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.
Suburban Kids With Biblical Names
Suburban apologist I’ll cop to, but Suburbanite with kids with Biblical names I ain’t. Cairo we got from a Cure song; Pallas, well, email me if you don’t have to Google the name to know where it came from and I’ll be really impressed; and Jasper — although the word is found in the Bible it’s not a name — is named after the artist Jasper Johns.
This band is a MUST download. Their name says it all. A delightful sense of humor to go along with their keen sense of melody and wit. A musical embodiment of why I do 3hive. Discovering SKWBN gave me a third wind and kept me way up past bedtime…
Rocketship
Ah, Rocketship… Back in 1995, Sam and I were college roommates and I bought a Rocketship 7-inch. I should have bought two copies, ’cause I listened to the song “Naomi and Me” so much that today that vinyl is unbearable to listen to, with all the hisses and crackling from overplaying. So, Sam, as you listen to these songs, just close your eyes and think back to our room and the Kylie Minogue poster on the wall.
The Waxwings
Heavy on harmonies and trippy licks, The Waxwings pay more homage to British psych pop than to their Detroit garage rock forebears. Who cares, so long as it feels good, right?
The Decemberists
Get this: Trumping all other religions, Target is extending their holiday season from October through February. Five months of worshipping the almighty dollar! It’s in this spirit that 3hive brings you The Decemberists in August. A delightful hybrid of folk, pop, and prog rock, The Decemberists create a rich, musical world that you’re happy to be sucked into. Their last album, Her Majesty The Decemberists, sounds something like The Great Appalachian Novel, and their recent offering, The Tain, is loosely based on the epic book of the same name (considered the Illiad of Irish mythology). Literate, intelligent pop at its finest.
The Somnambulants
Slightly nervous, very danceable synth pop that’ll remind you of early-’80s OMD one moment, as lead vocalist Joseph White blesses the mic, and modern-day German indie electro (Morr, City Centre, et al) the next, as co-founder Channing Sargent gets chirpy with it.