I dreamt I had already posted Walker Kong. I searched our archives assuming I’d find this Minneapolis band somewhere among the many pop gems from the past. You’ve heard what happens when one assumes. In order to avoid any name-calling, here we go with Walker Kong: happy-go-lucky tunes with a touch of Grateful Dead, especially the vocals and the vocal melodies on “Andy Warhol.” The comparison’s a stretch, but I’m running with it. Listen for them to name-drop this site on that same song. Another stretch. Work with me here. The next two tracks are examples from previous albums. Fleeting moments of Lloyd Cole and Beulah provide further terms of endearment. Which reminds me: over the weekend I read a great article by the playwright Lisa Loomer, who was particularly depressed over this quotation: “97% of what people perceive is what they already believe.” Apply that to music and I’m guilty as charged. If one band sounds like another that I know and love I’m drawn much quicker to that new band. And this world is in desperate need of smart, literate, pop bands. Walter Kong…perceive and believe!
Gruff Rhys
The singer for Super Furry Animals has a knack for writing Super Catchy Songs all on his own. Well, he did take his recordings down to England to add some strings, courtesy of Sean and Marcus of the High Llamas, then down to Brazil for Mario Caldato Jr.’s percussive touch. So songs that began as meditations for acoustic guitar and voice ended up sounding greater than the sum of their parts.
Beat Hive Winners
Thanks to everyone who participated in our Beat Hive contest. These artists put a lot of creative energy into these contest tracks. We hope you like the tracks as much as we did. Here are the results:
Grand Prize Winner:
Andrew Newton, Five Sounds With Leaves
A devout Canadian currently living in LA, Andrew creates music by cutting samples and putting them into completely new contexts. He’s currently producing for Project Blowed, as well as doing a lot of live music with his own mixed-media anti-war/anti-imperialist collective called Amar (art-music-activism-resistance).
Song: The Dispossessed
Artist Site
Runners-Up:
Felix Miklik, Transalarm Recordings
Based in Chicago, Felix currently has dance tracks rotating on XM radio. In addition he composes and produces music for brands such as NIKE, Adidas, MTV, the NBA, AMD, Spike TV, Paramount Pictures, Motorola, Abbot Labs, Moosehead Beer, and Hazordous Sports.
Song: The Future
Artist Site
James Harris, Zebulon
Currently a film student at York University, James’s music is emotive, interesting, and often complex electronic music ranging from the chilled soundscapes of ambient and downtempo music, to more upbeat and psychedelic trance/club tracks.
Song: Pulsations from the Hive
Artist Site
Eddie, eMinor Music
An incorrigible audiophile living in Libertyville, IL, Eddie has diverse tastes and a hungry mind. His current work reflects too many interests and influences to list. “I leave that interpretation up to the listener. I’ve just got all this stuff in me and my job is to let it out.” At this time, Eddie calls it “LaptopFolkPop.”
Song: Nevermind Blue
Artist Site
Derek Hecksher
We don’t have bio info for Derek, but we were able to grok that he’s from Alright, Oklahoma.
Song: Beat Hives! Use Lotion!
Artist Site
Honorable Mentions:
Tim Porter, InfiniteAero
From Northville, Michigan.
Song: Darker Deepness
Artist Site
Karl G, More Powerful Astronaut
From Hood River, Oregon
Song: No Backstage Pass
Artist Site
Congratulations to the winners! The grand prize winner and the runners-up will receive a Best of BeatHive Loop Collection, along with a 12 pack of CDs from 3hive. Winners, please send your mailing address to kennyd [at} beathive.com to get your prizes.
Sister Vanilla
Props to Clay for digging up the Super 5 Thor gem! Speaking of The Jesus & Mary Chain…after ten long years the Reid brothers have made nice and have invited us all to their family reunion—including Jim and William’s sister Linda. We heard Linda on The Jesus and Mary Chain’s last album, Munki, and all I can really say is it’s about time. It’s about time the Reid brothers are back (along with TJ&MC alumin Ben Lurie), and it’s about time they get their sister in on the act. Her whispery delivery fits so well with her brothers’ fuzzed-out pop songs. The family recipe has been around for years, but it’s never sounded so fresh.
The Besnard Lakes
Remember laser-rock shows? They were all the rage back in the late 80s, early 90s. They’d usually take place at planetariums: you’d kick back in these theater chairs staring at the ceiling while Pink Floyd blasted over the PA. A tripped out laser-light display flashed overhead. It was a drug-free trip for the straight-edge set. Stoners took advantage of the chance at doubling their fun. One listen to The Besnard Lakes and you’ll be wishing someone would light up a laser show in your neighborhood, tonight! This husband/wife led six-piece play big, epic, classic rock slowed down and spruced up with all manner of atmospherics. Their second record, The Besnard Lakes are the Dark Horse, will fill your head with skull-swelling psychedelia. The band reminds me a lot of Low, if, instead of stripping down their songs to bare-bone affairs, they turned it up to eleven and invited Roger Waters to the party.
The Red Button
I’m always in the mood for this sleepy sort of pop song, this time from The Red Button. Principals, Mike Ruekberg and Seth Swirsky, have been writing and producing music in L.A. for more than a decade: composing soundtracks and writing songs for the likes of Al Green, respectively. The two met in 2004 when Seth was working on a solo record and discovered they had a mutual love for concise, melodic pop songs. So they began creating just that. Their album, She’s About to Cross My Mind, reminds me of a mix between the woefully obscure song-crafting wizard Erik Voeks on his album, Sandbox, and seminal pop-rockers The Posies. Coincidentally, those last two artists were in heavy rotation on the college radio station (AM 960: The Student Underground Network) Sam, Clay, and I launched way back when: sharing the sharing v.1. The Red Button’s retrospective melodies have me reminiscing like that today, the day after 3hive quietly celebrated our third year of existence. We hope to instigate more intensive festivities in the near future once our lives, mine in particular, settle down a bit. The proverbial dance card’s been booked lately.
radicalfashion
My six year old says she doesn’t like this music “because it’s scary.” She finds the ticking clock sound disconcerting. “It sounds like someone’s gonna get me.” Hirohito Ihara, founder of Kobe-based radicalfashion, admits that he can’t escape from the subconscious influence of his surroundings. The resulting abstract compositions will seep right back into your subconscious. Unlike my daughter, I find the rhythmic found sounds soothing, and as radicalfashion intersperses his dreamy piano playing throughout the track it triggers a reassuring nostalgia. I don’t promise the same reaction for you. On his debut, Odori, Ihara lets his subconscious take the lead and stays back, out of the way, leaving the listener plenty of open space between notes to create their own meaning from his work.
Buildings Breeding
This low-key, low profile band with an impressively obscure background has dropped their album into the vast ocean of popular music with all the power of a pebble. The ripple is small and subtle, but if you slip off your sneakers and dip your toes in the water Buildings Breeding will delight your whole soul. Their name connotes the roar (or maybe moans) of earthquakes, but their restrained guitar work, soft melodies and gently doubled vocals make up the sweet sighs of dreams. A slight 60s flair and random acts of atmospherics add just the right amount of spice to the songs.
3hive Nominated for a Bloggie
WJ Kington
WJ Kington spends lots of time around his house recording found sounds, tapping on walls and household appliances and recording the results. Sometimes he just sits at the piano and records his improvisations. Rather than “perfecting” the recordings he’ll leave in sounds of passing trains and the crows scratching at his roof. What’s left are highly engaging compositions. I found these tracks via boingboing.net (if they’re not already a habit don’t start!) which linked to “I’m Talin,” a track made from samples of his young son ripping apart a cardboard box which he’d strung with rubber bands. Be sure to stop by his site for stories on each of the songs.