Supposedly, jail can change a man. To my knowledge, none of the 3hive men have done time in the joint — I can’t speak for Lisa. Duquette Johnston did, in Etowah County, Alabama. According to the publicity people, his album Etowah “is a reflection on where life can take a wrong turn…” I guess Duquette would know. A few years back, Johnston and Superphonic labelmate Scott (A.A.) Bondy were recording for Merge Records as Verbena; now, he’s laying down heavy southern rock all on his own. That is, when he’s not in jail.
Devin Davis
This is DIY at its best. Devin Davis did pretty much everything, from trombone to handclaps, on his 2004 release Lonely People of the World, Unite!. His old school indie-rock-soul sounds like it was backed by a crowd, but hey, that’s the point; lonely people usually have lots to say. Let’s hope a new release is on its way.
Madeline
Yesterday, Sean alluded to what’s going on with Orange Twin down in Athens, GA, so I figured I’d elaborate on that a bit. Folks from the band Elf Power have, in addition to setting up their own record label, begun organizing, as they call it, “a pedestrian-based eco-village” with 100 acres of preserved woodlands five miles from downtown Athens. On the website, you can see pictures of the community house they’re fixing up, and the approval they’ve received from local government. Neat stuff. Also neat — and totally receiving less attention in this post than she deserves — is Madeline Adams. She’s been singing her songs in Athens since she was a teenager, and already has two full-length albums under her belt. Check out the tracks from her most recent release, The Slow Bang, for a sampling of her sparse, warm, intimiate acoustic offerings; more downloads and a very pretty crayon drawing can be found at Madeline’s website.
John K. Samson
I really wanted to post something about Reunion Tour, the new album by The Weakerthans, and it looks like there are two tracks from it on the Anti Records website, but I’m still a techno illiterate and am unable to link these babies up. Instead, here’s a blast from the 1990s, from John K. Samson’s solo album Little Pictures, rereleased by G7 in 2006. Samson is like our own (Canadian) Woody Guthrie, a social activist lyric genius. John K.’s guitar kills fascists too, I bet.
Tulsa
Things are always bigger in Texas, right? And Tulsa’s in Oklahoma, which is next to Texas, and thus things should be a little bit bigger there too. Um, yeah. This Tulsa’s actually from Boston, but they’ve got some big sound, and lots of it. The three songs below, from the recently released album I Was Submerged offer up a good idea of what the band’s all about. Some shimmer here and some crunching guitar there, understatement in one track (“Shaker,” which might be my favorite of the bunch) and a little 1990s Brit-rock swagger in another (“Mass”) — good stuff to fill the wide open spaces.
The Cotton Jones Basket Ride
It might take a few spins — there must be something spinning inside the computer, right? —for this debut track from The Cotton Jones Basket Ride to really work for you. Greg and I were hanging around, giving it a listen, and our first thought was to turn down the volume, for the sake of discretion. But there’s something about former Page France frontman Michael Nau’s voice that begs to be heard. In this case, it’s the refreshingly bluesy, breezy falsetto of “Had Not A Body.” He’s singing about demons in his head and fire in his throat, but you know, the song is so cool and laid back, it’s really nothing to worry about. Time will tell if the rest of his new debut, Paranoid Cocoon, will be equally tranquil; it’s due in early 2008. Until then and according to the promo people, “an individually handmade, hand-stamped, limited EP Booklet of five songs is available for purchase at all Cotton Jones shows, and via the Quite Scientific website. The booklets are hand made, hand stamped, and include a CD of four songs set to appear on the upcoming record, and one exclusive to the release.” Right on.
Wojtek Godzisz
I’m really not a huge fan of overly theatrical pop. I don’t like show tunes at all, and musicals make me cringe. So, I have trouble explaining my fascination with the likes of Wojtek Godzisz (that’s voy-tek go-jeesh). It’s not just because the Brit is Polish — czesc, dude! Instead, I think it’s the drive in these tunes that captures my attention. Even though “December Will Be Magic Again” has all the makings of stage drama, it’s going somewhere, and that beat is moving me around the house when really I’d rather nap. And covering The Smiths is just fun.
Black Kites
Black Kites is an LA band that’s got a little bit of everything — male and female vocals, droning guitar, heavy drums, mellow synth — and it’s all dreamy & dramatic. I like the retro vibe they’ve got, especially in “Sadie.” Kind of old school, sort of new wave, it’s like I’m buying my first pair of Dr. Martens all over again. Apparently their cover of the Sisters of Mercy’s “Lucretia My Reflection” was once available on the Filthy Little Angels website, and it’s a drag I couldn’t find it. That would have likely been a rare and special treat.
PS Thanks to everyone who pointed out to my numb skull that “Lucretia” is still available for free and legal download. I’ve added it to the rest of the tracks offered by Black Kites.
Patrick Watson
Sean posted Psapp a few times, and they had a song on Grey’s Anatomy, and this post been one of 3hive’s most popular ever. Patrick Watson had a song on Grey’s Anatomy, so hey, give the people what they want, right? He also just won or was nominated for some Canadian music awards — Polaris Prizes, Juno Awards, that sort of thing. I’m thinking Waston and the rest of this Montreal quintet could call themselves M. Rufus Buckley and you’d all get the drift. These tracks are from the band’s 2006 album Close to Paradise, which had a US release the day before yesterday.
Bella
My most awesome musical dream right now is of Bella and Mighty Six Ninety doing a “Battle of the ’80s Cover Bands.” How cool would that be? M-690’d take on “Love Will Tear Us Apart,” and Bella would do “Fascination.” Certainly, I could die a happy man after that show. I actually can imagine keeling over while dancing to “Give it a Night,” off Bella’s Mint Records debut No One Will Know. It’s a super-pop retro-blast, like a “Sweating to the 80s” exercise video soundtrack made in heaven (or would it be nirvana). All this means, of course, that Bella’s about to get a hundred million plays on the family iPod.