- Double Negative is the third album by Melbourne band Harmony. Centred around husband and wife, Tom Lyngcoln on guitar, and Alex Lyngcoln on drums as well as Welsh ex-pat Jon Chapple on bass, best known for his work with post-hardcore band McLusky. They’re joined by Erica Dunn, Amanda Roff and Quinn Veldhuis who primarily provide group vocal harmonies.
I Love You is a powerful opening statement, and it bluntly establishes both the dominant theme and sound of Double Negative. The drums sound off in heavy motions like a distant airstrike, the bass guitar is thick and deep in the mix, the guitar floats on top laced with high distorted tones and the foolhardy lead vocals are ubiquitously accompanied by a choral of vocal harmonies. A ripping, premature guitar solo pulls in another direction, cutting somewhat short the emotional effect of the song, being more reminiscent of a prog rock cliché than the kind of slow, down to earth emotional rock that the rest of the track points towards.
This is something that Double Negative flirts with throughout: the tension between opposing styles of honest reflection and melodramatic theatre. The swung feel and minor key vocal harmonies on tracks like Double Negative and the staccato chant of “Private Life” contribute to a sense of listening to a rock musical, with the notable absence of a narrative taking place between the numbers.
Double Negative doesn’t aim to tell any kind of cohesive narrative despite having its sights concretely set on the concept of love. It presents vignettes and ruminations on the theme from different perspectives and moments that don’t seem to relate in any significant way. There’s nostalgic reflection on Love Is A Chemical High and a direct female monologue on the title track Double Negative, but there’s not a noticeable effort to connect them.
The vocal harmonies are a standout feature, and one that defines the sound and structure of Harmony. They’re exceptional on certain tracks, like I Love You, Indifference, or Class Action, where they most compliment the main vocal in some sections and provide a gripping counterpoint in others. At other times they feel ineffective and occasionally distracting, such as on Sovereign Bedrooms, Private Life or Two Sides of My Heart. The latter concludes with a much briefer, but much more gripping saxophone solo in their place, revealing something of a missed opportunity in the restricted instrumentation throughout the record.
Fatal Flaw is probably the most exceptional song of the lot, with a catchy chorus of harmonies, gently shuffling drums and strident guitar punctuation that capture the best aspects of Double Negative. Indifference as well is a somewhat short highlight, with a good rhythmic chord progression and use of vocal harmonies that is maintained through builds and releases in tension throughout. Each track has moments of clarity and interest but tend to fall flat in providing the sincerely effecting highs of the few standout songs.
- Jaden Gallagher.