Tuesday, June 3, 2008

Harvey Milk Release and Stream "Life... The Best Game in Town" Today on Hydra Head!


Harvey Milk
Release and Stream New Album, Life... The Best Game In Town, Today on Hydra Head * US Dates w/ Clouds, Growing, A Storm of Light * Europe w/ Oxbow!




On its first two albums, 1994's My Love Is Higher Than Your Assessment Of What My Love Could Be and 1995's Courtesy And Good Will Toward Men, Athens, Georgia's Harvey Milk cultivated a strain of dirge-metal that was so outrageously glacial and depressed, it made Swans and Melvins sound twee in comparison. Bizarrely, the band followed these albums with an unironic (and awesome) set of KISS- and Led Zeppelin-inspired boogie rock—1998's The Pleaser—before going on hiatus, but with 2006's Special Wishes, Harvey Milk returned with its boogie and brawn in balance. Life... The Best Game In Town continues this idea, with the band (now featuring Thrones' Joe Preston on bass) alternately crushing skulls, moving asses, and in tracks like the Zeppelin-on-Quaaludes standout "Decades," doing both at once. Even subjectively speaking, Life... isn't easy listening (the anvil-heavy ballad "Roses" alone could drive the clinically depressed to suicide), but the improved contrast between upbeat and harrowing makes Harvey Milk's extremes that much easier to appreciate. - Aaron Burgess / The Onion AV Club

After making their auspicious but notoriously underexposed debut with 1994’s My Love Is Higher Than Your Assessment Of What My Love Could Be, Athens (GA) dirge lords Harvey Milk recorded two more full-lengths (1995’s Courtesy And Good Will Towards Men and 1997’s The Pleaser) before going tits up in 1998 in a fit of nuptials and child-rearing.

Reintroduced to the underground at large through reissues, live DVDs and whatnot, The Milk reformed to unleash Special Wishes upon the feverishly lactating public, which has been lactating feverishly ever since. Which is to say that the Milk — as they themselves like to say—have “not” been “canceled due to lack of interest yet.”

Fast forward to the here and, like, now, and Harvey Milk are celebrating their own renaissance by lauding the virtues of The Best Game In Town. Spearheaded by the alternately burly and angelic vocal stylings of Milk mastermind Creston Spiers, The Best Game In Town. is both tumultuous and grueling, resonating with the glorious slow-motion radiance of Total Dirge Power. In layman’s terms: Yet another classic. Oh, and did we mention that they’ve since been joined by Thrones legend Joe Preston? Well, they totally have.



Click to stream all of "Life..." here!


The Best Game In Town Tracklist
Death Goes to the Winner
Decades
After All I’ve Done For You, This Is How You Repay Me?
Skull Sock and Rope Shoes
We Destroy The Family
Motown
A Maelstrom of Bad Decisions
Roses
Barnburner
Goodbye Blues

Harvey Milk Live!

U.S.
Jun 17 2008 The Earl Atlanta, Georgia w/ Pride Parade and Major Stars
Jun 18 2008 The Milestone Charlotte, North Carolina w/ Pride Parade and Major Stars
Jun 19 2008 Canal Club Richmond, Virginia w/ Clouds
Jun 20 2008 Knitting Factory NYC, New York w/ Growing, Clouds, Bloody Panda
Jun 21 2008 Great Scott Boston, Massachusetts w/ Clouds, A Storm of Light, and 27
Jun 22 2008 The Elevens Northampton, Massachusetts
Jun 23 2008 Europa Brooklyn, New York w/ Growing, Clouds, and A Storm of Light
Jun 24 2008 Johnny Brenda’s Philadelphia, Pennsylvania w/ Clouds and A Storm of Light
Jun 25 2008 Otto Bar Baltimore, Maryland w/ Dianogah, Clouds, and A Storm of Light
Jun 26 2008 Soapbox Wilmington, North Carolina
Jun 27 2008 40 Watt Athens, Georgia w/ Pride Parade
Jun 28 2008 Bottle Tree Birmingham, Alabama w/ Pride Parade

Europe w/ Oxbow!
Jul 7 2008 Club Schocken Stuttgart
Jul 8 2008 Festaal Kreuzberg Berlin
Jul 9 2008 Hafenklang Hamburg
Jul 10 2008 Worm Rotterdam
Jul 11 2008 Recyclart Brussels
Jul 12 2008 Supersonic Festival Birmingham
Jul 13 2008 Glasgow Stereo / ABC 2
Jul 14 2008 The Ruby Lounge Manchester
Jul 15 2008 Underworld London
Jul 16 2008 La Maroquinerie Paris
Jul 17 2008 FZW Dortmund
Jul 18 2008 Dour Festival Dour




For more information, visit:
www.myspace.com/harveymilk
www.hydrahead.com