This song, about a ghost who lives in a graveyard and would very much like to move away, is either the result of some uppers or a bunch of time babysitting. Austin-based Harlem had skirted the edge of lo-fi before their signing to Matador, but now with a little bit of studio care, it looks like they've shaken off that garage dirt and brought a little shine into their lives. "Friendly Ghost," while still far from any studio miracle, is about ten billion times less shiver-inducingly creeptastic than their cover of "Goodbye Horses". Actually, listening to that cover again, maybe they didn't get studio money and just got some vocal lessons. Or maybe they just stopped smoking so many cigarettes and drinking shitty whiskey and started guzzling pearls because "Friendly Ghost" has an angel-voiced vocal. Like a puppy angel, it's kind of sappy sounding. So basically Harlem on Matador is the friendly puppy ghost with angel wings after it happily ascended out of the scary graveyard of its past and into puppy heaven. Also, Harlem's album is called Hippies. Seems like that is important to note.
Download: Harlem, "Friendly Ghost"