WHAT THEY ARE SAYING



   "Harlequin Jones create a distinct brand of piano-focused barroom blues that has a driving rock-n-roll dynamo fueled by Ms Von Loon’s sultry, sexy, smokey vocal stylings.

   Each Harlequin Jones release is a powerful handful of songs. Potent, no filler. Get in, play great music, get out. Their newest outing, Overflow, is no different: 5 songs of bluesy, brassy, ballsy, theatrical, piano-driven rock that’s a bit more roadhouse than cabaret in the way in rocks and rollicks.

   Amanda Von Loon’s piano and road-worn voice are still upfront, and she still sounds years more talented and experienced than her time on Earth would hint at. The band is smart about what they add to each song to compliment Amanda. A powerful counter balance of drums with just enough guitar and bass as needed. But their frugality of instrumentation never sounds cheap or hollow, every song on Overflow packs a punch.

   So much so that this is their best release yet. As such, this is a perfect time for new listeners to jump on board the Harlequin Jones band wagon.

  ---Sepiachord.com
        
http://www.sepiachord.com/index/album-review-harlequin-jones-overflow/

 



   "Piano punk? Dark blues? Or the underground genre of ‘dark cabaret’, one thing’s for sure, Harlequin Jones ignore any tag someone put’s onto their music as new EP ‘The Bad Beginning’ proves. The Los Angeles duo create a set of songs that are a refreshingly different but dark mixture of the blues piano, beating drums and daunting vocals...  Von Loon and Arcadio’s challenging songs are complicated and of a particular taste, but are certainly the sort of music you’d hear in a bohemian bar on a Saturday night in Brighton. The LA twosome have made music that their fans will devour and to release their energy in live shows as ‘Unsought’ and ‘The Epic Song’ show...The band are not looking to compromise to easy music and will leave you wondering what next for the front runners of ‘dark cabaret’."

---Thomas R Johnson
    Live Music Scene

    http://www.live-music-scene.co.uk/cd-reviews-content.asp?id=824


 



"...so thrilling, so abrasive, so damn good. Straddling the worlds of pop, blues, dark cabaret and rock, but finding a dark, peculiar niche in between, Harlequin Jones are an original, enthralling, exciting and occasionally disturbing proposition...the core being Amanda Von Loon on vocals and piano, and Jesse Arcadio on drums, with a nifty sideline in guitar and bass.

   Their not-so-secret weapon is the strength of their songs, and their sheer melodic might should surely be capable of converting even the most jaded ears.
   It’s heartening to hear that  Harlequin Jones remain resolutely accessible whilst retaining their unique mystique. Most songs come in around the 3-minute mark, replete with catchy verses and super-sized choruses that emphasize the band’s stupendous songcraft.
 
   What makes them even more special is the darkness they weave into these songs, hinting at depths we can only begin to comprehend. Remaining just the right side of melodramatic, but capable of instilling an eerie sense of the bizarre and foreboding nonetheless, their music is a thrilling departure from pop’s staid, stagnant norms.
  Their future will surely be bright."


---A.F. Curio
   The Phonovault Blog.com

 


"Takes you to a reality where you're a brooding anti-hero, drinking whiskey & haunted by punk ghosts." --- Dan of @1linerockreview