Best of What's Next 2009: Harlem Shakes [Musicians]

Album: Technicolor Health 

Band Members: Lexy Benaim (lead vocals), Todd Goldstein (guitar, vocals), Brent Katz (drums, drum machine, vocals), Jose Soegaard (bass, vocals), Kendrick Strauch (keyboards, vocals) 

For Fans Of: Vampire Weekend, White Rabbits, Talking Heads

"Somehow pop just feels so fair / In this tangled, injured air,” sings Harlem Shakes frontman Lexy Benaim in a wonderfully nasal voice over a woozy synth on his band’s debut LP, Technicolor Health. The line captures the Shakes’ deft fusion of an upbeat sound with lyrics about life’s occasional bleakness, offering sonic group therapy via frenetic, Latin-tinged beats and wiry guitar, rallied by anthemic sing-along choruses. “Optimism can be confused for escapism pretty easily, and it’s not escapist,” explains keyboardist Kendrick Strauch. “It very much admits shitty stuff happens all the time.” 

Since the band’s much-buzzed-about 2007 EP Burning Birthdays, Harlem Shakes have pared down their once-dense wall of sound, taking cues from disparate inspirations like Randy Newman and ’90s hip-hop. The band’s affinity for rap is apparent in Benaim’s frequent lyrical references to “the game,” and it’s manifested in the songs’ simple, addictive beats and desire to tackle big-picture themes when times get tough. 

What’s Next? “We’re completing a documentary on the unusual relationship between our drummer, Brent, and the large brick which holds his kick drum in place. He found it next to a highway near Macon, Ga.—home of the Allman Brothers,” Benaim says. “And we’re touring Europe.”

Listen to "Strictly Game" by Harlem Shakes:


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