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.
Dirty on Purpose
Dirty on Purpose are at once oddly familiar and distressingly hard to put a finger on. American Analog Set meets Modern English? Yo La Tengo meets Arab Strap? Or Belle & Sebastian meets Clan of Xymox (…I know, don’t ask)? Or is it just me? They are crisp and clean, their guitars and vocals soaring above the driving rhythms. So listen to “Mind Blindness.” If you like, then and only then download “Monument,” as it’s a miserly 80 kbps.
The Black Keys
The two-man jam might make you think of the White Stripes and the name doesn’t do anything to discourage the comparison. So you might as well just go with the roadhouse flow and enjoy some new and old from the duo with the reverb to shake your favorite parts and the quiet side to make you wanna kiss somebody sloppy.
Death From Above 1979
Death From Above (with the 1979 tagged on to appease disco-clash mongers DFA) churn out thick, intelligent crotch rock from a mere drum kit and bass guitar… aaaand with that I’ll have to end my blurb, ’cause anything I could say after “thick, intelligent crotch rock” would sound just plain lewd.
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.
Komeit
Nothing new from Komeit, but rather a Komeit tribute by Robert Lippok (To Roccoco Rot). Actually, even Lippok’s album is about six months old… I just felt like I needed an excuse to post Komeit’s “3 Hours.” I don’t know if they have Indian Summer in Germany, or what it would be called if they do, but this track feels like a warm spell in September. So there. There’s my excuse.
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.
Inouk
A swirling mÈlange of sonically expansive country and shoegazing blues, or maybe just good-old roadhouse reverb. Whatever you want to call it, it’s music to these weary ears.