Somewhat of a misnomer, Foreign Born are from right up the way in Los Angeles, although they do have a certain anglophilic atmosphere about them. Turn the clock back twenty years and I wouldn’t be surprised to find them palling around with Echo and the Bunnymen.
Mission of Burma
I swear the punk rock kid in high school — the big one, John (?), not the skinny one, Adam (Sam might remember this better than I do) — had “Mission of Burma” stencilled on the back of his black leather jacket. Naturally, I thought it referenced World War II in some way. And so, with thoughts of John and the ’80s in mind, I’d like to dedicate this post to Jared, fan of bands that were around long before he was conceived. Although his Favorite Song Ever, Mission of Burma’s “Academy Fight Song,” isn’t available in the free and legal MP3 form (a video of this song is, however, on the band’s homepage), these tracks from, oh, last year, when Jared was 17, are pretty kicking too. Enjoy.
Swirlies
Yes, I admit, I can be quite obsessive. Case in point: Sambassadeur‘s song “Whatever Season.” I’ve got it looping in its own playlist in MP3 player. But this obsessive behavior is nothing new, as 3hive’s own Sam can testify. Back when he and I shared a room in college I went thru a Swirlies phase. Swirlies are still alive and kicking, thanks to main man Damon Tutunjian. In their prime, no one could make a racket as beautifully as them Swirlies. Now please pardon me while I load my entire Swirlies collection onto my MP3 player.
Pavement
Since Stephen Malkmus and Preston School of Industry have both been posted on 3hive already, I thought we might as well toss a few Pavement songs up too. The Peel Sessions version of “Here” is a special treat. Ah, the ’90s…
Harlan T. Bobo
Harlan T. Bobo follows in the tradition of great Southern songwriters (be it blues or country), although not necessarily by choice, for after one love was taken from him, he turned to his other love, music, for salvation/survival. Dark yet hopeful, angry yet thankful, Harlan’s collection of songs about love bare his soul for all to see. Harlan’s album “Too Much Love” was recorded at the famed Easley McCain Studios in Memphis which were destroyed by fire back in March. Hopefully both Harlan and the Easley McCain Studios will be coming back for more.
Bullet Train to Vegas
Back in college, my friend and roommate Dave Stohl studied Japanese and taught me a few key phrases: “Good morning.” “Very cool, isn’t it?” “Make a U-turn here?” and “Please do not pee out the window of the bullet train.” I’ve never really had occasion to use these…until now. The first two phrases are fairly obvious. The third in reference to the band’s throwback post-punk aesthetics (right down to the sound of the cassette tape snapping into the deck at the start of “Cut the Party…”). The fourth is sound advice under any circumstances, but especially when you’re rolling at breakneck speeds as these lads do. Domo, Dave. And, domo to you too, Bullet Train to Vegas.
Okkervil River
A few months ago, The New York Times compared Okkervil River to The Decemberists, noting that both bands compose literate, obscure indie-pop songs for small-but-growing audiences. At least I think that’s what the article was about. I don’t really remember. Anyway, the songs I donwloaded back then have been sitting around on my computer, aging like a decent bottle of Chateauneuf-du-Pape, so please let me say, “Drink away!” Start with the mellow intensity of “A Favor,” check out the pop legs of “Black,” or dive right into “For Real,” off their recently released Black Sheep Boy. For more hits at the bottle, so to speak, check out the half dozen other tracks available at the Okkervil River homepage (and please excuse my oenophilic tendencies).
Quiet Life
Back in my day… you wouldn’t be caught dead listening to Bruce Springsteen. But what did I know? We were a bunch of suburban punk rock kids; we were beyond anything that sounded like it was made in Iowa. I’m less closed-minded nowadays, thankfully, but I still haven’t got around to listening to the Boss. Bands like Quiet Life make me think I probably should.
Seedy Gonzales
Never mind the silly name, this is some serious — as in rambling-slice-of-life-Lou-Reed-style-narrative serious — rock ‘n’ roll.
The 101
Lest we forget that the three golden rules of pop are hooks, hooks, and hooks, the 101 are here to remind us, and remind us, and remind us. It’s not just that the guitar-driven power pop melodies are spare and infectious, nor that the emo-laden lyrics are repeated with mantra-like efficiency, it’s that the combination feels like a head-bobbing security blanket that we can wrap ourselves around all summer long.