Sapporo 72 comes to us today courtesy of my new friend Tracy T., who made this suggestion last night as fireworks were exploding over our heads. Now, you know this whole 80’s new wave thing that’s been going on for a while? Think that’s the only 80’s drama the kids these days are unearthing? There’s a whole lot more to the 80’s, and in this case we’re talking about electro-synth-dance-pop, a la Depeche Mode, Kraftwerk, Erasure, etc. So let Sweden’s Sapporo 72 take you on a trip down memory lane, updated for the new millenium.
Books on Tape
Books on Tape is actually just one Todd Drootin (should that make it Book on Tape?), current resident of Los Angeles (where I’ll be landing tomorrow, by the way). Todd was raised on punk, but was then hooked by electronic music and hip-hop as he began making music. The result: “beatpunk,” as coined by Todd himself. The energy and spirit of punk, expressed through electronics, very deliberate and focused, not as brash and concussive as say Atari Teenage Riot or Les Georges Leningrad.
Brian Eno + David Byrne
Today we’re going back twenty-five years to 1981 (would someone check my math on that?). Brian Eno and David Byrne collaborated to produce the album My Life in a Bush of Ghosts. The album highlights the pair’s mutual love for African pop and rhythms. The track offered here, “Regiment,” is obviously influenced by such music. Its rhythms and percussion are also reminiscent of another album released in ’81, Japan’s Tin Drum. Eno + Byrne’s album set the template for later works of world and electronic music. My Life in a Bush of Ghosts was re-mastered and re-issued this year and the complete multi-tracks to two of the songs are available for download on Bush-Of-Ghosts.com. Producers are encouraged to use the tracks in their own work, or remix the songs and upload them back to the site. The site also features archival press coverage, essays, photos from the recording sessions, a video and polaroids by David Byrne himself. A worthwhile way to spend your day procrastinating.
Si Schroeder
I love the first line of description regarding this guy on the Trust Me I’m a Thief website: “Si Schroeder is a six-foot hairy male who makes ‘music’.” To how many people in this world does that sentence apply, I wonder. And is it the hairiness or his height that matters the most (or the combination of the two)? Anyway, with all of the above you get Irish psychedelic electronica in a cool ambient vibe, and if you find yourself wanting it more, Si Schroeder’s debut album Coping Mechanisms will be released in fall 2006.
Marumari
Marumari makes electronic music just the way I like it, when I’m in the mood to chill to it, not dance to it (‘cuz let me tell you, it ain’t no easy feat to harness the energy of my dance moves in a little song. Nuh, uh. No way. But I’m not dancing now. And I imagine you aren’t either if you’re reading this—unless you’ve got moves I’m unfamiliar with). It’s smooth, warm, and he keeps things interesting without the glitch, klack, sputter. There’s an Eastern sensibility at work here, as if he’s creating extended mixes of haiku. All this from a young American raised on Pee Wee’s Playhouse with an unexplicable penchant for Gap clothes. Problem is, Marumari, aka Josh Presseisen, has been regrettably silent for the past four years, with the exception of this EP that he’s been giving away on his site since last year. Only for “awhile” he warns. Well, the links are still good, but who knows for how long. Get ’em while you can (btw: some of the smaller files sound like clips). I should mention here that Sam turned me onto Marumari back in the last millenium, and Brian over at Fun Time OK hipped me to the free Pathscrubber EP.
Manual
I promise this will be the last plug I give a Darla artist this week (gotcha…it’s Saturday!). Manual is Danish prodigy Jonas Munk. At age 22, he’s already got over a dozen releases to his name(s), many of them an epic 10+ minues in length. I always thought it was weird when music critics would use the term “big” to describe a sound. But that’s about the best way I can think of to describe Manual. Big and warm and familiar. In fact, Darla’s press release says: “In Jonas’ world there’s no line between dream pop and stadium rock…” So here I am, lighter held up high.
Balún
The emerging theme from the last two days is unintentional: more electronic treats from Latin America. Today it’s Balún—Puerto Rico’s answer to Múm. You had no idea Puerto Rico had an answer to Múm, did you? I certainly didn’t. Consider ourselves clued in. Balún’s songs tend toward the cinematic: gentle textures unfolding into soft rhythms and child-like vocals. These downloads are from the past couple years, but they do have a new album coming out in June on Brilliante Records out of Chicago. The video below is their first from that release, Something Comes Our Way. Oh, and Sam, let’s hear you work this phrase into conversation, “hay una piscina en la nube (there’s a swimming pool in the cloud).”
Entre Rios
A three-day weekend’s nothing compared to the joy of Darla Records finally getting with the times and converting their fabulous label CD sampler series, Little Darla Has a Treat for You, into a download-only affair (albeit 64kbps…). You may have already read Sean’s Junk Drawer post about Little Darla Has a Download for You but I’m guessing both Clay and I will take the opportunity this week to finally herald some of our fave Darla acts. I’ll start with Entre Rios. Think of them as Argentina’s Everything But the Girl, because Isol just sings and Sebastian just writes. Or don’t think of them as anything, and just get lost in the angelic loveliness of “Claro Que Si” (one of my favorite Spanish phrases to drop into everyday conversation) from Entre Rios’ 2005 album Onda.
Psapp
We like to keep this main column on 3hive filled exclusively with brand, spanking new posts. But in this case we’ll make an exception. You see, Psapp (pronounced “sap,” fyi) was one of the very first posts to this site and we’ve carefully followed their progress. Galia Durant and Carim Clasmann, aka Psapp, are consistently one of 3hive’s most popular artists due, in large part, to Grey’s Anatomy fans searching for their song “Cosy in the Rocket.” The good folks at Domino have released THREE new MP3s, two from the new album The Only Thing I Ever Wanted, and one, “Wet Box,” which is a vinyl only b-side on their UK release. “Wet Box” is a more playful song, along the lines of their first Melodic tracks, filled with “anything that’s silly and uses stupid noises” (the band’s words). The album tracks work in Galia’s sultry vocals, for a feel that snuggles right up to “Cosy in the Rocket.” So get downloading, because you never know how long these links will last, and hit their e-card for details on their upcoming North American tour dates with Juana Molina and José González.
Hi [MP3, 3.6MB, 128kbps]
Tricycle [MP3, 2.6MB, 128kbps]
Wet Box [MP3, 2.8MB, 128kbps]
Original post: 02/23/04
Sounding like the best eclectic electronic comp since 2002’s Six Records Breaks Your Heart Again. The first track, “Difficult,” is from that comp, Tracks for Horses. The second track, “Dad’s Breakdown,” isn’t as strong, but fun nonetheless. They’re super lo-fi MP3s, Melodic’s definitely not showing much of their hand, but damn, can they pick ’em! Check out labelmate Pedro as well…
Think About Life
Montreal’s Think About Life is more than that. The debut album, Think About Life, out yesterday, May 2nd, is more than that. Think About Life is a way of life. As they sing on “Paul Cries”, “Put on your shoes and your clothes, get set, get set for life, get set, get set for life.†And with the feverish backing dance beat and shrill pounding drones that cause spontaneous body convulsions/dancing, how can you not?