The genre above says “pop,” but you might as well call The King of France “smarty-pants rock,” that vaunted category whose forebears include the Talking Heads, Frank Zappa, They Might Be Giants, and Jonathan Richman. Singer/guitarist Steve Salad played around Minneapolis with Deformo and the Kelley Deal 6000 before moving to New York City. Michael Azerrad has written acclaimed books about Nirvana and the ’80s indie DIY movement, and he lays an awfully good backbeat. You may think that it’s no big deal to make something that’s both smart and entertaining, but I’m sure Azerrad the historian can list a multitude of bands who didn’t get the subtle differences between smarty-pants rock and I’m-gonna-kick-your-ass-you-freakin’-nerd rock. “Mexico” proves The King of France get it, with its rollicking piano, generously subtle rhythm and Salad’s quirky rhymes about life’s missteps played out as if they were a road trip of shame. It’s “Highway 61 Revisited” for the grad-school set. Hey, even they need to rock sometimes.
The Notes and Scratches
Josh emails the Suggestion Box with word of his humble little band and humble little label. He flatters us with how much he likes 3hive (which will move you up on my playlist, btw) and ends with, “considering what you’ve posted in the past I don’t think it’s stretch to say that you might like what we’re doing.” Let’s see…The Notes and Scratches’ raspy, writerly country pop sounds like early Tom Waits channelling Ben Gibbard. Nope, no stretch at all. In fact, while Joe and I swapped shifts this week I feel confident posting this on his behalf. And mine. And probably Jon, Sean, and Shan’s. Clay, well, I’ll let him speak for himself. These tracks are from the debut album, Uh-Oh, which drops November 18. Support our troops, y’all.
The Arrogants
What’s in a name? Well, first of all, it’s the most important step in forming a band. There’s making lists and researching and polling and arguing; it’s more intense than naming your child. Our cat is actually named what was the #2 (hence, losing) name on the list for the last band I was in. Second, it’s gotta be something that’s gonna catch your target audience. You know, ska bands incorporate the word “ska” into their names, metal bands use words linked with death, and whatnot. So the name is going to be descriptive. The Arrogants, however, really don’t follow that. Based on the name, the casual reader would think they were a British glam band, when in actual fact, The Arrogants play delightful pop, some bouncy, some happy, some folksy. Although perhaps that’s their secret; it’s takes a little cockiness, some arrogance, to make pop this good. Their new album You’ve Always Known When Best To Say Goodbye features 23 songs, and their previous two albums are available for free download from their site.
John P. Strohm
Yet another Internet moment — Juliana Hatfield has a new album out, Made in China, and while I was checking out the buzz about it on her website, I remembered and looked for the Blake Babies, and their website said John P. Strohm is releasing a new album soon. His website had these MP3s, full of nice psychedelic pop with a touch of country, from his two late-’90s albums, Vestavia and Caledonia. And if you like what you hear, more info about his new album (including demos and other downloads) can be found at musicalfamilytree.com, a site dedicated to Indiana musicians. Viva fiberoptics!
Cat Power
Cat Power’s been napping. By the time her new album, The Greatest (not a greatest hits record — boy I’m sure her label friends will tire quickly of repeating that mantra), hits stores in January three years will have passed since her last album. Not bad really. The space between her last albums lasted about four years. I should cut her some slack. The wait is always worth it. This time around she taps the Memphis soul scene for her backing musicians, with, among others, Al Green’s boys, Teenie Hodges (who co-wrote “Take Me to the River” with Green) on guitar, and Leroy “Flick” Hodges on bass. Judging from the small sample offered, Chan Marshall may be on her way to creating a timeless work of art.
The Tah-Dahs
So you’re making a mix CD for your latest stalking victim…er, love interest and you need to add that perfect dose of humor and hooks to make it clear you’re not taking yourself too seriously. You’ve already run through your Weezer and Jonathan Richman collection. Where do you turn? Tah dah! Meet The Tah-Dahs.
Jupiter One
I’ll admit to occasionally hatin’ on NYC bands, usually of the gratuitously post-punk variety, what with their fashionable arrogance and snarls of prissy posturing. But, these days, it appears that “fun” is the new black. Case in point, Jupiter One, whose bounce-on-the-balls-of-your-feet numbers can stand tall alongside new wave forefathers like The Cars with nary a double-take. Lead singer K’s low tenor is as crisp as a starched white shirt and he can dodge canned guitar riffs (that’s a compliment), B-movie synth sounds, and even an electrified violin much the way Dave Derby did in the Dambuilders. All of it makes for great music to drink coffee to — or possibly a coffee substitute. Either way, things are looking up in downtown NYC.
Voicst
Voicst is a decade ahead of themselves. Pop music takes about twenty years to recycle its sounds. Punk came back around in the mid-nineties and new wave’s back today with a vengeance. Voicst’s Mid-’90s-Alternative-Radio-Power-Pop sound was cycling through a second generation comeback ten years ago with bands like Presidents of the United States of America, The Posies, and Sparklehorse (from whom Voicst keenly, and wisely, lifts key riffs for “Whatever”). Can Voicst stick it out long enough for power-pop’s scheduled resurrection, or do they have the chops to usher in the third coming right now?
Numbers
NPR a few months back had a big piece on Mr. Moog, you know, the electronics wizard who a million bands owe a great deal of thanks to for his wonderous synthesizers, keyboards, and other musical instruments, if we can call them instruments. Turns out it’s pronounced Moog as in “toad”, not as in “moo.” Numbers, the band, are also indebted to Mr. Moog. This San Fran outfit churns out catchy tunes driven by pulsating keyboards, with a quirkiness that can be better understood by imagining Kraftwerk coming of age in the City by the Bay, where a bit of eccentricity is required by city ordinance.
Self
Back it up about 10 years when Sam, Jon and I were all being paid for what we do now for free, a young man by the name of Matt Mahaffey was also, theoretically, getting paid for what he now does for free. His collage of organic and digital instrumentation, pop and hip-hop sensibilities, and his playful use of harmonic and discordant elements won us over immediately. Self was an essential artist in our soundtrack of those days at Acme. With Jon’s usual sarcasm, he remembers this time as “misty watercolor memories.” It took a loyal 3hive reader (thanks Josh!) to bring us full circle, back to Self. While selfies.com offers a veritable smorgasbord of free tunes, here’s a brief sampler of his classic and newest works. “KiDdies” was a literal hit on my nightly radio show in Salt Lake City and a great Halloween track, “So Low” and “Cannon” the singles from Self’s first album. The rest are from his most current album, this year’s Porno, Mint & Grime.