What I'm listening to: Harlem Shakes

What have I been watching and listening to lately? I have to admit one of my favorite guilty pleasures is MTV's The Real World: Brooklyn. Who isn't gripped by the Katelynn saga or the ongoing war between the sexes? And what's up with Baya - why can't she get any face time? She has to be the most ignored RW castmate ever!

However, I'm coming to realize that a better Brooklyn-related use of my time is Harlem Shakes, a lively rock band that played at Mr. Small's on Saturday, opening for Tokyo Police Club. Someone described Harlem Shakes as combining the sounds of Vampire Weekend and TPC, and that’s an apt description, considering their energetic, up-tempo show. The highlight was "Strictly Game," with its optimistic "This will be a better year" refrain. They also performed the title track from their upcoming release Technicolor Health live for the first time. They seemed to have an unusually high number of fans for an opening act and the audience was very much into what they were doing.

Harlem Shakes are likely to be one of the breakout bands of 2009.

Video: Harlem Shakes – Strictly Game (live Brooklyn Feb ’09)



The Harlem Shakes' debut full-length Technicolor Health comes out on March 23. Find them online at www.myspace.com/harlemshakes.