We’ve done some orchestral pop here recently, with posts on Architecture in Helsinki and The Heavy Blinkers. The Silver Hearts — an Ontario ten-piece band — use a lot of the same instruments, but really without the pop part. Think a hundred years ago and you’re headed in the right direction. Think Tom Waits vaudville and you’re even closer to home. In fact, available from The Silver Hearts is their own song-by-song interpretation of Waits’s 1985 classic Rain Dogs (click here if you’re curious). Their “beer and brothel orchestra” sound is probably a pretty good fit.
Seekonk
It’s certainly no coincidence that many of the melancholic and dreamy strands of the American indie set make their homes far away from the sun belt. What better way to fill in the long winters and gray springs than by stretching out your vocals and music until it cuts through the stillness with…pretty stillness? Portland, Maine’s Seekonk conjure delicate longing with mandolin and vibes on “Love,†and elsewhere Sarah Ramey’s vocals wrap around you like a blanket (especially on “Air,†which as yet is only available on MySpace). Yes, summer is on its way, and though Seekonk finds its muse in the snowy north, the life it evokes sounds good in all seasons.
Absentee
Absentee’s calling card is the world-weary, whiskey-soaked voice of Dan Michaelson, who may remind you of Kurt Wagner of Lambchop or, as the band’s MySpace page puts it, “Leonard Cohen singing from the trouser backed up with a mix of incompetence and occasional suprise.” Whatever the case, “Something to Bang” is a brilliant blast of horns and wit but somewhat of a “radio single” compared to my favorite: the simple and resigned “Hey Tramp.” Both are available on their new album Schmotime which you can find on eMusic to avoid paying import prices.
Norfolk and Western
This oughtta give you an idea of what Norfolk & Western are about: they drag a century-old Victrola around with them on the road and Adam Selzer, vocalist and band leader, will sing through it on stage. That, and they’re liberal with the banjo and violin. And one more thing, Selzer and drummer, Rachel Blumberg have been musically involved with M. Ward and The Decemberists. That should be enough clues. Now get listening. The stand out track is “A Gilded Age,” and its timeless melody, pierced with shimmering guitars, reflecting our own newly-gilded century.
Soltero
Life has been good lately, (especially if you don’t pay attention to anything related to domestic or international politics). Just last night, Tim O. was talking about how he went to buy some cd’s at the record store — Alligator by The National and the new Rainer Maria album — and not only are they his new favorite spins, but the store gave him a mystery discount too. I feel the same way, in finding The National and Soltero within just the last few weeks. With Soltero, it’s like I’ve been listening to Tim Howard’s catchy, pretty, ultra-intelligent, Billy Bragg-Lou Barlow-inspired pop gems for my whole entire life. Start at the bottom, maybe with “Communist Love Song,” or in the middle with anything at all off of the Defrocked and Kicking the Habit album, or with the full-band, newest tracks at the top, it doesn’t matter. It’s all that good. And hey, Ya-Wen: Thank you, thank you, thank you for the suggestion!
Oh No! Oh My!
If you haven’t lately, why not stop by our links page? There’s a few of the usual suspects as well as some sites you may not be familiar with. Lots of good stuff to discover, like this gem I found via You Ain’t No Picasso. What I like best about Oh No! Oh My! is what they don’t put in their songs. They use their white space well. Not that there’s empty spaces in the music, it’s just that every instrument counts. No filler. The best way to describe them is clap your hands and say yeah. I’m not talking about the band. Imagine if that was a sound, a genre: clap your hands and say yeah. That’s where you’d file Oh No! Oh My! Listen to “The Party Punch” and you’ll get it. I bet they’re a ton of fun live. A total jam band vibe…if by jam band I meant The Boy Least Likely To instead of Phish.
Peter Walker
Mr. Walker’s connected. For his first album he tapped REM’s drummer, Beck’s bassist and Wilco’s guitarist/keyboardist. Then he caught the attention of Earlimart’s Aaron Espinoza and Grandaddy’s Jim Fairchild. The three holed themselves up in Elliott Smith’s studio to record Young Gravity. Peter Walker sure has a lot to live up to and really it’s unfair of me to name-drop so liberally. I’m positive Walker wants his music to speak for itself. So I’ll let it do just that. Ask me though, and I’ll tell you he makes good use of his friends.
Elf Power
There’s more than a passing resemblance between Elf Power’s latest, an organically trippy tempest in a teapot, and very early REM. But those who’ve grown to love Elf Power for their subtle vocal lullabies over inventive pop-folk arrangements will know that the resemblance is far from a ripoff. Elf Power are simply building on the “Athens Sound” – a genteel southern intellectuality that allows for fantastic sonic experimentation but keeps it as personal as a front-porch jam.
Guggenheim Grotto
This is soft music with slight edges. As such, it’s probably some of the most accessible stuff posted on 3hive for people into folk, Iron & Wine and understated strings. These tracks from GG’s A Lifetime in Heat EP are touching tracks that your average Sum41 or Good Charlotte fan will run screaming from. These tracks are perfect for bringing up next time someone says, “they don’t write songs like this anymore”.
death vessel
Death Vessel is Joel Thibodeau, a slight New Englander with a face that could tell a story all by itself. But since you can’t see him, what you’ll remember is his singular falsetto, an energetic chirp with the Celtic gusto of Gospel Oak era Sinead O’ Connor and the front-porch personality of Gillian Welch. It’s all in service of lyrics with a Dylan-esque, both Bob and Thomas, sense of the fantastic and the melancholy in this thing called living. Sit with him for a few and let him sing you some songs.