Somewhat of a misnomer, Foreign Born are from right up the way in Los Angeles, although they do have a certain anglophilic atmosphere about them. Turn the clock back twenty years and I wouldn’t be surprised to find them palling around with Echo and the Bunnymen.
Baby Teeth
My introduction to disco funk and AM gold came at a rec center ice (not roller) rink in Oxford, Ohio, where I was more focused on learning to let go of the sideboards than I was on honing my critical ear. So I have to admit — and I think I’m in good company here — a soft spot for a lip-biting groove, syrupy synths, and falsetto back-up vocals. Oh, and an extroverted frontman with ridiculously romantic lyrics. Baby Teeth have all those ingredients in place, right down to their lead singer, Pearly Sweets, whose delivery lives up to his name and wrings any suspicion of irony right out. In fact, as his tender a capella vocals kick off the ballad “Mandy” with “Mandy…Mandy…Mandy…you make me feel like a dandy…”, I can feel my palms getting all sweaty in anticipation of the PA announcer saying, “Snowball…”
The Promise Ring
I’ve been saving The Promise Ring for a special occasion and I finally have one. This post goes out to two Southern girls who recently joined the 3hive fam. First, Kiera Siobhan, Clay’s third daughter, who was born in Memphis, Tennessee on June 1. Second, Miss Sydney Meeks who married our Shan Fowler in her hometown of Beaufort, South Carolina on June 4. You see, The Promise Ring have a well-documented obsession with lyrical wordplay, ridiculous hooks, and Southern girls (e.g., “The Deep South,” included, and “Perfect Lines,” which you’ll have to buy). Obsession may seem like an overstatement but keep in mind they’re from Milwaukee, so “Southern” can refer to Chicago as far as they’re concerned. In any case, mad congrats to both Clay and Shan!
The Fast Computers
You know how sometimes you want to just blow off everything? Check out of the world and do nothing but cozy up with a good book in bed? That’s me. Right now. And thanks to John Coulter and his charming pop suggestion, I’m gonna do just that…Oh, but wait! Blurbomat has been doing anything but checking out. Get a load of the new tweaks: new link/headline color, and our newest gadget: 3hive news! We’ll keep you up to date on any new MP3 links we add to the archives along with anything else that tickles our fancy. We hope we’re tickling yours…
schneiderTM
When Old Man Heat and Bitter Hag Humidity slow everything to a muggy crawl — as they have of late in these parts — schneiderTM’s hazy electro pop seems to get a lot more spins on my iPod. Just thought I’d share…
Okkervil River
A few months ago, The New York Times compared Okkervil River to The Decemberists, noting that both bands compose literate, obscure indie-pop songs for small-but-growing audiences. At least I think that’s what the article was about. I don’t really remember. Anyway, the songs I donwloaded back then have been sitting around on my computer, aging like a decent bottle of Chateauneuf-du-Pape, so please let me say, “Drink away!” Start with the mellow intensity of “A Favor,” check out the pop legs of “Black,” or dive right into “For Real,” off their recently released Black Sheep Boy. For more hits at the bottle, so to speak, check out the half dozen other tracks available at the Okkervil River homepage (and please excuse my oenophilic tendencies).
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?
Solex
Arena Rock’s now clocking in at five entries here at 3hive. After conquering the East Coast, ARRCO honcho, Greg Glover moved out to Portland and is making plenty of noise at one of the finer stations in the country, KNRK. Greg’s quite the go-getter and to my delight he went-and-got Solex, aka Elizabeth Esselink, and put out her 2004 release, The Laughing Stock of Indie Rock. Esselink makes the tastiest pop around, a pleasing mix of PJ Harvey-type guitar riffs, loops and samples a la Soul Coughing, with the sweet vocals of someone like Claire Grogan from the ’80s band Altered Images. For the already initiated be sure to check out the new EP: Solex + M.A.E. In the Fishtank.
The Russian Futurists
Last week I was fortunate enough to be driving around the Tuscan countryside with some good friends (including our aforementioned legal counsel), listening to Scott’s iPod via iTrip whenever the crowded radio dial allowed. The Russian Futurists’ “Still Life” burst through the static with a playground-simple blend of orchestral washes, a loping drum pattern, and intimate lyrics. Upon returning home to my broadband connection, I did some Googling to find that Matthew Hart (the man behind The Russian Futurists) has been turning out such triumphant heartbreak jams since 2001, and I am certainly not the first to notice. His latest, The Thickness, though, shows enough polish to position The Russian Futurists as a less sterile and equally infectious Postal Service. Mr. Hart is currently touring with Caribou and Junior Boys (June 9 at The Magic Stick, Detroit!), catch him if you can.