half of a rainbow and the sad grace and grandeur of (All My Body Is) "Hope"

 

"Here I go, here I stay / Another year went passing by / Aye-aye..."

The sad grace and grandeur of  (All My Body Is) "Hope" by half of a rainbow, the indie rock project of German singer-songwriter / multi-instrumentalist Johannes Harder, is perfect in it's potent narrative. An ardent fan of Harder's style and musical gifts, he has been developing as an artist and seems to be broadening his craft. Maybe his gift has, in the beginning, been wrapped in paper, now maybe wrapped in ornate gift wrapping paper. Either way, at it's core, Harder's sound feels seeded with the same kind of D.N.A as an Elliot Smith and The Cure and even early The Smiths. You may think of other seeds as you listen but key, in my mind, is a beautifully vocal countenance, sort of aloof and melancholy, sort of intimate yet vast, and a songwriting prowess that has a sense of musical history (to my ears) coming straight through from dance hall music, indie rock, folk indie (and emo folk), proto punk and post punk. I can hear threads of all of it within half of a rainbow's conceptual sound and emotional plays. 

"Hope" begins with Harder's signature strum that pushes forward while providing a subtle back beat as well. Again, I love his voice that often times lays in a middle / bottom register of melancholia before ascending into higher sort of emotional wail with a kind of whipping soft yelp (that I love). I will not piece and parse the entire song but, suffice it to say, the songwriting here feels personal, relatable and formidable. 

Lyrics and Liner notes excerpts:


"We went into the town of goats
All my body is hope
And as the fireworks erode
All my body is hope
All my body is hope

The Polish anthems are surrounding us by midnight
We're alive, we're alive
And intention less we wander through the sonic wars of dawning
We survive, we survive"


Incorporating visual artist and long-time collaborator Myra Anmeskog in his live shows, Harder blurs the lines between music and visual art, creating a multifaceted experience. Supporting the release of his 2024 EP Saw You In A Dream, Harder launched The Dream Archives, a website where he collected diary entries of his dreams and audio recordings of himself falling asleep. The project also includes
a booklet with surrealist hand-drawn illustrations by Amneskog, an attempt to visually capture the dreamlike essence of the EP.

half of a rainbow’s latest album, Live at Loophole!, encapsulates the raw atmosphere of his full-band shows in Berlin’s underground scene. Ranging from early 2000s indie pop influences to explosive alternative punk pieces, the album showcases Harder’s untamed energy on stage. with a childlike fascination for simple ideas.


-Robb Donker Curtius

THE FACTS AS WE KNOW THEM 

https://open.spotify.com/artist/4j9BBRiW8LzDU4bN5w9IPK

https://www.instagram.com/half.of.a.rainbow/

https://www.halfofarainbow.com/

https://halfofarainbow.bandcamp.com/track/charlotte-in-tokyo



half of a rainbow is the indie rock project of German musician Johannes Harder, a Berlin native whose music blends lo-fi charm with heartfelt songwriting. Rooted in the tradition of DIY recording, Harder draws inspiration from home-recording legends like Guided By Voices and the intimate melancholy of Elliott Smith, while embracing a deep love for experimentation.

Growing up in Berlin's vibrant creative scene, Harder found his voice in a mix of quieter, introspective songs and eclectic outbursts of heavy electric guitars. Much of his music is recorded on cassette, a choice that embraces the analog warmth and imperfections of tape recording, giving his tracks a dreamlike, almost fragile quality—like snapshots frozen in time.

Incorporating visual artist and long-time collaborator Myra Anmeskog in his live shows, Harder blurs the lines between music and visual art, creating a multifaceted experience. Supporting the release of his 2024 EP Saw You In A Dream, Harder launched The Dream Archives, a website where he collected diary entries of his dreams and audio recordings of himself falling asleep. The project also includes a booklet with surrealist hand-drawn illustrations by Amneskog, an attempt to visually capture the dreamlike essence of the EP.

half of a rainbow’s latest album, Live at Loophole!, encapsulates the raw atmosphere of his full-band shows in Berlin’s underground scene. Ranging from early 2000s indie pop influences to explosive alternative punk pieces, the album showcases Harder’s untamed energy on stage. with a childlike fascination for simple ideas.






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