On Harvey Danger's "King James Version"  ⚐

With the release of Sean Nelson's Make Good Choices, there's been a good bit of retrospective Harvey Danger press. And rightfully, so, as HD put out three remarkably good albums (four, if you count the b-side/greatest hits album). I covered heading to a Harvey Danger concert about 7 years ago. Forgive the writing. It's painful to read.

Their second album, King James Version is probably the best. It's musically all over the place (in a good way), lyrically phenomenal, and has three or four standout fantastic tracks. It's also one that almost no one has heard. I finally found it used, probably four years after it had come out.

Turns out, that's how most people find it.

There's a really well written look at the album on PopMatters by Even Sawdey. It's worth a read, if only to convince yourself that you too should become a fan of Harvey Danger and King James Version.

"I’d met lots of people over the years who told me they knew of the album, had bought it for a penny on eBay, had found it one evening out someone’s coffee table, had discovered an entire landfill made out of it, and it always made me grateful. But really going out into the world and seeing the way people had internalized the songs, knew every word, leaped for joy when the opening chords rang out—it simply alleviated several years’ worth of compounded anxiety and allowed me to move on. And away from music in a certain regard. Not entirely, but certainly further away than I thought I ever would go." Nearly a decade after its initial release, it’s amazing how potent and powerful King James Version remains, getting better with each passing year like a fine wine.

Here's a song from King James Version, called "Pike St./Park Slope".