They say you should never go into business with your spouse, but — Jim and Tammy Faye, Sonny and Cher, Siegfried and Roy notwithstanding — here’s another reason why “they” aren’t always right. Viva Voce, Mr. and Mrs. Robinson to their neighbors, play woozy, psychedelic pop as though the ’60s were just a warmup. “Alive With Pleasure” takes their sound to even higher heights with a searing intro, which then swoops down into the lily-spotted valley that is Anita Robinson’s voice, then soars back up to the sky leaving behind a vapor trail of handclaps. Hmm, sounds like a treatment for a music video…everyone here is under non-disclosure, capice?
Racetrack
Bellingham, Warshington (as my dad would say) can just crank out pop-rock bands, while still maintaining a very high ratio of good-to-not-good bands. Racetrack, well, they help the ratio on the good side. Throwing around big hooks and a raspy guitar, this three-piece is driven by Meghan Kessinger’s steady singing, aided on their debut album by Death Cab for Cutie‘s Chris Walla. And how do Racetrack describe themselves? “Picture riding a go-kart while eating a pickle.”
Travis Morrison
Travis Morrison, the artist formerly known as 25% of The Dismemberment Plan, drops his first solo record just a year after the demise of TDP. A glimpse into Travistan (the first three tracks offered here) reveals PETA-inspired pop, an eager, piano-driven morality play, and a sing-song memoir cluttered up with live studio audience effects and Defender(TM) samples. Lick off Ben Fold’s sugar-coating, but don’t go as dour as Elliott Smith, and you got Mr. Morrison here.
The Shifties
West Coast slowpop vibe via Windy City. The pace picks up by “Can’t Go On”: the verses spunky like “Kids in America” while the chorus jangles like something off Reckoning. A fun find from the suggestion box.
Dolour
I was first exposed to Made In Mexico Records when I came across Pedro The Lion‘s album It’s Hard To Find A Friend. Instantly I was a fan, with the band and the label. Made In Mexico seemed like the perfect indie label: wonderful bands and a simple, small, intimate vibe. The label eventually closed its doors and has remained dormant for almost five years, until now.
Singer/songwriter Damien Jurado, along with a couple friends and the blessing of the original owner, has resurrected Made In Mexico. Dolour is their first offering. Band leader, Shane Tutmarc, continues the Northwest’s too frequently slighted tradition of indie-pop craftsmen proving once again that sunny songs and cloudy skies are not mutually exclusive.
Dutch Elms
I can’t find out a damn thing about the Dutch Elms, but does that really matter when they purvey such pristine pop? No indie snobbishness, no “we’re making art” pretentiousness; just jangling, dancing, harmonizing fun. This pop is as pure as it can get.
Windsor for the Derby
Waaaaay back in the late ’90s, WFTD built a modest rep on synthy post-rock instrumentals. Now they’ve taken to delicate (still synthy) melodies, narrative lyrics, and generally sounding all grown up. And, holy extreme makeover, does it sound alright to these ears…
The Legends
A Stockholm band built on the whims of nine friends, many of whom had never even picked up an instrument before, with the simple desire of writing songs together. A study in desire, fuzzed out guitars, drive, and handclaps.
The Fiery Furnaces
You know what they say about the Fiery Furnaces: an MP3 is worth a thousand words. So rather than listen to me babble, just download and listen.
The Mendoza Line
I’ve spent the last three days down at 27th Street in Newport Beach, California. Hurricane Howard is much nicer than his East Coast cousin and is brewing up some great waves for us. So between too much sun, some really big waves, and helping a poor soul out of a rip current and onto shore, I’m beat. But 3hive knows no holidays and I’m happy to offer up four fine MP3s as the reality of 9 to 5, or another school year, sets in. If you enjoy The New Pornographers, Bob Dylan, and/or Mazzy Star, or any facsimile thereof, The Mendoza Line is sure to please your punch.