Harper's Jar - "Thank You Ancestor Finger" | Album Review

There is no way to describe the anticipation that built up before Harper's Jar released their debut record. The band had already left an incredible mark on the Twin Cities DIY/DIT community with the Paperhouse that could be felt everywhere. Almost every conversation about local music over the last few months has somehow pointed to Thank You Ancestor Finger. I was even invited to attend a show by another band on the bill just so I could see what they described as "one of the best bands in Minneapolis." That band, of course, was Harper's Jar. Like everyone else, I'd listened to Harper's Jar debut EP Ode to a Luna Moth and was instantly transfixed with the band's blend of brooding '80s alt-rock and the cutting side of '90s grunge. When the record's first single "Dandy Golden Blue" dropped last November, I was beyond excited to see what was to come next. 

With all that momentum behind them, the trio of Devin Ware, Alex Dunn, and Kyle Kennedy could have put out almost anything and gotten cheers. Instead, Harper's Jar has risen above and put together an incredibly dynamic full-length that seems destined to become influential on the next several years of MN music. Thank You Ancestor Finger feels seamless as the band moves from one song to the next. It opens with the sunny "standard in 'c,'" which mixes jangly guitars and bouncing basslines to make even the grayest Minnesota day feel like summer. Those subtler moments continue to make their way to the surface here and there with songs like "when you're without me" and "she's all over me." Ware softens his trademark howl to a delicate murmur for these tender yet passionate love songs. Quiet reprieves break up the building torrent, allowing for a moment of breath as the band builds back momentum. 

Outside to the subtler moments, the band taps into their slow-burning, moody side."buzzfeedamerica" feels like a slowly dissolving party as Ware sings about the commodification of life. Tension builds throughout "black pill come down" — I cannot put my finger on it, but the combination of the lyrics "these things happen all the time" and the instrumental repetition feel like a clenched fist looking to make contact. That momentum continues over onto "yakuza moon," where Harper's Jar feels uncontainable. Frantic vocals turn to screams as Ware, Dunn, and Kennedy let all hell break loose. Their calculated musicianship is abandoned for a complete meltdown. Thank You Ancestor Finger's imagery becoming more and more fantastical as the record progresses. I've always felt like there is some master Harper's Jar codex needed to decipher what I'm listening to (though the full lyric sheet will be making its way online soon). Lines like "I can hear you screaming thunder and I can see eyes in the sky" in "dandy golden blue" lay the groundwork for the nearly 15-minute closing opus "edie sedgewick." They spare no expense on what feels like a multi-movement deconstruction of the band. Melodic hooks are broken down into pure dissonance with the ramblings of a madman tying everything together. It's a beautiful moment of mutual destruction among the three where it's impossible to distinguish between chaos and the primitive, raw desire to just make noise. 

Thank You Ancestor Finger is out now via Brace Cove Records and Heavy Meadow Records. Do yourself a favor and pick up a tape or CD from these local favorites.