Urban Legends

Of Old Lost Days (Contraphonic)

By Erin Wolf
Published: March 15th, 2007 | 5:10pm

The aptly titled Of Old Lost Days works two ways for Hutch Harris’s first batch of recordings: It both refers to the days before he became a member of the Thermals, a band which has come into focus with their stellar 2006 release, The Body, the Blood, the Machine, and also the genre of music which so obviously infuses Harris’s song craft — unabashed ‘60s folk-pop.

While it might seem bizarre for those fans of the Thermals to hear their usual vocally caffeinated and lyrically left-wing Harris not spewing out flammable and flaming content about locusts and fundamentalism, but rather crooning pretty pop about holidays, sweaty-handed young romance, and how good the world is (gulp!), it’s certainly not disappointing. In fact, Of Old Lost Days is a solid collection of lo-fi pop songs that were minted from 1997-2002 with various folks such as Kathy Foster (The Thermals, Hutch & Kathy) and Marc Bianchi (Her Space Holiday), and recorded on a basic four-track in Harris’s San Jose apartment.

The simple songs that make up Of Old Lost Days are absolutely imperfect, with their shaky, buried vocals and trebly instruments, but that’s what makes this collection of sweet and snappy songs so appealing. Who freaking cares if this isn’t slam-danceable à la the Thermals? It’s dance-on-your-bed danceable, and if Hutch Harris’s high-school days are having a reunion, let’s all RSVP. Of Old Lost Days is a welcome step back.