Look at the cover. Look at the band name. WYSIWYG (a little tech nerd reference of my own there). Warm, synthy pop with sweet, disposable lyrics. Perfect for an analog road trip with your windows down.
The 3hive 72-Hour Kit
Conner
Where’s that deliciously pouty, funky sound coming from? South London? NYC? Try Lawrence, Kansas. (Hey, they’re entitled to deliciously pouty, funky music, too, you know.) These tracks are from Conner’s forthcoming album Hello Graphic Missile which is due out June 6. June 6?? But I want it NOW…
Woody Whatever
Athens, Ohio’s Erik Schmall has been recording frayed, cuddly lo-fi at a blistering pace. He’s already released over 100 songs since he first started in 2001, at age 17. Like many prolific bedroom songwriters, or any prolific songwriter for that matter, not every track will blow you away. But these ones here do, and I’m sure I’ve overlooked a few. If you’re looking for a good place to get started, hop (Happy Easter!) over to the lovely blog/netlabel Beat the Indie Drum to download Woody Whatever’s Big One Shout Out EP that just came out in March 2006.
About
Jason Forrest (aka Donna Summer) has a record label called, subtly enough, Cock Rock Disco. Said label will be releasing the full-length debut of Amsterdam’s Rutger Hoedemaekers (aka About). About is all about “shredded pop,” as the sticker on my review copy describes it. It is, in fact, more shredded in places (e.g., “Think Niles Drink”) and more pop in others (e.g., “Strike You As the Enemy”). But sometimes About get the balance just right, which they do on a track not currently available for free and legal download (i.e., “Nogato”). Hmm, if only I could share it with you. If only… You know, you really should sign up for our mailing list. Just felt like saying that. Oh, and check the neat stop-motion video for “Think Niles Drink”. And sign up for the mailing list (lower right corner of the screen, btw). Just felt like saying it again.
Nobody & Mystic Chords of Memory
SoCal meets NoCal, baby. This collabo between LA fixture Elvin Estela (aka Nobody) and Santa Cruz couple Chris Gunst (Beachwood Sparks) and Jen Cohen (The Aisler’s Set) sounds as good as it appears on paper. Nobody brings his taste for unforced rhythms, textures, and beats. Chris and Jen bring pastoral pop vocals and timeless instrumentation. Really groovy, brilliant, and warm. Don’t think, just listen.
Sub Dub
First DJ Wally, now another from my mid-’90s rotation… Not just a clever moniker, Sub Dub is fairly descriptive of the musical niche that Raz “Badawi” Mesinai and John “J-Dub” Ward carved out for themselves. Though laced with dub’s signature buoyancy, their sound is inspired by the grit and murk of urban life — as opposed to the cosmic influence of some of their neo-dub contemporaries. And speaking of Wally, there’s a possible thread here: the strange caterwaul sample that emerges with about 1:00 left in “Dawa Zangpo” sounds uncannily similar to the one found in DJ Wally’s “Outta My Head.” I could be wrong though, as I don’t have the latter track with me as I write this. I’ll get out my forensics kit and get back to you…unless, of course, someone out there beats me to it.
DJ Wally
Maybe I always felt a kinship to DJ Wally because his ferret is (was?) named Sam, too. More importantly, Keef DeStefano, as his parents named him, holds a place in my heart because of the role he’s played in the soundtrack of my life. See, in the mid- to late-’90s, Keef was a double threat — as DJ Wally, he’d record abstract beatscapes with a hip-hop undertow; as Pish Posh, he’d fire off rounds of infectious Big Apple drum ‘n’ bass. So I could turn to him to bring me up or chill me out. And I did. Often. These days, DJ Wally’s writing a new chapter in his discography, making music for TV shows and producing/DJing for NY rappers Proximity Minds (check Wally’s MySpace page for an audio taste). For those who haven’t had the pleasure of making his aquaintance, I introduce you to a man and his ferret…
Commit a Faux Pas
Australia’s intrepid loop tamer Faux Pas is back with more flavor than a bag of Sunkist Fruit Gems. His sophomore effort (such a music critic’s term; who in real life ever calls a second album a “sophomore effort”?) is called Entropy Begins at Home. Here are a couple tastes:
For the Trees [MP3, 6.5MB, 192kbps]
Hermann’s Hermans [MP3, 6.0MB, 192kbps]
Barr
Just thought I’d take a sharp turn after all the pop posts of late… Brendan Fowler has been called a “motivational rapper” by some. I wouldn’t call his work “motivational” or “rap” — but I think I agree with the sentiment. I mean, the guy’s doing his thing and no one else’s. And I guess that in itself is motivational. As for the rap thing, Brendan (or Barr) spews disjointed, autobiographical streams of consciousness over basic drum beats — kind of like a more self-aware Wesley Willis, or an introspective King Missile. So it ain’t singing and it’s somewhat rhythmic, but to call it rap… All I know is it’s far more entertaining than most spoken word I’ve ever heard. So I guess there’s my pocket description: “better than spoken word” — have at it.
Is All for Updated [MP3, 3.8MB, 192kbps]
A Call [MP3, 2.5MB, 160kbps]
Lights Out [MP3, 3.2MB, 160kbps]