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Tomorrows Tulips

When I was young and didn’t know better, I thought I could do anything I wanted to do. I wanted to be a cartoonist. Draw funny pictures for a living. All my favorite comic strips were created by accidental artists: “I didn’t set out to draw a comic strip, but now I’m in thousands of newspapers. Go figure.” I hated reading stories like that.

If I were a musician, I’d hate Tomorrows Tulips’ story. It goes something like this…Alex Knost started this band called The Japanese Motors with some friends when he was 17. They didn’t know how to play instruments, but they practiced a lot, then got signed to Vice Records and toured the world with bands like Modest Mouse. Then he thought it’d be better to play and tour with his girlfriend (wise choice) and so he wrote some songs, she played the drums, and now they have a record out on this cool boutique label.

Tomorrows Tulips are all reverby and lo-fi. The guitars give off a hazy shimmer, the sunset’s rose reflection off the rippling sea. Simple melodies and hooky bits that get stuck in your head like the ocean does in your sinuses after you’ve been out surfing all morning.

Oh yeah, and Knost rips at surfing and skateboarding.

Some guys have all the luck. And skill.

The rest of us blog.

Eternally Teenage

Casual Hopelessness

Tomorrows Tulips – “Casual Hopelessness” from jack Coleman on Vimeo.

Tomorrows Tulips – “Eternally Teenage” from jack Coleman on Vimeo.

www.galaxiarecords.com
www.tomorrowstulipstoday.com

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Anna Morley

Anna Morley is a classically trained vibraphone player from Australia, now living in Barcelona, and she’s quietly making a stir with her unique compositions. Morley works with London-based produced Alex Foster who adds gentle rhythms and heart-beat sized beats to her instrumentation. Along with the vibraphone, Morley occasionally adds her own vocals to tracks and plays the violin, keyboard, and an array of percussive instruments.

Her EP Character (from where these downloads originate) is a chilled-out ambient work and her debut album Red Balance (out today—stream it below) is equally crisp and clean, while a bit more bubbly, a refreshing soda pop on a summer day. Space-age bachelorette pad music at its finest. Although I think anyone, regardless of their marital status, will enjoy lounging to such a soundtrack.

If you’re fortunate enough to find yourself in Spain in the next couple weeks, be sure to check out her shows.

Es Lo Que Hay from Character (2009)
Today the Heart from Character (2009)

www.annamorley.com

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Computer Magic

Computer Magic and 3hive are kindred souls. First off, they love to share. And that’s what we’re all about here at the ‘hive. Sharing the sharing. Computer Magic has three EPs for your downloading pleasure. No strings attached. And here’s the best part: it’s as good as anything you’ll hear on the radio right now. But it’s not on the radio. Yet.

Kinship part two: the sound is right up our alley: the bass has a slowed-down New Order bounce to it which works so well with CM’s spacey synths and sweet, sultry vocals. Their compositions are playful like Land of the Loops, or more recently Michna, but without their glitchiness.

The brains, voice, and vision behind Computer Magic is Danielle Johnson aka Danz a New York native, an up-stater, who made her way to Brooklyn after high school and went from spinner of records to writer and recorder of records. With a little help of some friends Danz translates her bedroom bliss pop to the stage and according to NME her cuteness belies a “monstrous talent.”

Computer Magic gives me hope. Hope that in today’s pop culture ruled and reigned by the likes Lady Gaga and Jersey Shore I can steer my daughter towards a more palatable pop icon(oclast).

Found Out from Electronic Fences EP
Grand Junction from Spectronic EP
Holiday Song from Spectronic EP
The End of Time from Spectronic EP
Everyone Feels That Way Sometimes from Spectronic EP

thecomputermagic.com
whiteiris.tv

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Suedehead

One of the off-shoots of British Mod music is a branch known as Northern Soul which took its cues from little known American soul bands. Now a little known band out of Costa Mesa, California is doing its darndest to revive the sound here on U.S. shores. That band, as you probably already guessed, is Suedehead and they have quite the pedigree. Singer and guitarist Davey Warsop used to sing with a British punk band called Beat Union. Chris Bradley (guitars) ran a small punk rock label called Unity Squad Records, and keyboardist Greg Kuehn did the same for punk rock legends T.S.O.L.

While Suedehead definitely has a punk rock energy and aesthetic about them, they’d be more fit at the head of dance floor than a mosh pit. They wear their affinity for Paul Weller and all things Jam on their sleeves, and that’s a good thing. Rocking out to their new EP, I’ve been asked several times if I was sure this isn’t Elvis Costello. And I’m sure, but it’s a good comparison if we went back in time and Costello was 27 again. The two treats we’re including from the band represent the second, darker half of their EP: the crowd favorite “Young & In Love,” and the video for the oh-so-danceable “Can’t Stop.” Tune in!

Suedehead – Young & In Love

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Mind Spiders

Mind Spiders is the new project of Marked Men singer Mark Ryan. Their debut self-titled album is definitely not a Marked Men redo. The punk rock is still there, just now it’s full of reverb and distortion, like mold has grown on it. Along with the fuzz is the sci-fi noises that make the album sound at times like it was intended for a B-movie soundtrack. The song “No Romance” is one of the more punk rock songs on the album. It’s quick song, just under two minutes, but it gives you a small taste of the lo-fi goodness that this album consists of. Thirteen songs in total, including a spaced out version of Little Richard’s “Slippin’ and Slidin”, the album takes a little over 30 minutes to listen to before you start it over again, because it’s so good, you’ll have to play it again.

– By Todd S

No Romance

Mind Spiders Site
Dirtnap Records

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Velocity Girl

I have this tendency to get addicted to songs to the point that the people around me begin throwing heavy objects at my throat and knee-caps. The detox process consists of playing the song over and over while I write a little narrative of my relationship with that song. Lately, I haven’t detoxed; it’s hard to get back into that habit once you’ve abandoned it. After today I promise not to discuss my lingering absence.

My latest awakening is due to one of my all time favorite roadtrip songs, “Go Coastal”by a forgotten favorite: Velocity Girl. I rolled the song over, along with a gaggle more, in a recent refresh of my exercise playlist (I only listen to that about once a week by the way…) and now I can’t live without it. It took me about 10 listens to re-memorize the lyrics, I’m slow like that, and now I’ll enjoy singing along to it for another 50 or so.

I talked a lot about Velocity Girl in my Sarah Shannon review, and now I’ll reciprocate. After Velocity Girl broke up in ’96 (the same year I brought a child into the world, man, those 14 years flew by), Sarah reappeared with a couple of the velocity boys in Starry Eyes, put out two solo records in ’02 and ’06, sang on a Free Design cover with Styrofoam, brought a couple of children into the world herself, and is now writing and performing songs inspired, I imagine, by those children. I’m gonna call my friends at Yo Gabba Gabba and see what I can do about getting Sarah’s voice stuck in the head of cool kids and parents worldwide!

Forgotten Favorite [MP3]
Go Coastal [MP3]

Velocity Girl at subpop.com
thenot-its.com

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3hive Rewinds and Fast Forwards

Let’s face it, 2010 was less than stellar at this url. The principals and our reviewers all dropped out of ear-shot simultaneously and for months 3hive has been out of commission. No particular reason really. Life unplugged us, and once unplugged it’s hard to get back into gear, back into the groove.

Twenty-eleven’s gonna be different. I can only speak for myself, but I’m back on the wagon. I’m good for a couple posts a week, maybe even three. I’ll likely drop in the readings I’m obsessed with on occassion, like this, this , and this.

3hive’s Most Popular Posts from 2010:

11. Jaga Jazzist
10. Inlets
09. Let’s Say We Did
08. Happy Birthday
07. The Royal Chains
06. Bonobo
05. Junk Science
04. Cap’n Jazz [re-issue]
03. Galactic
02. Phantogram
01. Tycho