Posted on

Carla Bozulich

After recent events left me feeling a little, shall we say, agitated, I went searching for some cynical sounds to get me through Wednesday. What I found gave meaning to my gritted teeth: the singularly powerful Carla Bozulich careening through a nine-minute version of one of the greatest protest songs ever written — not to mention one of Dylan’s best songs, period. When Wednesday gave way to a cold, rainy Thursday, “Lonesome Roads” and the fabulous Willie Nelson cover “Blue Eyes Cryin’ in the Rain” were just the nudge of strained melancholy I needed. Now that Friday’s here, the woman who channels Patsy Cline, Janis Joplin, Tom Waits (there’s even a Waits cover here) and something nobody had heard until she wailed for herself, should help you make it through a long, lonely weekend. I know she’ll help me.

(P.S. There’s plenty more on her website from her many side projects — if you have the bandwidth, it’s worth your time.)

Continue reading “Carla Bozulich”

Posted on

The Futureheads

Full disclosure: The first record I bought was an XTC 7-inch of “Helicopter,” with the B-side “Ten Feet Tall.” That’s back in the day when radio was really, really cool. I heard “Helicopter” on Mighty Six Ninety, an early AM alternative station out of San Diego. Bought the record the next day at Music Market, and played it over and over again on my parent’s hi-fi that was as big as a coffin. There should be no wonder then as to why I’ve taken a fancy to The Futureheads…

Continue reading “The Futureheads”

Posted on

Desaparecidos

Taken from young Conor Oberst’s rockin’ thesis on everything wrong with modern-day U.S.A., this is my last attempt to get out the vote. Here’s to a brighter future, so Conor can go back to singing about failed relationships with movie stars…

Continue reading “Desaparecidos”

Posted on

Les Savy Fav

While searching high and low, door to door, looking for a tasty Halloween treat to share, I hit the jackpot. Like going trick-or-treating in the rich kids’ neighborhood where every other house passes out full-size candy bars, Les Savy Fav and their labels are generous enough to fill our plastic pumpkins with music. Discordant, danceable, and definitely worth a good pogo. Les Savy Fav are making their way down the West Coast in a week. Hold on to some of those sweets, you’ll need the sugar fix to keep up with these fellows.

Continue reading “Les Savy Fav”

Posted on

The Natural History

The Tepper brothers are the driving force behind The Natural History. With their comrades, they push out a pop-rock (or should that be rock-pop?) that entices and enthralls, like so many things from Brooklyn. The second album is still in process; these tracks from their debut should help shorten the wait.

Continue reading “The Natural History”

Posted on

Landing

Landing’s music-as-ripples-in-a-pond swirls in and out of focus around a riffless guitar and the spaciest of keyboard calls. It’s horribly out of vogue in these times of ballsy beats, retro-rock posturing, and other fashionable music movements. But Marshall McLuhan dubbed the persistence of fashion “The Bore War,” and I’m guessing that if he were around today he wouldn’t be bored at all by these sweet ambient sounds.

Continue reading “Landing”

Posted on

Aqueduct

Best start off your introduction to Aqueduct with the thrift store gangsta stance of “Hardcore Days, Softcore Nights,” just so you know not to mess with frontman Dave Terry. Sure, it’s wry bedroom pop on the surface, but I think he’s only half-joking about “pulling heat” if you ask him where he’s from (Tulsa, by the way, which might explain the defensiveness). But the fun only begins there… Song to song, Terry recalls any of the nerd-music-for-the-masses elite — from Ben Folds (without the Elton John fixation) to Ben Gibbard (after a few sleepless nights) — though he’s well on his way to earning his own seat at the table. At least that’s what I’d say to his face, lest I get on his bad side.

Continue reading “Aqueduct”

Posted on

Yeah Yeah Yeahs

Unfortunately for us, John Peel’s favorite song, “Teenage Kicks” by the Undertones, is not available for 3hive to post. And my favorite Peel Session, Wire’s on January 18, 1978, is also not available. So, as I perused the list of bands and artists who had Peel Sessions, The Yeah Yeah Yeahs just jumped out at me. So listen, and think of John Peel.

Continue reading “Yeah Yeah Yeahs”

Posted on

Cinerama

John Peel died of a heart attack Monday at age 65. As Simon put it, it’s like a library burning. In memory, I’m posting a Peel Session track performed by one of Mr. Peel’s favorite songwriters, David Gedge, formerly of The Wedding Present and currently Cinerama. I don’t know how many incredible artists I discovered by way of the legendary Peel Sessions, but Gedge is definitely one of them. Man, there’s gonna be some good radio in heaven…

Continue reading “Cinerama”