The Epoxies
Some of our more avid readers may have noticed we were late in posting our last several entries. We had been experiencing those fabled technical difficulties, but our pro MT man, SeÒor Blurb, set us straight. You can continue to expect quality, free, and legal music from us daily. While Jon was tinkering on 3hive’s back end last night, I was busy pogo-ing to the Epoxies. Now this is Neu-Wave: leave your cooler-than-thou posturing at home and bring on old fashioned, danceable fun.
Solex
Arena Rock’s now clocking in at five entries here at 3hive. After conquering the East Coast, ARRCO honcho, Greg Glover moved out to Portland and is making plenty of noise at one of the finer stations in the country, KNRK. Greg’s quite the go-getter and to my delight he went-and-got Solex, aka Elizabeth Esselink, and put out her 2004 release, The Laughing Stock of Indie Rock. Esselink makes the tastiest pop around, a pleasing mix of PJ Harvey-type guitar riffs, loops and samples a la Soul Coughing, with the sweet vocals of someone like Claire Grogan from the ’80s band Altered Images. For the already initiated be sure to check out the new EP: Solex + M.A.E. In the Fishtank.
Ligyro
Fuzzy rhythms, blunt beats, and all manner of static and stutters, made by a man (Neil Cain) and a machine (Akai MPC 2000XL), and held together by moments of sonic chill. Thanks to music like this I don’t need to do drugs. All it takes is a pair of headphones.
MC Chris
I first heard MC Chris on last week’s installment of “Synchronicity” on KUCI with the always topical DJ Longbeard. He opened his show with the hilarious “Fette’s Vette” (follow along with the lyrics). Boba Fett is my son’s favorite Star Wars character. However, due to the song’s lyrical content, he won’t be hearing this song (he’s eight) nor will he be seeing the final Star Wars installment. I hear it’s just a tad too dark. Lucas sucks. He lures the kiddies into SW I & II with a character like Jar Jar Binks, making the films nearly impossible to watch, then makes III nearly impossible for the kids to watch. So back to MC Chris — not only is he a prolific rapper (check out all the MP3s on his site), he’s also the voice for MC Pee Pants on Aqua Teen Hunger Force.
Quiet Life
Back in my day… you wouldn’t be caught dead listening to Bruce Springsteen. But what did I know? We were a bunch of suburban punk rock kids; we were beyond anything that sounded like it was made in Iowa. I’m less closed-minded nowadays, thankfully, but I still haven’t got around to listening to the Boss. Bands like Quiet Life make me think I probably should.
Phil Krauth
From the Teen Beat website: “Phil is Teen Beat’s Leonard Cohen.” Lloyd Cole is my Leonard Cohen (he’s my Bob Dylan as well, for that matter). Who’s yours?
Minotaur Shock Desktop Remixer
Bunky
A playful, boy/girl pop duo from San Diego backed by members of area scene stars: Pinback, Black Heart Procession, Rocket From the Crypt, and Castanets. This is a band who, in the album credits, refers to drums as “boomkadittles” and bass and guitar as “thunderstick” and “lightenin’ stick” respectively. Not sticklers for spelling, but sticklers for something much more important: making music that makes you laugh and dance and in the case of the ending of “Yes/No,” check outside your windows for UFOs.
Invincible Overlord
As a kid I always had trouble convincing my parents that the members of the Dead Kennedys were talented musicians, that they chose to play the music they did, sing the songs they sang (“Kill The Poor” or “Let’s Lynch the Lanlord”) to make a statement. They wouldn’t have it. Although today, after suffering through four sons with similar tastes in music, they get it. Invincible Overlord proves my point. Many popular musicians are (gasp) actual musicians. This is the moonlighting project from a member of a band that will remain unnamed here. I’ll leave that for you to discover. These songs are an old school take on a new school style. Instrumentation over samples. Like Four Tet unplugged or Prefuse 73 pre-digital cut and paste. Invincible Overlord concentrate on the I and the M in IDM.