Apparently, here in Brooklyn, it’s flu season. When you are achey, shakey, sniffley, coughey and just generally miserable, it is important not to discount having health appropriate tunes available. My prescription is Bee and Flower (and a flu shot). Bee and Flower are refugees from this fair city, now happily residing in Berlin and making tunes that are interesting, pretty and, bless them, soothing. I wonder if perhaps they were fleeing the rampant germiness of this place. Alas, they are on the cusp of releasing a new album, with a new track included here. For the past two days, most of what I listen to has simply been registering as noise, but these guys have somehow brightened my days. I hope they brighten yours. Also noteworthy about Bee and Flower? Collaborations with French Expat songstress Keren Ann and the lovely Calexico.
Bedroom Eyes
Someone recently asked me what I liked most about getting to participate in the fun house that is 3hive. Let me share just two of many. First, experiences like checking out at Home Depot and having a conversation with the guy behind the counter about the Walkmen cause of my t-shirt and telling him about Jonathan Fire*eater as he wrote down “3hive.com” on a piece of paper he then stuffed in his pocket. Second, emails from Sweden, like the one from Jonas Jonsson introducing us to his little project Bedroom Eyes. The EP Embrace in Stereo is provided gratis by Jonas and friends, so let me just quote Jonas himself: “Pop music from the heart – to the feet.”
Bitter Tea for Breakfast
Comparisons never work out right, you know? The most well-intentioned end up sounding like the biggest slams, e.g. when we still had a print newspaper at the high school at which I teach, and the student review of a new restaurant noted the “Applebee’s-like customer service with Outback Steakhouse quality.” I’m totally certain the kid was giving serious props to the place, while simultaneously guaranteeing that I would rather be hit (gently) by a truck than eat there. Anyway, Bitter Tea for Breakfast is Travis Carter, formerly of Millimeters Mercury, another Mr. Hyde Records band. Bitter Tea etc. reminds me of — well, don’t take this the wrong way — Bright Eyes. Not really in terms of sound or lyrics, but maybe in spirit. Meticulous chaos, that sort of thing. The thing is, the big C.O. doesn’t offer entire albums for free download over at Saddle Creek, like Travis does at his site. Oh well… By the way, I’m dedicating this post to 3hive’s new pal Lisa, like me a former Maroon (she’s hardcore though, she was in the college!) and wishing everyone a good 2007.
Apes and Androids
Despite the fact that I’m sensing a whole lot of holiday spirit from the 3hive dudes this week, I’m going to have to deviate from the norm and express my relief that the world has returned to its normal state of affairs. And in the coming days, I’ll have to step aside and let someone else find you all that hot new ghettotech version of Auld Lang Syne. In any case, the seasonal lights may still be up, people may still be out of town, but the madness is over. And for a grinch like me, that means some celebration is in order.
Who knew that NYC band Apes and Androids would provide just the kind of relief I was looking for? I’m naturally arrhythmic and dancing has just never been my thing, so what a miracle it is that I cannot stop dancing around my apartment to “Radioâ€! Seriously, this is huge. I’ve been dancing all weekend! There was a time when uber-electronic music that made other people want to bump and grind really didn’t speak out to me, but times are a-changing and Apes and Androids happen to be clever about the placements of their bleeps and zips and pings, which helps. Of course, let us not discount the value of hearing something fun after all these days of cheer and sentimentality. A&A are new to the game, and will be releasing their album in early 2007, but while I wait, I plan on buying a pair of good flat shoes to dance in ALL NIGHT LONG. Ah, how sweet to remember just how fun life can be when you need a holiday from the holidays.
Takka Takka
So I have this friend who is pretty much the indie rock grinch. You can throw on the newest.freshest.latest and he’s all BAH! INDIE BY NUMBERS!! Off with its head! It’s a battle you can’t really win. If he hears so much as a hand clap, a trace of irony, or god help you, whistling – it’s over. Enter exceedingly indie, uber DIY, outer-borough band (specifically: Brooklyn, Queens): Takka Takka. Hand clapping? Oh yeah. Whistling? Totally. Irony? Much. And they’ve got a country twang that’s not living in Mississippi. They are the arch nemesis of my hater friend. But that is his issue, not mine. Despite some musical tics that might seem a bit obvious, there’s just something about these boys that resounds with me. It’s a kind of clapping that I can get down with clapping along with. And who doesn’t like something catchy to whistle along with. Indie by numbers, it’s possible, but Takka Takka are also doling out some solid, catchy pop too. And after forming a veritable trifecta of oddness when they joined forces with Clap Your Hands Say Yeah and Architecture in Helsinki for a recent tour, the proof is in the pudding – silly/weird/random can be some good stuff.
Thieves Like Us
A great tip from Lismore’s email blast. The two bands just played Friday at the Delancy in NYC. I can’t stop listening to the 12″ from Thieves Like Us. This A-side plays like a lost track from the Trainspotting soundtrack. A little New Order, a little Daft Punk, a lot of dance floor fun. A tribute to tripping. 3hive does not condone illegal drug use (at least not before breakfast), but we fully support dropping beats that induce body moving euphoria. Tune into these two Swedes and a Yankee and let yourself go.
For those of you keeping score at home, this post marks 3hive’s 1,000th entry. Make some noise!
L.A.O.S.
I’ve been holding out on posting this one…holding out for the day when L.A.O.S.’s brilliant (not to mention educational!) “Panda Style” single becomes available to the masses—or to me, at least. Alas, it’s not widely available in any format and I can’t, according to the 3hive Oath, keep awesome free MP3 downloads to myself. L.A.O.S. (Large Amount of Soul) are a drum ‘n’ bass trio from Helsinki with a great ear for deep hooks, cheeky samples, and beats that won’t quit. “Drowning Deep Inside Your Soul” is a good taste of their sound. However, if you want to hear “Panda Style” you can stream it from their MySpace page, or download the DJ Abraham (1/3 of L.A.O.S.) mix from their old school site where it sits alongside some other killer dubplates. Also, if you don’t mind voiceover—and in this particular case I really don’t—I’d recommend the thrilling Hospital Records podcast where I first heard “Panda Style” (thanks Moodmat!). Rumor has it, L.A.O.S. will release at least one title on Hospital in the near future. Fingers crossed it’s you-know-what…
Beat Hive
 We’re pushing three years serving music fans by “sharing” from artists and frankly it’s time we give back to the music makers. Introducing BeatHive.com (no relation to 3hive). BeatHive is an online marketplace for musicians to buy and sell loops. They currently have producers from the US, UK, Spain, Argentina and Canada, offering their best loops in Apple Loop and Acid formats, which work in programs like GarageBand and ACID. This means even uninitiated songwriters can grab some loops and start banging out the hits.
We came across BeatHive and thought it was the coolest thing since curly fries, so we asked them if they’d be willing to share some free loops with y’all. They said yes! Both WAV and AIFF formats are available and all the loops are 100% royalty free. Mouse over the handy buttons to hear each of the loops. The download links are just below. 3Hive 12-pack Contents: |
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| Drums 1 | Synth 1 | ||
| Scraper | Guitar 1 | ||
| Triangle | Drums 2 | ||
| Guitar 2 | Pedal Steel | ||
| Electric Bass | Synth 2 | ||
| Drums 3 | Bass Synth | ||
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Download Apple Loop AIFF Format Here Download ACIDized WAV Format Here (Not sure which format to use? Click here.) CONTEST: Make Stuff from BeatHive, Post it on 3Hive! | |||
The Black Antipodes
Is Denmark the new Sweden? But borders aren’t important. We here at 3hive love all Scandanavians, especially the ones who have a way with a guitar. The Black Antipodes claim Sonic Youth, The Stokes, and Interpol, among others, as influences, and it’s easy to hear all three in “Black Coffee and Pie.” My grandmother-in-law, a full Dane, if she were still here, would be so pleased.
Millimeters Mercury
“Her hips were sharp in the dark / in a park on N. Clark”
Millimeters Mercury, “Not Too Fast”
When a bunch of my old students went off to college in Chicago — hi Katherine, Jared, Mia, Jen L., Tom G., etc. — I really wanted to make them a good Chicago mix, but it just didn’t work out. I had Sufjan Stevens and Ryan Adams, Liz Phair and Rhett Miller, Wilco and Soul Coughing. But I still hadn’t come across Canasta or Millimeters Mercury (mmHg, for my wife and her Ph.D. science friends) — especially “Not Too Fast.” What a great song! Part of the Mr. Hyde Records crew, the now-defunct Millimeters Mercury has since split into a bunch of other bands, like Cola Wars. Check out the band’s website for their math rock discography, including about 30 additional free downloads.