Posted on

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…

Continue reading “Suburban Kids With Biblical Names”

Posted on

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.

Continue reading “Rocketship”

Posted on

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.

Continue reading “The Decemberists”

Posted on

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.

Continue reading “The Somnambulants”

Posted on

Volcano, I’m Still Excited

Comparisons are usually poor. However, just imagine a four-way intersection in a small town, the only intersection in town. Now imagine that Modest Mouse, Human League, Peter Hook, and, let’s say, an ice cream truck are converging on this intersection. Well, Mr. Hook, the crazy Brit, is driving on the left-hand side of the road! From the resulting crash emerges Volcano, I’m Still Excited.

Continue reading “Volcano, I’m Still Excited”

Posted on

The National Splits

Let us celebrate the midpoint of summer with the National Splits. Mike Downey of the famed Chicago popsters Wolfie decided to go his own way a few years back, hence the National Splits. Perfect for BBQing, pool-crashing, and road tripping.

Continue reading “The National Splits”

Posted on

The Velvet Teen

The Velvet Teen have always been cool about sharing their deepest discontents, and it turns out the secret ain’t the riffs. On these lilting new tracks they nearly forgo guitars completely and opt for a baby grand just shy of overblown that helps Judah Nagler get in touch with his inner torch singer and they replace the riffs with a string section that gives “precious” a good name. But don’t worry, those signature keyboards and rhythms still sparkle like a sky full of shooting stars.

Continue reading “The Velvet Teen”

Posted on

The Dismemberment Plan

After ten years of recording their own spastic, elastic brand of pop, The Dismemberment Plan “open sourced” 11 of their songs and let the public have at them in a sort of remix-off. Some notable — and wildly eclectic — results were released on last fall’s swan song, A People’s History of The Dismemberment Plan. Me? I can’t decide between the breakneck bricolage of “Pay for the Piano” (featuring cameos by Elvis Costello’s “Pump It Up”) or the strolling mash-up of “Superpowers” (built on the guitar line from the Faces’ “Ooh La La”).

Continue reading “The Dismemberment Plan”

Posted on

(The Sounds of) Kaleidoscope

(The Sounds of) Kaleidoscope excel at producing that whirling, swirling D.C. (okay, mid-Atlantic, maybe even all the way up to Boston) indie sound. With ex-members of The Ropers and The Still joining founder Damien Taylor, and Lilys Kurt Heasley lending a helping hand, how could they not?
Your toes are gonna be tapping in no time. I guarantee it.

Continue reading “(The Sounds of) Kaleidoscope”