As Joe pointed out last week with the Expos, 3hive could do with a “ska” genre. We might only post a few per year, but the love of ska runs deep here at the 3hive. Joe played in prominent Michigan ska band back in the day, and I once drove from Utah to LA mid-semester just to see the Toasters and Bim Skala Bim with Mobtown. (If any of our readers were at that show, that was me screaming “Veil of Sadness” at the top of my lungs when Bim asked for requests at the start of their encore, only for Shanty Dan to huddle with Vinny briefly before responding that they couldn’t remember how to play that song!) My fascination with German ska (see Skaos and the Special Guests) continues, so it’s time to roll out an old fave, the Busters. Still going after all these years, the Busters display the maturity of those years with “Waiting for the Sun.”
Boy/Girl
Wow. It’s not hard to see why members of the JSBX seem to be fighting each other over getting the chance to produce Boy/Girl. Hmmm, who would win Judah Bauer vs. Russell Simins? The straddling-the-line-between-lo-and-no-fi fuzzed-out blues-inspired duo-rock of Boy/Girl interprets what the JSBX would have been like on downers.
Bridges and Powerlines
NYC style power pop, a touch of 80s British post-punk rock with driving Strokes-like sensibilities, courtesy of Bridges and Powerlines. For fans of The Rakes, We Are Scientists, and like-minded bands. So that’d be me, a fan, then.
Bedroom Eyes
Someone recently asked me what I liked most about getting to participate in the fun house that is 3hive. Let me share just two of many. First, experiences like checking out at Home Depot and having a conversation with the guy behind the counter about the Walkmen cause of my t-shirt and telling him about Jonathan Fire*eater as he wrote down “3hive.com” on a piece of paper he then stuffed in his pocket. Second, emails from Sweden, like the one from Jonas Jonsson introducing us to his little project Bedroom Eyes. The EP Embrace in Stereo is provided gratis by Jonas and friends, so let me just quote Jonas himself: “Pop music from the heart – to the feet.”
Missing Numbers
Happy New Year from 3hive!
So as I was reviewing songs I had downloaded in 2006 but never posted—you know, just to see what I forgot about last year—I came across the Minneapolis band Missing Numbers hiding on my hard drive. Haunting, dark, moody, suspenseful, and darn catchy. So much music, so little time…
Irene
White Christmas in Sweden? When would it not be a white Christmas in Sweden? Guess that’s why Labrador Records’ Christmas present to us is the wishfully-titled “Christmas on the Beach” from pop masters Irene. I say pop masters since Irene’s songs display pop from every decade since the 60’s, no doubt honed and perfected on many a white Christmas Day while dreaming of warmer climes…
Bossanova
More Canadians, eh? I’ve been sitting on Bossanova for a while now, ever since their debut album Hey, Sugar was released on Teenbeat way back in March. Please accept my sincerest apologies for hiding this Vancouver band’s catchy pop sensibilities for so long.
The Crabapples
Yes, OCD, you don’t need to tell me. “Hi, my name is Clay, and I’m obsessively compulsed with Slumberland Records!” Hey, the first step is admitting you have a problem. And my problem is the self-described “loud but melodic…catchy tunes played with sloppy abandon” that are Slumberland Records and the Crabapples. Continuing with the self-descriptions, the Crabapples rush “along in a breathless blur, fuelled by lager, explosive tunes and a love of great pop.” I’ll be sure to bring that up at my first meeting…
Tahiti 80
Since 3hive’s own Sam lived in Tahiti for a short time and speaks French, I almost feel like I’m stealing a Sam band, a la this entry from Sam last week, since Tahiti 80 are a Parisian quartet named after a t-shirt that singer Xavier Boyer’s dad got from a Tahitian trip. Sam and I both fell for Tahiti 80’s lovely pop masterpiece “Heartbeat” from their 2000 album Puzzle, and the band’s gift for wistful, delightful pop has grown and matured with their new release Fosbury. A Tahitian Treat indeed!
Addendum:
1. For our non-US readers, Tahitian Treat is a fruit punch flavored soft drink. Mmmmmm.
2. Pardon the kinda crappy 96 kbps Changes MP3 made available to us. So be sure to grab the recently added “Here Comes” VBR MP3. Thanks Min!
Henry’s Dress
Slumberland Records changed my life. My first Slumberland purchase was the compilation Why Popstars Can’t Dance, which introduced me to Rocketship, whose 7″ “Hey, Hey Girl” I have completely worn out. My second Slumberland purchase is still the most prized piece of vinyl that I own: Henry’s Dress “1620.” (My failure to obtain the Henry’s Dress/Rocketship split single released on Slumberland in 1996 and re-released in 1999 still haunts me.) Slumberland also introduced an entire new world of bands to me, many of whom have been my “favorite” band at particular points in time. The aformentioned Rocketship and Henry’s Dress, plus Lilys, Small Factory, Velocity Girl, Honeybunch, Swirlies, The Ropers, Jane Pow, Boyracer, Beatnik Filmstars, Hood, The Aislers Set, and The How.
I’ve mentioned Henry’s Dress several times in my last few posts, so with the rebirth of the Slumberland website, it was time to finally get my beloved Henry’s Dress on 3hive. Henry’s Dress is my favorite band of all time, cause I simply keep coming back to them over the years, and each time it’s like discovering their feedback-drenched, bass-heavy, punk-pop songs that could rarely reach three minutes all over again for the first time. I’ll spare you a long history of the band and even more of my sentimentality, other than saying that former members can be found in The Aislers Set and The How so you can get on with the downloading.