A friend and I were talking about The Walkmen appearing on the OC (Thursdays on Fox!) recently, and he brought up a conversation he had with some teens about a band selling out cause some big corporation used one of their songs in a commercial. He pointed out to the kids that, actually, a kid like them had grown up, landed a job at an ad agency, and had the power to place a favorite song in a big commercial. Speaking of The Walkmen, I have Saturn to thank for helping me discover that some members of my beloved Jonathan Fire*eater were back in action as The Walkmen. And how about the odd couple of Fischerspooner and Hummer? So take Jetscreamer and their song “Black Hole” being used in a Nissan commercial. Sellout? Listen to their blend of Sonic Youth and the Jon Spencer Blues Explosion and make your own decision.
The Aphrodisiacs
Scotland’s The Aphrodisiacs have a great story. They were friends just goofin’ around who recorded one demo and mailed it the late John Peel. A week later he called them up and asked if he could play it on the radio. So without ever playing a gig and having recorded only one song, they were invited down to London to record a Peel Session. Listen to their dark grooves and see why John Peel picked up the phone.
Hello Goodbye
Two Racing Junior bands within the same week? Just shows that good 3hivers think alike. When a Swede was named coach of the English national soccer team, an angry British tabloid columnist wrote: “We’ve sold our birthright down the fjord to a nation of seven million skiers and hammer-throwers who spend half their lives in darkness.” If that’s what it takes to make music like the Scandanavians, i.e., Norway’s Hello Goodbye and Kawaii and Sweden’s The Radio Dept, who exactly do I need to sell my birthright to?
Barcelona
In honor of the Red Rovers Football Club winning the Fall 2004 Coed Division One Championship of the Greater Memphis Soccer Association, I’m sharing the official MP3 of the Red Rovers, Barcelona’s “Kasey Keller,” even though my favorite American goalkeeper is Brad Friedel since he plays for my beloved Blackburn Rovers. I liked Kasey when he played for Leicester City, and I can understand why he went to Rayo Vallecano in Spain, but I mean, come on, Tottenham Hotspur? Yes, I’m a geek, which goes right along with Barcelona’s lovely geekpop. Be sure to check out the Sprites if you haven’t already. Barcelona R.I.P.
From Bubblegum to Sky
You’d think Memphis, with its extensive musical history, would get some decent bands coming through on tour. Nope. From Bubblegum to Sky, aka Mario Hernandez, is not coming anywhere near Memphis, as they’re playing Athens, GA tonight. They play a bouncing, harmonizing, and energizing pop, proof that good pop is not limited to the influences of the ’60s and ’80s — there’s a whole decade in between! Somebody in Athens, please go see From Bubblegum to Sky tonight. Let me know how it goes.
Kawaii
So while I’m listening to Kawaii, my better half asked (or rather accused), “Are you listening to ’80s music?” I could only reply, “No, it’s Kawaii.” Sure Kawaii may take their name too seriously — “kawaii” is Japanese for “cute” — but don’t confuse them with the other ’80s electronic imitators (good and bad) out there. The keyboards, the boy/girl vocals…it’s all tinged with the influence of Esquivel, the master pop hipster, as heard in the fluttering electronic samba of “Friends Make You Lonely.”
Bearsuit
Brits. You’ve got your serious ones, like Bush (the band, not the W), and you’ve got your silly ones, like Bearsuit. Fun, catchy, with enough crunching guitar and animal costumes to keep it going. Their shows have just got to be a grand ol’ time. “Chargr” is the new single to be released November 15th.
Le Tigre
Le Tigre on Universal Records? Can it be? I mean it, can it really be? Yes, friends of 3hive, it’s true. So just to prove that Le Tigre haven’t gone soft or started hanging out with labelmate Lindsay Lohan, listen to “New Kicks” off their new album, This Island. And while you’re at it, watch the video for “Deceptacon”. My four year old loves it.
The Makers
Sometimes you just gotta rock. What is it they say… you can take the glam rock out of the garage, but you can’t take the garage out of the glam rock?
Should
Today is a good day to share a beautiful song. Yes, “Breathe Salt” may be old, from 1995 when Should were known as ShiFt. But when it’s this wonderful, who cares?