In light of the recent discussion in Wisconsin to legalize cat hunting (if you haven’t heard about this, check here), it seems appropriate to post The Weakerthans, whose “Plea From a Cat Named Virtute” is actually told from the perspective of a cat. Katherine slipped me a disc of their melodic Canadian punk/pop, replete with a little steel guitar here and some blazing noise there, and it’s been the only rotation in my car’s CD player for a few weeks now. As for the licensed hunting of feral cats, it seems like The Weakerthans would likely not approve. To my knowledge, 3hive has no official position on the matter.
Swoon
Need another reason to move to or at the very least vacation in Sweden? Swegazers. Yeah, that’s Swedish shoegazers, and our pick today from the suggestion box, Swoon, have coined the term. Like one of the masterpieces of shoegazing, Lilys’ 1992 album In the Presence of Nothing, which deliberately mimicked My Bloody Valentine, Swoon are not ashamed to show their influences, and like Lilys, they do it so well that their songs can stand alone on their own merit. So those of you wondering what your band would sound like if you were raised in Sweden on Chapterhouse, Ecstacy of St. Theresa, Ride, and even Lilys, that’d be Swoon.
Bettie Serveert
My brother-in-law Pete has been wanting to suggest something for 3hive for awhile now, I think, and although he’s pretty much committed to the music of his glory days in the mid- to late-80s — think U2’s Boy or Rum, Sodomy and the Lash by The Pogues — he pulled through with Bettie Serveert. “Attagirl,” off the Dutch band’s recent album of the same name, kind of has a new wave groove going, maybe. Anyway, Pete’s a hero of mine, along with my sister-in-law Cindy, because they actually hired a babysitter(!) for my favorite niece and nephew and went to see Bettie Serveert live(!!) not too long ago. They even got her autograph(!!!). I can hardly remember those days…
Smoosh
Yeah yeah, I know they’ve hobnobbed with Katie Couric on “The Today Show,” that they’re a couple of preteen sisters, and that they’re all the rage these days, but Smoosh are pretty damn good. Let me share something I learned from listening to “Massive Cure”: Asya and Chloe are not scenesters, hipsters, teenstars, or fakers. They’re in this for the music, the very purest motive there is. Sure, there are lots of indie band comparisons, but 12-year-old Asya sings like a 12-year-old PJ Harvey, and 10-year-old Chloe shuffles the drums like nobody’s business. Girl power!
Kid Lunch
People ask me where we come up with all the good stuff we post on 3hive. It’s hard to explain except to say that we sometimes seem to benefit from some sort of collective stream of consciousness. To wit: spring springs in Detroit, which reminds Joe of Hayden’s music; Joe posts Hayden, which reminds Eli of Kid Lunch who is a Canadian colleague of Hayden’s; Eli drops us a note about the Kid; I like the name and download some tracks from his 1999 self-titled debut; I like them enough to download the entire thing (it’s available for free on his website); I scrap together a post which says nothing about the music itself and voila! It’s just that easy! Kid Lunch may be in semi-retirement — his last live gig appears to have been in 2002 — but his sonically diverse album holds enough promise to leave me wondering if/when he’ll return with more good stuff. In the meantime, let’s see what kind of associations this post triggers… The suggestion box is open.
Spoon
So nice to have Spoon back in the mix. Dig the thick groove and soulful vocals on “I Turn My Camera On,” a cross between Prince and Gang of Four. How can that be bad? Not much more booty-shaking on the album (with the exception of “Was It You?”), but lovely nonetheless.
Hayden
Yes, it was 70+ degrees yesterday in southeast Michigan, and yes, my daughter was playing in the sandbox in the park in short sleeves and no shoes or socks. Yes, the crocuses are in crazy bloom, and yes, the daffodils are ready to break free at any moment. The melancholy trio of songs below are for all of you who know, like me, that it will surely snow one more time this year. (Hayden is Canadian, after all. He knows this to be true, too.)
The Cars Are the Stars
Kicking off like The Notwist’s “Pilot,” “Helikopter” starts with the sparse kit and then takes a deep breath. There is beauty in the silicon: mixing Mogwai, Boards of Canada, The Merkin Dream and even a pinch of Postal Service. This is one of those tracks I’ll listen to over and over and over and in three years when I hear it again, I will be reminded of this time in my life.
South Ambulance
That Sambassadeur post sent me on a Swedish shoegazing spree. That’s right, a spree. In case you doubt there is such a thing, I present you with South Ambulance. Also Swedish, also shoegazerly. When their press frequently references Ride, The Jesus and Mary Chain, and Television Personalities (and I’d add Galaxie 500 just to sweeten the deal), you know you’re in for a dreamy, melancholy treat.
13 & God
Remember the old Reese’s commercials? A woman holding an open jar of peanut butter turns the corner and runs into a man with a chocolate bar. “You got your chocolate in my peanut butter!” Tragedy is avoided when the two taste their happy accident. 13 & God is just as happy an accident. Formed when German glitch-popsters, The Notwist, and No. Cal.’s avant hip-hop duo, Themselves, were stranded while touring Canada. With time to kill and a penchant for collaborating, well, they made beautiful music together. On this track The Notwist flavor is dominant, but I expect Doseone (Themselves) a bit more on the mic for the album. “Two great tastes that (surprisingly) go great together.”