As I spent this weekend in NYC for the big wedding, I was able to get in a lot of quality iPod time on the subway and walking about (we don’t walk much back in Michigan). Just as I ducked out of the bitter cold wind into a subway tunnel, this lovely, VU-esque pop song came on labeled “Pet Politics – In My Head.” That’s all I knew at the time. When I got home, I did what I always do in these situations: I searched through my old email for “Pet Politics” and found a note from one Magnus Larsson (dba Pet Politics) of Gothenburg, Sweden, sent back in August 2005 asking me nicely to listen to his music. Well, Magnus, I did…eventually. And, while “In My Head” is no longer available, 3hive readers, here is a quaint Robyn Hitchcock-esque songs about ghosts that I may like even better. Unfortunately, blog/label Catbird has since sold out of his extremely limited edition EP, released late last year. If you want to hear more, check out *sixeyes’ interview with Magnus for a couple other downloads or go to the Pet Politics MySpace page.
Black Twig Pickers
Today’s post is dedicated to Serge and Sabrina, who today will marry in a Manhattan loft overlooking the Hudson river. Serge’s taste in music splits pretty evenly between ’80s one-hit wonders and old timey bluegrass. Sabrina’s…well, let’s just say her request list for the wedding mix included this song. So, in their honor, I’m going with the banjo and fiddle. Congratulations, S+S!
Wooden Wand
I never really cared for the meandering freak-folk outfit Wooden Wand and the Vanishing Voice. To be fair, I haven’t listened to everything they released — if I had that much free time I could finish my Master’s degree — but what I did hear seemed to require an accompanying prescription to hallucinogens to be appreciated. So it’s strange that I even stopped to check out founding member James Toth’s solo record. But I did and I really dig it. Toth seems to have holed himself away from the world, or at least his cumbersome collective, and stripped his mystical and spiritual meditations down to their hypnotic core. Even his moments of self-indulgence are done with humor and innocence, such as his “okay” vocal tick on this track. I may be able to join this cult after all…
The Capes
I’m still recovering from recent fatherhood, I’m just now climbing through my in box and was reminded — by a series of associations too mind-numbing to recount — of this rambunctious pop outfit from South London. Okay, I won’t bore you with how I found them, but I will drop this equation on you: I’ve got a well-documented soft spot for snarling, synth-seared melodies. The Capes are all about snarling, synth-seared melodies. Therefore, I’ve got a soft spot for The Capes. I believe that’s called the transitive property.
Parks and Recreation
Okay, all you saps, here’s one for your Valentine’s Day playlist… Portland’s Parks and Recreation craft completely over-the-top pop pastiche with a wistfull underbelly. Fits nicely alongside Jens Lekman. Oh, and go grab The Valentines. Happy lovin’, lovers!
Slaraffenland
It’s been saddening for me to watch this whole Danish cartoon scandal go down because Denmark has always sat on a pedestal in my memory after I spent a few of the more peaceful and pleasing days of my life there back in 1999. Not much I can do about the recent events, except for this small gesture of distraction: Slaraffenland’s slow-burning instrumental jazz/rock goodness from Denmark, done with the effortless, artful precision Danes ought to be known for.
Leave Ya Nines at Home and Bring Ya Powerbook to the Battle
Girls Against Boys
Clay’s Moose post got me thinking, Am I even capable of narrowing down my personal all-time Top 5 songs? I could probably do artists or even albums, but songs for me are more specific to certain people, places, and time. When I stumbled across this stash of genius charmers Girls Against Boys, a flood of memories returned from a hazy, crazy summer when I took a few classes, worked at a CD store, and lived in an extremely well air-conditioned condo with my pals Kent, Matt, and Danger. As I try to recreate the house rotation I specifically recall a conversation Danger and I had about “In Like Flynn” (both the expression and the song from Venus Luxure No. 1 Baby). My fave GVSB tracks would actually come out a year later on Cruise Yourself (see “Kill the Sexplayer”), but I didn’t know that at the time. For the curious, here are my Top 5 Non-GVSB Songs of the Summer of 1994:
Soul Coughing “Down to This,”
Jawbox “Savory,”
Fluf “Sticky Bun,”
Beastie Boys “Sure Shot,”
Ride “Let’s Get Lost.”
Gregor Samsa
It’s been a wild and wonderful past week, beginning with our baby daughter arriving much earlier than expected. All is well, except she’s tiny and needs to get bigger. My wife and I finally took a moment to play back the week via iPhoto slideshow. We selected Gregor Samsa’s “Young and Old” (from their forthcoming debut full-length 55:12) as the soundtrack. So understand that I’m heavily under the influence (cf. Jon’s Stars post) when I say Gregor Samsa is my new favorite band. But they’re pretty darn good under any circumstances. Imagine if Sigur Ros were from Richmond, Virginia…