Recorded mostly before all hell broke loose in 2020; New Jersey trio, Camino Sound, has unleashed their debut Western Excuses, on the world.
Comprised of 8 instrumental “soundtracks” (that’s how they refer to each song), Western Excuses weaves it’s way through many genres including psych-rock, funk, surf and straight up rock ‘n’ roll. These guys have chops for days.
Listen to “You Are The Map” and “Disculpas Occidentales” (below) for a taste. Western Excuses is available now via Camino Sound’s Bandcamp page. I highly Recommend it.
Olympia’s LAKE have been making music together since 2006. Their newest (and heaviest) album Roundelay is 11 songs of avant-pop goodness, containing sprinkles of horns, piano and even pedal steel. They dub their sound “elevator punk”. I think that’s pretty spot on.
Check out “Hanged Man” (below) for a sample. Roundelay is out now via OFF TEMPO and available on their Bandcamp page. Enjoy.
Peel Dream Magazine are back with their incredible new LP, Agitprop Alterna. This sophomore release is so full of shimmery fuzz and gaze it’s sure to make any fans of Stereolab, Yo La Tengo and My Bloody Valentine sit up and pay attention.
The male-female vocals throughout the album really shine alongside the shoegazy walls of sound. Check out “NYC Illuminati” (below) for a taste. It’s a head-nodder for sure and about three quarters of the way through, some sound effect kicks in that has you convinced there is water leaking somewhere around you, seriously, it freaked me out the first time I listened to it.
Agitprop Alterna is a solid record from start to finish. I can’t sum it up any clearer. It’s a contender for album of the year for me for sure.
Our friends, The Prefab Messiahs, are back with another public service announcement in the form of a two and a half minute, psych-rock tune entitled “21st Century Failure”, which is more than appropriate for the current state of the world. Hopefully, their zany video (below) can help break up the monotony of self-isolation.
“21st Century Failure” is available now on all the streamers, including their Bandcamp page.
Chicago trio FACS are back with their third release in three years (2 LPs and 1 EP) entitled Void Moments. It’s dark and menacing and could be the soundtrack to one of those nightmares where you are endlessly chased by some unseen being with certain doom inevitable. I can’t stop listening to it. Check out “Teenage Hive” (below) for a sample.
Josaleigh Pollett’s incredible new album, No Woman Is The Sea, is a powerful twelve songs about heartbreak and loss but delivered in a way that the listener can’t help but feel good about the future (even in the COVID-19 world we are all living in now).
Pollett’s vocals, guitar work, songwriting skills and band (they kill it!) are stronger than ever which can be heard on standout “Miles of Aisles” below.
No Woman Is The Sea is available digitally via her Bandcamp page and will be available on vinyl via Lavender Vinyl soon. We will also have this on our 3hive Record Lounge shelves as soon as it’s released. I highly recommend this album. It climbs up my favorites of the year each time I listen to it. Enjoy.
Broth are a 5-piece band out of Eugene Oregon. Their slow-build, horns-a-plenty, groove-filled brand of R&B/rock and soul is infectious. I’ve been listening to their new EP, Simmer Down, on repeat for the past week. They remind me of early 00’s band Scapegoat Wax, even though they don’t sound anything like them. Maybe it’s a groove thing, who knows where thoughts come from?
Check out “The Eug” (below) for a taste. Simmer Down is out now on most digital platforms. Enjoy.
We are huge fans of Seattle multi-instrumentalist Eric Elbogen and his Say Hi (a.k.a. Say Hi To Your Mom) project here at 3hive headquarters. Our first SHTYM post was back in 2004 and here we are almost 16 years later sending love to his newest album, Diamonds & Donuts.
Diamonds & Donuts is 13 songs of crunchy, synth-driven goodness, taking on bold and dangerous topics like happiness, missed lovers, broken hearts and seeing dead people — all wrapped up nicely behind titles like “Tiger Unicorn”, “A MacBook Pro to a Nineties Dell” and “Windsor Knots and Ruffles” — exactly what you’d expect from a Say Hi album. You can spin “Tiger Unicorn and “Grey as a Ghost” below for a taste.
Diamonds & Donuts is available worldwide now. We also have copies available at the 3hive Record Lounge. Be sure to catch Eric and Say Hi on his living room tour that kicks off in March. You haven’t lived until you’ve seen Say Hi live and in person. I will never forget how cool Eric was with my daughter and I back in 2014 when I took her to see Say Hi for her first concert.
I think Sonny Smith (unverified) sings on some of the tracks.
Five Things You Didn’t Know About The Gonks is out now via Rocks In Your Head. You can also pick it up at the 3hive Record Lounge. Five Things… is a fabulous record that needs to be heard. Enjoy a spin of “Hot Sick Vile and Fun” and “Nuns Having Fun” below.
Trends is a 4-piece band out of Los Angeles. Their debut album, Palettes, is 9 tracks of slow building, gazey dream-pop tunes that are really pleasing to the ears. For example, on their single, “Branches” (below), Marina Paiz’s dreamy vocals gently guide you into a full on assault of scuzzy guitar accompanied by killer vocal harmonies that make you feel like you’ve just mainlined Karo syrup. It’s a really effective formula.
Palettes comes out on January 24. I highly recommend checking it out.
