John Norris Harlan is an artist and musician. Usually these go hand and hand, but in Harlan’s case they are more interlocked than usual. As a studio art graduate student at LSU, Harlan has combined his painting and musical talents, transforming his master’s thesis project into a showcase of his dual talents. Using songs from his self-produced and self-recorded debut, The Still Beat, he used his music as part of the art exhibition, creating a unique representation of both art forms. “My music and paintings are connected; the aesthetic they convey are very similar, touching on similar subjects. They’ll always be linked in my mind. For my master’s thesis I wanted to make a record and a body of painting and experiment to see how they would interact,” says Harlan from his Baton Rouge residence.
Though the project began as an interconnected concept, the inherent differences between songwriting and painting sabotaged his original idea. “Songwriting takes you where you don’t know. It became too rigid to just write about paintings. I wanted a more natural form of writing. The songs as they now exist only obliquely reference the paintings, as they have become more interactive with the paintings rather than interrelated. A song may reference a painting, but now the songs allow more openness when viewing the painting. Above all my songwriting suggested new ideas for painting. In the end the music affected the painting more than the painting affected the music,” Harlan continues. “I, however, still used the paintings and music together during the exhibition. The original idea had changed, but now the music and paintings interact in a different way. You cannot know what ideas people will have, so the audience will have control during the exhibition, viewing the artwork and music through their own personal perspective.” At first, it seemed Harlan could control his artistic creativity, but even that could not be tamed, as his painting and music developed further with the interaction and creation of both art forms.
Even though the music and paintings began as one concept, Harlan’s music has now exceeded his original expectations, transforming itself into a full band line-up. The Still Beat was originally recorded just by Harlan, but as his musical expression has expanded the need for a full line-up has become necessary. “The band didn’t come together in a normal way. I don’t like to get bored; I like to keep things changing. There was a record before a band, so it was unusual for the band to form after the release of the record, but now, as a full band, there are more ideas and the band has changed to fit these changes. It was a smooth transition when we got together, as the songs already existed, but it was still unusual for me, as the band became less about me and more about the collective. Recording by yourself is like making a painting: you have complete creative control. As a full band, I was nervous at first about making the changes, but over time it became better and better, as different ideas were exchanged. Sometimes you just have to face the fact that your idea may not be the best.” He elaborates, “It’s more interesting to record and perform as a band; it’s more of a struggle as a group. As a band there are more people focused on one thing; as a group it’s more of a struggle, but more fulfilling. Each member has his own skills and interests; different people bring different things. I may write songs, but then the band, as a whole, makes changes. The structure of the songs is mutable, and there is a lot of freedom in the band.”
Just as the band has changed, so has the music. “When I recorded the music originally it was very layered and mellow. Now, as a live band, the music has been reduced. It’s more rocking live. It’s interesting to hear it live, hearing the same music so differently.” Indeed, as a live band, Harlan has a much more energetic vibe, relinquishing some of the softer, mellow moments of the album for more power-pop/garage-rock inspired sounds, much like one of John’s biggest inspirations, The Replacements. As a band, however, Harlan does not sacrifice the melodies and sparkling pop that makes The Still Beat so original and so personal. The infectious “Computer Games Under the Sun” and “Days of Delirium” are just as wonderful live, as they are on the album, despite their small changes in tone and presentation. Though for Harlan it’s all about the music - the barebones composition and structure of the songs.
“I’m influenced by a lot of different types of music. I wanted to make an album that was diverse and explored different genres in a conscious way. I gained a lot of my inspiration from The Magnetic Fields’ 69 Love Songs, which explores so many types of music and topics. I even incorporate some folkier elements into the album, inspired by my family history in Kentucky where the folk and bluegrass of eastern Appalachia was natural to my songwriting.”
Harlan, as either band or person, is unique and distinct music. Culled from many genres and many instruments, it’s almost like an indie pop Flaming Lips - psychedelic, but always melodic. Harlan’s sound will change as the entire band will soon enter the studio to record the follow up to The Still Beat, but, as with any band that changes over time, the growth and maturation of the music will reflect the very creative and very different ideas of the collective, rather than the individual. For John Norris Harlan it’s but the next step in his young, but vibrant music career.
--Wes Barker
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HARLAN's THE STILL BEAT is available now from Odd Thud Records.
http://www.thestillbeat.com
Buy Album from CD Universe
