Blowoff is a studio collaboration between rock legend Bob Mould (Husker Du, Sugar) and house DJ/producer Richard Morel, born out of a DJ night the two of them host at Washington D.C.’s 9:30 Club. For casual fans of Bob Mould, that entire opening line may strike you as odd but Mould has been as active as a DJ/producer in the past few years as he has been as a singer/songwriter. To some of us longtime fans, that opening line may instill fear of Mould’s signature vocals getting Cher-ified by overmodulation as they were on his latest solo LP Body of Song. But Blowoff promises to be different, by providing Mould with an ideal musical foil in Morel’s voice and production. The album is said to switch it up genre-wise — from rock to pop to dance. Fine with me, so long as it’s all as good as this teaser track which is almost Sugar-esque in its powerful pop sway and ridiculously catchy chorus. More please…
The Book of Daniel
When Jan suggested The Book of Daniel a few months ago, my first thought was of E.L. Doctorow’s novel of the same name, which was my least favorite of the texts we read in my most favorite grad school class, Prof. William Veeder’s “Contemporary Historical Fiction.” Every year I try (and invariably fail) to teach Eudora Welty’s wonderful and little-known short story “Where is the Voice Coming From” as finely as Bill did. Oh well. Anyway, here’s what Jan had to say about The Book of Daniel: “Daniel Gustafsson (who is the brother of Swedish Bright Eyes-type singer-songwriter Boy Omega) has written some awesome songs recently. Imagine John K. Samson of the Weakerthans playing beautiful jazz versions of Buckley or Wainwright songs.” Exactly. I’ve included three of the six songs available for free and legal download from Gustafsson’s EP; the rest are available at Daniel’s website, and there’s more info at Swedesplease, a really cool version of 3hive (free, legal MP3s) specifically for Swedish bands. (Who would have known there’d be enough to keep it going?)
Sarah Shannon
Today Minty Fresh announced the signing of Sarah Shannon and they tell us we can expect previews soon. Her second solo album is slated for a Fall release. Needless to say (for those who know me), I’m completely giddy at this news and it’s sent me digging through all my old Velocity Girls albums. You see, Sarah Shannon put the girl in Velocity Girl, one of the early bands that moved Sub Pop beyond their grunge roster. At one point, Velocity Girl’s 1993 album, Copacetic, had sold more than any other Sub Pop album with the exception of Nirvana’s Bleach. By no means did Velocity Girl reinvent pop music, they just did it so well. They made it sound so good. Lo-fi production and fuzzy guitars eventually lead to a perfect pop polishing by producer John Porter (The Smiths), then in 1996 it was all over. I’ll admit, Sarah Shannon’s voice sealed the deal for me. Pure aural comfort food. Timeless. Soft and smooth and never close to being cheesy. In 2000 Shannon released an under-appreciated solo record on her own label, Casa Recording Company. These MP3s are from that recording. She obviously steered clear of the shimmering indie rock Velocity Girl mastered in favor of a big ’70s pop sound. As I write this I feel like I’m reading a page-turner of a novel and I’m so ready for the next chapter. This is gonna be a good summer!
The Rentals
They’re back! After a rather long hiatus, the Rentals are playing shows and starting to record a new album. So while we wait until 2007 for said third album, enjoy these alternative remixes of two songs from their past. Oh, and check out their website for brilliant footage of Blur covering “Friends of P.”
The Futureheads
With the first hit of the drum, pluck of the bass and strum of the guitar, for a split second, I hear the opening of AC/DC’s “Highway to Hell” (gotta throw in an obligatory reference to today’s once-in-a-century date). All you rockers, don’t get your hopes up. The stadium rock doesn’t continue, at least not in an AC/DC sense. However, the herky-jerky pogo beats, the Hyde brothers’ thick, northern British accents, and their soaring harmonies kick in full force. The Futureheads are often compared to XTC, with good reason (and not in a bad way: they sound neither nostalgic nor derivative), and the similarities continue on their second record, News And Tributes, out next week. “Worry About It Later” sounds as if it was pulled from the English Settlement sessions, mixed with a little pop-opera. Don’t expect anything near a slump for these blokes as their powerful/playful style, which has earned them opening spots (on stadium shows!) for Oasis and The Pixies, has only matured and had this come out some forty years earlier I can imagine The Futureheads playing with the likes of Townsend and company. Here we are, back to the future and you’ll find them out on the road in North America, starting next week, with French Kicks for the first leg and Tapes ‘N Tapes for the next.
Goodnight Monsters
If you’re fluent in German you might enjoy the online magazine Spoonfork (in English we call it a “spork”). I don’t speak German, so I can’t give it a proper review. They’re kind enough to link to our entries once in awhile, so I’ll stop by there every so often to hear what they’re listening to. They seem to have a weak spot for sunshiney pop, and indeed Finland’s Goodnight Monsters are beaming with it. “20 Fingers 20 Toes” is an anatomically wonderful love song which captures a couple cataloging their combined body parts. Contemporaries might include The Boy Least Likely To, influences obviously include The Beach Boys and Burt Bacharach. This is a shimmering gem you’d be wise to add to your forthcoming Summer mixes…
(By the way: today is the last day to enter our Psapp contest)
Isabelle Antena
Isabelle Antena is a Parisian songbird whose bossa- and samba-inflected electro-Francopop is as glamorous as it is playful. And she’s been making hip jingles for almost three decades. Antena released Camino del Sol 25 years ago on Benelux, the continental stepchild of Factory Records. So while New Order et. al. were taking over clubs worldwide, Antena were mostly, and criminally, overlooked. Yet, you listen to the coy cover of “The Boy From Ipanema” and, beyond sounding like it could have been recorded this year in a Williamsburg loft, you realize where bands like Stereolab got their groove. Antena is back with Tujours de Soleil, ostensibly a follow-up to Camino. “Spinner” is perfect for urban adventures, but unfortunately the only version I can find for download is only two-thirds the length of the original. Fortunately, Isabelle has a career-spanning catalog of MP3s on her site, so make a sampler and plan that trip to Paris sooner than you thought.
Beatnik Filmstars
They’re back! After a seven year break, the Beatnik Filmstars, Sam’s and my favorite lo-fi noise pop band of the ’90s, have released a 23-song album, In Great Shape, that’s full of hooks, fuzz, crashing cymbals, strange noises, muffled voices, and buckets of pop. It’s like they never left!
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.
Gordo Gringo
We’ve been enjoying Beat Radio for a while here at the Hive, so it’s always nice to hear what else the guys have going on. Guitarist/vocalist Phil Jimenez and drummer Jim Mansfield, along with two more friends from Huntington, Long Island, New York, have been busy with Gordo Gringo, whose simple melodies and pensive chords mix just right with Jimenez’s gravelly, cathartic vocals. “Old Suitcase†is a particularly bittersweet anthem, and the other two tracks here aren’t far behind.