recorded vocals. The main riff/verse is extremely challenging, with almost a reggae feel, but once that bridge hits, the song really takes off into AOR heaven. Written as an "F U" to past record companies, it features some thinly veiled biting lyrics in the bridge section:
"But the silence wakes a guilty mind
And you lie awake as your conscience tries to run and hide"
This is how melodic AOR should sound...
7. Empty Promises - Just an angry tune... "I'll be prying those words from your mouth, cuz I always think you're lying...". Aggressive main riff, interesting slides in the bridge, helping to create the tension needed to convey the message in the chorus: "I would be alright if I could live on empty promises". Not to mention a phenomenal dive bomb, whammy-bar release at the end of the solo that gets me every time.
6. Whatever It Takes - This song takes me back to my younger years, when a lost love felt like your heart would forever be empty. That first verse is just a killer... These guys have an uncanny ability to create uplifting melodies from the saddest messages.
"Tell me what you want, tell me what you need
So I can stop this heart racing out of me..."
5. One of Life's Mysteries - Another song rooted in yearning for love one can never quite grasp. Just a HUGE chorus that drives the song to new emotional heights.
"You're one of life's mysteries, a wall of secrecy
Maybe I was never meant to know
You're one of life's mysteries that I can't seem to solve yet"
Add that to the phenomenal bridge lyrics: "If love is a healer, then I'm living wounded...". Again, the message is of hurt and pain, yet the melody is so positive the song becomes something other than what the lyrics suggest it should be.
4. If There Was A Time - After a beautiful piano/vocal intro, Harry Hess bursts into a Steelheart-worthy scream, launching this song into a perfect mid-tempo ballad.
"Last time I checked I'm at 34 sins
Another won't matter cuz I'm never gonna win
Hoping now I'm on a road that I can change..."
A sentiment many of us have felt at some point in life. It's a song of hope, one of self-reflection that no matter what is happening now, tomorrow is, in fact, a tomorrow. Today doesn't need to define you (ok, enough from the Dr. Phil pulpit... onward we go).
3. No Justice - First tune I ever heard from HS, and wondered "Who is this guitarist channeling his inner Nuno?". The strength of this song is in the driving beat laid down by Darren Smith allowing the band to shine in their respective areas. The solo is damn near a song within itself, as Pete Lesperance lays all his influences out in just under a minute of tasteful note choices.
2. Die Off Hard - After a solid driving opening riff, I enjoy how the verses morph into more of a bouncy, rollicking groove. Then when that bridge hits, the song changes into a more aggressive approach.
"It's been a long time coming
I'm tired of failing you
It's been a long time coming
It's time to face the truth of old habits
That die off hard..."
There are so many melody changes in here, I never get tired of hearing this tune. The solo also shines in this one.
1. Weight of the World - The start of this one will need to grow on many, as it's relatively dissonant until the acoustic gives way to the absolutely monstrous opening riff. The verse is a master class in how to use space to create tension, while the chorus delivers the release of that tension in spades. Pete's use of pinch harmonics and string sliding in the solo matches up so perfectly to the tone of the song, it's almost a song within itself.
I hope you give these songs an open minded listen. There's SO much more out there like Rain, In My State of Mind, Higher, Staying Away, Victim of Fate... Another band that "Should've been huge".
