Nothing like downloading The Damned on a Sunday afternoon… I can’t believe it’s taken me this long to get to The Damned (Clay couldn’t believe I beat him to it), but you just don’t expect some of your old favorites to be this on top of things. I was turned onto The Damned years ago by a good friend who had amassed a huge vinyl collection, which I believe included, close to, if not, everything The Damned had released. I spent many hours at his house taping albums and recording mix tapes of The Damned. Then in 1993 his home was among hundreds burned in the Laguna Beach fire, burning along with it, yes, all that vinyl. I don’t know if I’ve ever really repaid him for turning me onto some great music, so hey, Randy, gimme a call and bring your iPod…
Forest Giants
Just because we all contribute to 3hive doesn’t mean we like the same bands. Jon’s got a thing for prog rock that I just don’t quite understand. Sean has his SoCal punk roots, but these days how bland is that? Joe, a Northerner, likes country! As for Shan, don’t get me started. That leaves Sam, and his lifelong obsession with Billy Bragg (likeable enough, as long as I don’t have to listen to him). But we all share common loves. Sam and I, we loved the Beatnik Filmstars. Forest Giants is the new band of Tim Rippington, formerly of the Beatniks, still cranking out beautiful noise, a la the Beatniks’ Laid Back and English. Mundane Sounds’ Volume Four Sampler includes Forest Giants and 14 other bands, all available for free download. And as for me, well, I’ve got impeccable taste!
Noe Venable
Clicking through someone else’s iPod is a personal experience, like examining the contents of a purse or carefully reading titles on a bookshelf. “She’s got a hell of a lot of 50 Cent on here,” you might say to yourself, and completely remake your mental image of that iPod’s owner. While S. didn’t have a lot of rap on hers — Japanese pop artists were ubiquitous, for some reason — it was Noe Venable that caught my ear. With a clear voice that ranges from innocent to playful to angry, this San Francisco artist’s lush home recordings reflect her strong, intelligent narrative vision. And this reminds me of S., at least “Just a Lil Bit.”
Wonder Ground
Today the suggestion box brings us Wonder Ground, who will be recording an EP at the Ship with a guy from Earlimart, who were described by Joe here on 3hive as “intelligent pop that’s true to an indie-rock spirit.” That statement also applies to Wonder Ground. Joe added four descriptive words to describe Earlimart, but for Wonder Ground, I’ll add comparisons to American Analog Set and Beulah, who were, well, intelligent pop that was true to an indie-rock spirit. Don’t you just love the suggestion box?
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.
The Twin Atlas
The Twin Atlas craft tiny, shimmering jewels of folk pop which are driving me wild of late. Speaking of which, the duo sport the same exact animal masks on their bio page that my two sons are fond of wearing any time of the year BUT Halloween [picture not available] at which point they inevitably want to be dress up as something that requires purchase of an overpriced costume. Way more MP3s on the band’s site, which is also the best place to buy their CDs.
The Raging Family
Here’s a brief recap of The Raging Family’s bio: raised and home-schooled by bohemians in Upstate New York; lived in Eugene, Oregon until driven from their house by local authorities because of noise and behavior complaints; settled down in an enclave somewhere in the hills outside of town to focus on music and art. If you ask me it all sounds a little cultish, and at the risk of becoming Sharon Tate to their Manson Clan, I’m gonna throw my support behind The Raging Family’s latest “concept” album. Black Holes is ostensibly a journey through space and time, but how they get us there is through an eclectic collection of styles ranging from the knob-twisting and wax-scratching exploits of Land of the Loops and Prefuse 73, the found-sound rebelliousness of Negativland, the electro-clash abandon of Meat Beat Manifesto, the jazz exploration of Miles Davis and Sun Ra Arkestra, and even the psychedelic guitar masturbation of Carlos Santana’s Illuminations period. It’s a whole lot of styles to wrap your noodle around, but luckily the band has posted the entire album on their website for us to take it all in (the links below are just some highlights), and there are other entire albums there fully linked for the taking — but beware, the money you save on music today may go to pay for the cult deprogrammer you’ll need tomorrow.
The Lovekevins
There nothing quite like blindly buying an album at the local record store and finding something you just love. Trust me, I’ve bought some real junk over the years (Betty Boo circa 1990, anyone?) in that pursuit. But I’ve found some really good stuff. Sometimes it’s the album cover (Jessamine), sometimes it’s the record label (Henry’s Dress), sometimes it’s just a good vibe (Super 5 Thor). Even today, in the new millenium, that still happens with the world wide web. I stumbled across a real gem of band, the Lovekevins, on the online store Delicious Goldfish Records. Fantastic Swedish pop that soars and bounces and captivates and I just have to go listen to “Stop Being Perfect” again right now.
Kate Maki
You can just tell Kate Maki is smart. Her nostalgic country lyrics hit all the favorite targets, from loneliness to love to obsession, and the easy-going gait to her songs always manages to sound a step ahead of old fashioned. Check out how the restrained brushed snare and pedal steel guitar match so nicely with her quiet, clear voice on “First Impression.” Then, listen to the playfulness of all of those same instruments on “Sweet Time.” It’s no wonder — Kate Maki used to be a teacher. On her first two albums, she’s put together a fine country music primer.
The Happies
A handful of us here at the 3hive were involved, musically, many years back. First, at an AM radio station we basically hijacked for a summer, then at a CD exchange (remember those?) called Sonic Garden. Blurb designed the logo. Soon after that fell to pieces, Sam and I started up an indie distribution company called Happyville (I’m sure we’d unanimously agree that 3hive is our best venture yet). ANYWAY, The Happies are sorta namesakes, and are not-so-coincidentally, from the state of Utah, where we initially made our acquaintances. They also make endearing, quiet, lo-fi pop songs, for which I am a complete sucker. Thanks to Todd Simmons for dropping this into the ol’ s-box.