The more I listen to Hark’s Crystalline, the more I’ve come to appreciate it: simple rock and roll tenants underline a progressive, creative, and almost hypnotic feel that softens the heavy edges of Hark’s otherwise stalwart, driving intensity
The more I listen to Hark’s Crystalline, the more I’ve come to appreciate it: simple rock and roll tenants underline a progressive, creative, and almost hypnotic feel that softens the heavy edges of Hark’s otherwise stalwart, driving intensity. Combine this with Hark guitarist Jimbob Issac’s solid visual art, and you’ve got a mature band with unique and spirited ideas, grounded with significant staying power.
Released a couple of years ago to critical acclaim, Crystalline muscles with the might of Clutch and Mastodon, and is armed with progressive groove. Riffs amplified over a driving, consistent beat, gruff vocals and a little fuzz for aggression makes Crystalline a distinct powerhouse of a rock and roll record.
“Everything about Hark is organic and emotively driven,†Hark guitarist and vocalist Jimbob Issac said. “Even in our most complex moments, they are written as much from the “non-mind†state as possible—without thinking. For me, music is meditation, and the more I lose my sense of self when writing and playing, the more pure and hopefully unique it all becomes.â€
The no-mind state of consciousness Issac managed on Crystalline is most apparent in the music’s more inventive, intuitive movements: tracks like “Clear Light of…†capture Hark’s invested queues of heavy rock and roll solos, which are arranged around a pulse of originality, maintained by driving percussion, and rallied by Issac’s deep chest-wall bellows.
“We wanted an honest recording, with minimal production value and just a well-recorded document of where Hark was at that time,†Issac said. “I think that given the intense schedule and time/budget constraints, we did a great job of capturing that. There isn’t much in the way of production techniques on this record; I think that sometimes too much focus on adding magic sprinkles to the record cake can end up diluting the true essence of a band. We’re all really happy with the way this record came out.â€
What was it like working with Kurt Ballou? What do you feel he brought to the record during the mixing process?
We worked remotely on the mix, and bounced a loud of emails back and forth during Kurt’s mix window. He would send over drafts, and I would listen through each day, sending notes and time codes back to him. We struck up a clear and healthy dialogue, where I felt I could articulate exactly what I thought was needed, and fortunately, Kurt knew exactly what I meant. There was a collaborative approach, but of course we went to Kurt for what he does best, and he really pulled it out of the bag. He makes heavy records the way I want them to sound, so we’re really happy with what he did to the record.
What does Hark have in store coming up? Does the band have any plans for a follow up to Crystalline?
We’re heading to Greece and Bulgaria this February for our first shows over there. Then we go out in UK/EU with Prong in April. We’re getting the writing process going again, and have at least one song almost in the can. There’s talk of releasing a single during the summer to coincide with our festival dates, and there’s a chance we might get in to record the album before the end of this year.
