Customer Reviews

Har Mar Superstar

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Har Mar Superstar's debut is the funniest album of the year. How it made it onto the uber-hip Kill Rock Stars label I'll never understand, but whoever is responsible for making this merger happen is a mad genius.

Sounding alternately like Prince, R. Kelly and a Beastie Baby, Har Mar rocks some truly novel beats.

With lines like "I already sold your ring on eBay?" or "I saw that shirt at TJ Maxx -- Double XX -- earlier this year," it's impossible not to love these songs.

I've seen Har Mar live several times and can recommend no other show more highly. He's rude, crass and 100% hilarious.

If you're a hip-hop fan and have had your fill of lyrics about guns, Gucci and G's, look no further. This cornfed wunderkind will keep you dancing and guffawing long into the night.

I first saw Har Mar open for The Strokes.
Talk about cajones! The man sang white-boy R&B with
a straight face while disrobing until he was down to
black briefs. Genius.

Wannabe gang-bangers and other assorted human wastrels
kept falling for his taunts and became frustrated by
their lack of power, something Har Mar brilliantly
exploited. Mr. Superstar had me laughing
uncontrollably throughout, so, after the show, I went
to the merch booth and bought his album.

Har Mar's schtick is a courageous deconstruction of the
manufactured boy-bands and hip-hop acts which dominate
modern radio and MTV. The level of vitriol from the last
reviewer suggests that -- on some level -- he even managed
to connect with detractors. It's almost like people are
angry because -- even in parody -- HMS traffics in a
musical style that a lot of self-consciously hip
music fans actively try to disassociate themselves
from.

Sean Tillmann is the man behind the grotesque Har Mar
Superstar and "Sean Na Na" is his other act. A
striking combination of melodic melodic pop hooks
and bitterness, Tillmann's other project is very
different from the cheekiness of Har Mar Superstar.

While Har Mar's live show is admittedly provacative and vulgar,
the album is pure fun. Old school beats abound and the
playful lyrics are clever and sometimes silly. "I Admit,"
for instance, has the over-sexed Har Mar crooning
about vasectomies, and "I Can't Take It" tells how he
"already sold [his ex-lover's] ring on eBay." With it's
catchy samples and wall-to-wall intensity, "Cry 4 Help"
is a dance party caught on disc! The album highlight,
"Brand New Day," is a song that could have been penned
by R. Kelly. The track's enthusiastic energy and "up
with people" vibe will leave you tapping your feet,
even as you're second-guessing the sincerity of the
message.

Har Mar Superstar's album is one-of-a-kind. While his
tongue-in-cheek style is admittedly not for all tastes, check
it out if you consider yourself open-minded or a fan
of the bizarre.

The indie-hipster horde that attached itself, in its nonchalant, hating-everything-but-itself-but-still-doing-other-peoples'-music-&-not-its-own-but-only-to-parody-those-others'-music-to-show-how-stupid-it-is way, to the hulking sex that is Har-Mar would love to think that Sean - aka - Harold Martin Tillman is "offering a deconstruction of the contemporary commodified teen-pop & bubble-rap music soundscape"... But sadly (sadly, for them, that is), the Great White Hope of the Twin Cities' Suburbs is serious. He legitimately enjoys the style that he is dishing on this record. Whether it's the Beasties- (&, perhaps coincidentally but probably not, indie-rock-) style namedropping for namedropping's sake (the already referenced "I bought this shirt at TJ Maxx - Double X - Earlier this year") or the R. Kelly soundtrack submission style orchestral flourishes of "Brand New Day" or the "I'm a lover, not a fighter, so don't front - just let me be with my woman" mentality that you can find on, say, a Keith Sweat disc that the song "R-E-S-P-He-Sees-Me" is all about, this is love. Sean - aka - Harold Martin did this record, & even if he did end up putting it out (no pun intended) on the hateful-indie-hipster's ivory-tower Kill Rock Stars, because he loves this type of music. I mean, he obviously poured much blood, sweat, tears, & come into the recording process, perfecting beats, having short-lived flings with groupies (probably future burningangel.com models) to provide lyrical source material, & spending days on end at strip-malls across the fruited Brooklyn Park plain, to make this record so perfectly r&b. & if that is what this record is, it is clearly not proving how stupid r&b is by being regular r&b shoddily redone by people that hate it. No, it is instead straight-ahead r&b & straight-up good music. & no deconstruction whatsoever therefore. So, to all you indie-rock hipsters: take this Cd & love it. & everybody else: put this Cd on & make some love to its strains. Indeed.

This album rules and rocks. I listen to it everywhere. He's clever, interesting, and versatile (Har Mar, actually a pseudonym, is also found in groups Sean Na Na and Calvin Krime). It's hilarious, and I'm glad HM has stepped up to reclaim white rap. Beastie Boys, we hardly knew ye.

Buy it asap. I'm just sayin'...

I first saw Har Mar open for The Strokes.
Talk about cajones! The man sang white-boy R&B with
a straight face while disrobing until he was down to
black briefs. Genius.

Wannabe gang-bangers and other assorted human wastrels
kept falling for his taunts and became frustrated by
their lack of power, something Har Mar brilliantly
exploited. Mr. Superstar had me laughing
uncontrollably throughout, so, after the show, I went
to the merch booth and bought his album.

Har Mar's schtick is a courageous deconstruction of the
manufactured boy-bands and hip-hop acts which dominate
modern radio and MTV. The level of vitriol from the last
reviewer suggests that -- on some level -- he even managed
to connect with detractors. It's almost like people are
angry because -- even in parody -- HMS traffics in a
musical style that a lot of self-consciously hip
music fans actively try to disassociate themselves
from.

Sean Tillmann is the man behind the grotesque Har Mar
Superstar and "Sean Na Na" is his other act. A
striking combination of melodic melodic pop hooks
and bitterness, Tillmann's other project is very
different from the cheekiness of Har Mar Superstar.

While Har Mar's live show is admittedly provacative and vulgar,
the album is pure fun. Old school beats abound and the
playful lyrics are clever and sometimes silly. "I Admit,"
for instance, has the over-sexed Har Mar crooning
about vasectomies, and "I Can't Take It" tells how he
"already sold [his ex-lover's] ring on eBay." With it's
catchy samples and wall-to-wall intensity, "Cry 4 Help"
is a dance party caught on disc! The album highlight,
"Brand New Day," is a song that could have been penned
by R. Kelly. The track's enthusiastic energy and "up
with people" vibe will leave you tapping your feet,
even as you're second-guessing the sincerity of the
message.

Har Mar Superstar's album is one-of-a-kind. While his
tongue-in-cheek style is admittedly not for all tastes, check
it out if you consider yourself open-minded or a fan
of the bizarre.

I saw Har Mar open for The Strokes and bought
his album at the merch booth after the show.
Talk about cajones! The man sang white-boy R&B with
a straight face while disrobing until he was down to
black briefs. Genius.

Mr. Superstar had me laughing uncontrollably throughout.
Wannabe gang-bangers and other assorted human wastrels
kept falling for his taunts and became frustrated by
their lack of power, something Har Mar brilliantly
exploited.

Har Mar's schtick is a courageous deconstruction of the
manufactured boy-bands and hip-hop acts which dominate
modern radio and MTV. The level of vitriol from the last
reviewer suggests that -- on some level -- he even managed
to connect with detractors. It's almost like people are
angry because -- even in parody -- HMS traffics in a
musical style that a lot of self-consciously hip
Strokes fans actively try to disassociate themselves
from.

I personally admire The Strokes for taking edgy acts like
The Moldy Peaches and Har Mar Superstar on the road with them.
Variety never hurts a concert line-up.

Sean Tillmann is the man behind the grotesque Har Mar
Superstar and "Sean Na Na" is his other act. The new
Sean Na Na album "My Majesty" will drop soon. I have
an advance copy and love it. It's fast, funny,
melodic pop -- world's away from the cheekiness of
Har Mar Superstar.

Seeing Julian embrace, kiss, and dance with Mr. Superstar
during The Strokes' disaterous karoake climax in San Diego
was priceless.

Har Mar Superstar's album is catchy and fun. While his
tongue-in-cheek style is admittedly not for all tastes, check
the album out if you consider yourself open-minded or a fan
of the bizarre.

You either get it or you don't.

...And if you don't get it, I don't want you at my party.

I'm looking forward to Har Mar Superstar's next album, "Can You Feel Me."

Well I can appreciate a good mockery any day but a full set was way to much. I too saw him in San Diego, but don't worry I won't post this 4 times.

He's a talented singer; I'll give him that. He has balls (little ones from the looks of his undies) I'll give him that. But cheesy white boy R&B is funny for a quick laugh not entertaining for a full album, unless you are a fan of white boy R&B. I get just as many laughs when I hear R Kelly's lyrics.

Dude is a pompous idiot. The only thing worse than listening to this LP is seeing his ugliness live. Only highlight for me is knowing that he has had a vasectomy (typical song subject). One talentless dweeb of his stature (or lack thereof) is more than the world can handle.