Polyphonic the Verbose
Label: Audio 8Genre: Experimental, Hip Hop
Polyphonic isn't just a swell sounding stage name, it really gets at the complexity of Will Freyman's production. He weaves live instruments and bizarre samples into intricate patterns no doubt drawing from his diverse musical background (classical European piano, jazz trombone, Indonesian gamelan music, medieval European choral music — you name it, he's played it). The net result is what a lazy record clerk might file under "dub" for its spacey vibe and stilted gait, but there's more to it than that. So much more, in fact, that intrepid MCs like Nico B, Serengeti, and Psalm One lined up to add their rhymes to Polyphonic's solo debut, Abstract Data Ark.
Moving On [MP3, 3.8MB, 192kbps]
Rumors of a War [MP3, 3.8MB, 192kbps]
www.audio8.com
www.container473.com
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Cacoy
Label: RumraketGenre: Electronic, Pop
Cacoy is a Japanese electro trio possibly named for a Filipino martial arts legend and signed to a Danish record label. Their song Piracle Pa doesn’t seem to be from any language, but the soothing organ and lilting female vocals sound like French/Canadian/British indie-pop darlings Stereolab. “Yoko Majikick Ono” seems to be named for the Japanese-born U.S. resident, and with its rubbery, buoyant cornucopia of digital burps, it sounds like a track from U.S.-born Josh Presseisen’s Japanese-named project, Marumari. In other words, it makes for good listening no matter where you lay your headphones.
Piracle Pa [MP3, 6.6MB, 128kbps]
Yoko Majikick Ono [MP3, 3.3MB, 96kbps]
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Tobias Fröberg
Label: Cheap LullabyGenre: Folk
Tobias Fröberg has been compared to Paul Simon, which I guess would make frequent collaborator Linus Larsson his Art Garfunkel (sorry Linus). Together they craft sparse, timeless songs that examine human relationships with that same kind of calm candor that Simon and Garfunkel had. Tobias has a new album out called Somewhere in the City, which you can listen to in its entirety on the Cheap Lullaby Records site and purchase through the usual commerce links below. The MP3s featured here are from 2004's For Elisabeth Wherever She Is. Great soundtrack for a solo train ride from Windsor to Toronto with a window seat so you can see the leaves starting to change. Not so great if you're also taking pain killers for a pulled rib muscle…
See What We Do to Us [MP3, 6.7MB, 192kbps]
What Are You Gonna Do, Part I [MP3, 6.7MB, 192kbps]
Grace [MP3, 6.3MB, 192kbps]
So I [MP3, 5.8MB, 192kbps]
www.silence.se
www.cheaplullaby.com
www.myspace.com/tobiasfroberg
www.tobiasfroberg.com
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Lullaby Baxter
Label: BoompaGenre: Jazz, Pop
I have a sneaky suspicion my friend Pat Campbell, jazz & hip-hop drummer extraordinaire, is gonna email me as soon as I post this, "Sean, I gave you Lullaby Baxter's CD seven years ago! Where have you been??" In fact I remember sitting in Pat's San Francisco apartment listening through his music library and I'm sure he gave me her album, Capable Egg. You can hear Pat's work on "Knucklehead," a subtle, space-agey jazz number. See, Lullaby Baxter used the band Pat played with back in those days, Oranj Symphonette, as her studio band on the record. Seven years later, and Lullaby Baxter is back with a new album. She'll smite you immediately with her sultry-smooth voice that lends a timelessness to her songs. Musically, she's a more straight forward Stereolab, slightly less whimsical, but equal in charm. I'm not sure if Lullaby is her given name, although I'd be impressed if her parents had the foresight to give her such a name. Your life would be made all the more sweeter if Lullaby sung you to sleep everynight.
From Garden Cities of To-Morrow:
Rattled Little Clam [MP3, 3.3MB, 192kbps]
From Capable Egg:
Knucklehead [MP3, 4.2MB, 160kbps]
Buy from iTunes
www.boompa.ca
www.lullabybaxter.com
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Beach House
Label: CarparkGenre: Other, Pop
Beach House's warm-toned, wandering and languid guitars recall the work of L.A. Paisley Underground resident David Roback. Like Roback, Beach House guitarist, Alex Scally, is accompanied by a silver-tongued siren, Victoria Legrand (whose vocals recall Nico rather than Smith or Sandoval). Together the duo produce haunting, psychedelic pop, an appropriate sound, and mood, to usher in autumn. Album and tour hit early next month.
Master of None [MP3, 1.3MB, 56kbps]
www.carparkrecords.com
www.myspace.com/beachhousemusic
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Wax Tailor
Label: DeconGenre: Beats
The NBA season is almost upon us and I ain't gonna lie, I'm a bit nervous about my Detroit Pistons. I guess that's better than being cocky like I was last year only to rip my hair out as they lose steam in the playoffs. What do hoops have to do with a French DJ/producer? Well, those of you with NBA 2K7 on pre-order will soon find out. This year's game gives you more than just the chance to watch digital sweat run off Shaq's face as he shoots free throws; you get a Dan the Automator-produced soundtrack featuring Wax Tailor's collabo with North Carolina rap duo The Others, "Walk the Line." A nice cap to a fine year for Wax Tailor (born JC Le Saoût), whose throwback 12-inch "Que Sera"/"Where My Hearts At" — available for free download at Better Propaganda — was followed by a monster debut album, Tales of the Forgotten Melodies. However, in this post, I'm showcasing Wax Tailor's skills on the remix because that's what is available for download at his site. I'm particularly fond of the loping "Guns of Brixton" bassline on the Clash Tribute Remix of "Eye Drink."
Death of the Lonely Superhero (Wax Tailor remixing Clover) [MP3, 7.6MB, 256kbps]
Deep Under Water (Wax Tailor remixing Looptroop and La Formule) [MP3, 5.4MB, 192kbps]
Eye Drink (Clash Tribute Remix featuring Infinite Livez) [MP3, 5.1MB, 192kbps]
www.deconmedia.com
www.waxtailor.com
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Tara Jane O'Neil
Label: QuarterstickGenre: Country, Folk
Tara Jane O’Neil is a Portland, Oregon-based singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist with a gently persuasive way of convincing you that, even though her heart is breaking, she’ll be just fine. On the just-released In Circles, she continues down a road marked by folksy self-discovery, which sounds awful in abstract. Yet, filtered through O’Neil’s steady voice and accompanied by the simplest of guitar twangs and sonic experimentation, personal revelations become occasions for rapt attention. She’s especially enchanting on the new “Blue Light Room” and beautiful “The Poisoned Mine.” O’Neil is also a wonderfully original visual artist whose work—equal parts playful and foreboding—gives insight into her music far better than a few words might, unless those words are her own.
Blue Light Room [MP3, 3.1MB, 128kbps]
The Poisoned Mine [MP3, 5.5MB, 192kbps]
Your Rats Are [MP3, 5.5MB, 128kbps]
Sunday Song [MP3, 3.6MB, 128kbps]
www.touchandgorecords.com
www.tarajaneoneil.com
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Eric Bachmann
Label: Saddle CreekGenre: Folk
Sometimes a little sincerity really works. Eric Bachmann avoids irony and anything cute on his recently released album To the Races, and it makes me believe he means every word he sings. Excessively sentimental? Who cares? Think Springsteen's Nebraska or The Sunset Tree by the Mountain Goats and you're in the right neighborhood. If you don't buy the record — and you should, if solid and unapologetically sincere songwriting is your thing — at least shell out a buck for the opening track, "Man O' War," which is sadly unavailable for free and legal download.
Carrboro Woman [MP3, 2.4MB, 64kbps]
Lonesome Warrior [MP3, 1.2MB, 64kbps]
www.saddle-creek.com
www.ericbachmann.com
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Sprites
Label: DarlaGenre: Pop
It's been a good two and a half years since I checked in with Sprites and what do you know, they're on a new label and just popped out a new album, Modern Gameplay, this week. They have a bunch of great songs on their site, so I thought they deserved a new posting. If you're familiar with Jason's music you know to expect a sweet, nostalgic take on the Breakfast Club Generation. No change this time around (except for his return to riffing out sweet licks on the keyboard), even when he sings about zombies and the end of the world in his tribute to horror-masters George Romero, Sam Raimi, et al. It's a twisted take on Everything I Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten complete with Korzen's uncanny ability to write these epic hooks. I've listened to that song like thirty times in a row now. Alisa's ready to put a brick through the computer right about now. Don't write off Sprites as a band stuck in the past. They're intimately familiar with contemporary culture. This song, just one example, captures the heartbreak of Generation Blog with deft aplomb.
From Modern Gameplay:
George Romero [MP3, 4.8MB, 192kbps]
From 2004, previously unreleased:
I Go Crazy [MP3, 4.1MB, 160kbps]
From Bionic Hands EP:
Bionic Hands (Original Version) [MP3, 3.4MB, 160kbps]
From Little Darla Has a Treat For You Vol. 19:
Following Her Around [MP3, 3.9MB, 160kbps]
Original post April 16, 2004: Jason Korzen (Barcelona) packs up his sunny disposition and leaves the land of synths for more analog pastures.
From Starling, Spiders, Tiger and Sprites:
Do It Yourself [MP3, 4.2MB, 160kbps]
Buy from iTunes
darla.com
marchrecords.com
www.sprites.org.uk
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Royce
Label: Galapagos4Genre: Hip Hop, Pop
Taking pop cues from fellow Chicagoans, The Sea and Cake, and tapping into hip-hop's rhythms (courtesy of DJ White Lightning, whose desert island discs by the way are Fleetwood Mac's Rumors and Daft Punk's Homework) Royce delivers up a second dose of everything from introspective campfire songs to bouncy romps praising girls on bikes (one of my favorite songs this year!). They frequently put Chicago's underground MCs on mic duty to keep things fresh and now. Royce forges music of the future, a pastiche of pop past, present, and tomorrow, launching from where the Slabco family left off. Now if they'd just get out of the Windy City more often...
Ebbs & Flows [MP3, 7.2MB, kbps]
Milwaukee [MP3, 3.4MB, kbps]
Buy from iTunes
www.galapagos4.com
www.roycelove.com
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Fury of the Headteachers
Label: GraceGenre: Rock
Just imagine it: a bunch of headteachers from Yorkshire, seeking an outlet from the stress of education and teenage students, gathering late at night in a corner of a school cafeteria, plugging in their instruments and unleashing a torrent of sound rooted in the Animals, the Buzzcocks, and early Sonic Youth. Although in this case, it's actually a group of six lads from Sheffield flailing away. Fury of the Headteachers, indeed.
Farewell Comrade [MP3, 3.3MB, 160kbps]
www.gracerecords.co.uk
www.myspace.com/furyoftheheadteachers
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Diminished Men
Label: NoneGenre: Other, Rock
The day's just too damn nice to be sitting in front of a computer. I'm going to the beach. Come with me. If not physically, then in spirit with the sounds of Diminished Men!
Accidental Patient [MP3, 4.1MB, 160kbps]
March of Eyes [MP3, 3.6MB, 160kbps]
Concussion [MP3, 3.4MB, 160kbps]
Organ Lottery [MP3, 2.3MB, 160kbps]
Names of the Dead [MP3, 4.2MB, 160kbps]
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King of Prussia
Label: NoneGenre: Pop
My sister-in-law's family live in one of those farm suburbs outside of Philadelphia. Whenever we visit them we need to drive to a larger suburb called King of Prussia for our "big city" amenities (i.e., first-run movies or non-Wal-Mart shopping). The running joke is, "Come on kids, we're off to see the King of Prussia!" You can imagine their disappointment when they learn there is no castle, no king — only a mall just like the one they have back home. I mention all this to contrast with the band King of Prussia (from Athens, GA, ironically), recommended by 3hive reader James A.. Unlike the aforementioned mall, King of Prussia live up to the promise of their name with lush, romantic, and, yes, regal pop. In fact, the only disappointment you'll experience is figuring out how to get your hands on their debut CD, Save the Scene. (Hey KofP, shed some light if you're reading this.)
Campaign Kids [MP3, 2.1MB, 96kbps]
Phyzics Never Stood a Chance [MP3, 2.7MB, 96kbps]
Spain in Summertime [MP3, 2.2MB, 96kbps]
Terrarium [MP3, 3.8MB, 96kbps]
www.myspace.com/wearekingofprussia
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Evan Duby
Label: NoneGenre: Folk
If you’ll afford me a moment of cheerful codgerism: There was a time when you got a self-recorded release and you could tell. The guitar was flat and muffled. The vocals sounded like they were filtered through cellophane. There was no such thing as “layering” – you could barely get in what you needed on the four tracks you had to work with. There’s still plenty of room for such DIY ethics. But thank goodness for ever-improving technology too, because now songwriters like Evan Duby can create tracks that are appropriately multidimensional. The strings on “Words” bathe Duby’s soft vocals in warmth. “Separate Ways” and “Pale” surround themselves in the subtle ambience of an old-style organ, so that they’re acoustic with a little something extra. And his cover of Springsteen’s “State Trooper” has a sublime sonic kick. Of course, the best equipment in the world can’t hide something that was never meant to sound good. Fortunately, Evan Duby has nothing to hide.
Separate Ways [MP3, 3.4MB, 128kbps]
Pale [MP3, 3.6MB, 128kbps]
Words [MP3, 2.8MB, 128kbps]
Half Block from a Dream [MP3, 5.3MB, 128kbps]
State Trooper [MP3, 2.8MB, 128kbps]
www.evanduby.com
www.myspace.com/evanduby
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Mason Proper
Label: DovecoteGenre: Pop, Rock
Greg and Tom Z. both pitched suggestions for Mason Proper, so it seemed, um, appropriate to check the band out. (Sorry.) In that Nick Hornby sort of way, they had me at the album title — "There is a Moth in Your Chest." From Ypsilanti, MI via Up North, Mason Proper sounds unlike any of the other megabytes tripping lately through my almost-dead iPod. (It keeps cycling through the songs without actually playing most of them. Occasionally I'll get half a song or so.) Crazy pop? Art rock slapstick? Just categorizing these tunes seemed like a waste of time. Expect obscure lyrics, sweeping melodies, noise, dream-pop buzz, and the kitchen sink, too. After hearing My Brightest Diamond and Mason Proper, I'm wondering what else Ypsi has to offer.
The World is Smaller Than You Think [MP3, 4.4MB, 160kbps]
A Chance Encounter [MP3, 5MB, 160kbps]
Mr. Charm [MP3, 2.9MB, 160kbps]
Chemical Dress Eliza [MP3, 5.3MB, 160kbps]
www.dovecoterecords.com
www.masonproper.com
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The Bishops
Label: I Am SoundGenre: Pop, Rock
Yes, yes, I admit it. I'm a sucker for mod and mod-ish bands, bands who take that great foundation built by the Who and the Kinks and many others, and then add their own modern interpretation. Bands like the Bishops, who are from of all places (wait for it) London. The Bishops have tight harmonies and sharp licks, no doubt due to the twin brothers Matt and Pete who are responsible for said harmonies and licks. And since the poor drummer probably feels overshadowed by the twins, who probably hog the spotlight and the front of the stage, I'd just like to add that the drummer is Chris McConville, everyone's new favorite Scottish drummer.
The Only Place I Can Look Is Down [MP3, 2.6MB, 160kbps]
www.myspace.com/iamsoundrecords
www.thebishopsband.com
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Casper & The Cookies
Label: Happy Happy Birthday to MeGenre: Pop
This CD's been staring me in the face for months. Staring up at me from the bottom of a towering stack of albums on my desk at home. Exactly why it took me so long to listen to it remains a mystery (I'm scared of alliteration? I became accustomed to it acting as a foundation to the mess that is my desk?). I mean I like cookies, especially since my friend Jennifer gave me this exquisite recipe for oatmeal chocolate chip cookies, and I couldn't resist another day. So it's time to share the sharing as Casper and Co. have been very generous with a scrumptious batch of songs. The best way to describe Casper & The Cookies is kitchen sink pop because they're all over the place. They seemingly worship a great variety of pop idols. Wonderful moments of The Beach Boys ("Summer Spider" ), Big Star ("Sid from Central Park" ), XTC ("Little Lamb"), Violent Femmes ("Oh!") and The Damned ("Take It Away, Kathy") all manifest themselves in the songs. And in "Kroetenwanderung" the band literally turns to the kitchen for its instruments, snapping green beans and slamming cupboards to create an organic loop that provides the rhythm. Casper & The Cookies, like their name suggests, are playful, yummy and delightfully irresistible.
From The Optimist's Club:
Sid From Central Park [MP3, 4.0MB, 197kbps]
Kroetenwanderung [MP3, 5.0MB, 211kbps]
From Oh!:
Take It Away, Kathy [MP3, 4.0MB, 206kbps]
Oh! [MP3, 5.4MB, 213kbps]
Summer Spider [MP3, 5.4MB, 201kbps]
From How's Your Hand?:
Little Lamb is Terminator [MP3, 4.1MB, 128kbps]
All Messed Up Over Girls [MP3, 1.2MB, 130kbps]
Web only:
Wave of Mutilation [MP3, 2.8MB, 200kbps]
www.hhbtm.com
www.casperfandango.com
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Monster Movie
Label: GravefaceGenre: Pop, Slowcore
Don't let the name fool you. Monster Movie plays music antonymic to its moniker. Now I won't spend too much time comparing Monster Movie to their guitarist's old band, Slowdive, but wow it's as if someone awoke Slowdive from an extended slumber. But see, they're still drowsy from their nap. In a sort of been-there-done-that move Monster Movie dropped the wall of guitars from an eleven to a five or six. Fear not shoegazers, you still get a liberal dose of dreamy, lush, blissed-out pop, along with the occasional dance-floor number like "Driving Through the Red Lights."
From All Lost:
Vanishing Act [MP3, 5.7MB, 192kbps]
Driving Through the Red Lights [MP3, 2.9MB, 128kbps]
From Transistor:
Letting You Know [MP3, 3.7MB, 128kbps]
From Preface:
Beautiful Arctic Star [MP3, 2.7MB, 128kbps]
Buy from iTunes
www.graveface.com
www.monster-movie.com
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The Folk Yous
Label: NoneGenre: Folk
Some cats, like Sean and Clay, were just born with good taste in music. Me? I took the long way, which included a phase of schlock rock—most of it consumed on 8-track. Now some of you youngsters won't remember the delight of plugging an 8-track cassette into the player and listening to the sweet sounds of REO Speedwagon and Journey. Which means you also won't remember how songs would fade out midway through the bridge, allowing the cassette to jump tracks with a clumsy "ka-chunk" sound, then the song would fade back in as if nothing had happened. It sounds as though Athens, GA's Julie Dyles and Courtnie Wolfgang do remember those good ol' days. Or they've at least developed a fondness for the power ballads of that era. Their covers of Asia, Jouney, and REO classics are earnest and well-honed, if a bit difficult to sing along to without falling back on old habits...
Take It on the Run [MP3, 2.2MB, 96kbps]
Don't Stop Believin' [MP3, 2.4MB, 96kbps]
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Finest Dearest
Label: NoneGenre: Pop, Rock
A year or so finds San Francisco's Finest Dearest a little more raw and angry, muscially at least. (Carly's new e-mail was very much as pleasant as the last one, though. Thanks.) Both new tracks off their upcoming 7" are tense, energetic, argumentative, confrontational and really good listening material. I can't wait to hear their next message in our inbox.
We're Making a Sound 1 [MP3, 5.1MB, 160kbps]
March into Flames [MP3, 4.3MB, 160kbps]
Original post: 09/15/05
Carly from Finest Dearest left a nice e-mail in our Suggestion Box recently (nice because she acknowledged that we receive a lot of suggestions) and so here is San Francisco's Finest Dearest. Yes, Carly, I do like these two songs, particularly "Idaho," which reminds me of being in high school again for some reason, in a good way. Your classic indie-rock sound is like comfort food, you know? Mashed potatoes or p.b. & j. or whatever it is for each of us. Oh, and good luck with the debut of your EP Pacemaker in a few weeks. If you ever hit the big time and make it to Detroit...
Sleep Until the Weekend [MP3, 5.4MB, 160kbps]
Idaho [MP3, 6.2MB, 160kbps]
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Cola Wars
Label: NoneGenre: Rock
First, let me welcome any visitors who got the 3hive tip from the recent Michigan Alumnus magazine. (I'm happy with the photo they ran of me in the 'UM alum bloggers' article, as it hides my double chin fairly well.) And although today's post reflects a band affiliated with my other alma mater, the University of Chicago, I encourage any suggestions of good Ann Arbor bands to share. Anyway, Cola Wars. Complex rock orchestration and whiny geek vocals. Social Thought or Math majors? Either way, totally interesting and fresh.
V as in Victory [MP3, 3.7MB, 192kbps]
Apartment M [MP3, 3.8MB, 192kbps]
The Ghosts of What We Know [MP3, 6MB, 192kbps]
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Out of Clouds
Label: NoneGenre: Pop
More Swedes, anyone? Gotheburg's Out of Clouds play an arena-pop that can only come from being raised on ABBA and '70s AM radio (do they have '70s AM radio in Sweden?). Sharp licks, sweet hooks, and vibrant harmonies usher in their second EP Into Your Lovely Summer, which seems only appropriate as ours starts to slip away.
Like a Lily [MP3, 4.4MB, VBR]
Another [MP3, 6.4MB, VBR]
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Strike Anywhere
Label: Fat Wreck ChordsGenre: Punk
Twenty-five years after MTV declared the death of radio by airing The Buggles' video for "Video Killed the Radio Star" Strike Anywhere reiterate the sorry state of radio and pop culture in general, not because they're trying to build their own corporation however. Just the opposite. They wail out "anthems for a new world disorder" questioning mainstream media, consumer capitalism, war, and politics as usual. Young, pissed, and/or a Nader-supporter? Then you need Strike Anywhere in your life. Maturing punks longing for the anti-establishment strains of first generation punk bands should likewise take note.
From Dead FM:
Instinct [MP3, 3.7MB, 192kbps]
Prisoner Echoes [MP3, 3.6MB, 192kbps]
From To Live in Discontent:
Chorus of One [MP3, 3.2MB, 128kbps]
From Exit English:
Infrared [MP3, 3.1MB, 128kbps]
To The World [MP3, 3.1MB, 128kbps]
From Change is a Sound:
Detonation [MP3, 2.7MB, 128kbps]
Buy from iTunes
www.fatwreck.com
www.jadetree.com
www.strikeanywhere.org
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The New Sound of Numbers
Label: Cloud RecordingsGenre: Experimental, Pop
Odd, rhythmic, friendly pop that strays just slightly off course from its Athens, GA/Elephant 6 roots. Here's the quick geneology: The New Sound of Numbers was founded by Hannah Jones, percussionist for Circulatory System, which is the band W. Cullen Hart formed after Olivia Tremor Control broke up. And Olivia Tremor Control, well, that's where the Elephant 6 reference comes in. (Scott W. told me once I tend to assume everyone's following along, so for you slowpokes here's a handy Elephant 6 history lesson.) The debut album, called Liberty Seeds, is due out in October 2006 on Hart's own Cloud Recordings.
Frequency Transmission Systems [MP3, 5.6MB, 160kbps]
www.cloudrecordings.com
www.myspace.com/thenewsoundofnumbers
www.thenewsoundofnumbers.com
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Teddybears
Label: Big BeatGenre: Beats
For all intents and purposes summer's coming to a close real quick. Sweden's Teddybears drop a late entry for Summer Song of the Year with "Cobrastyle" featuring Mad Cobra on vocals. Mad Cobra flavors the track with highly addictive dancehall rhythms and resurrects Kid Rock's "Bawitdaba" (who knew that song could be salvaged??) in the process. Other guest vocalists on the album include Iggy Pop and Neneh Cherry (drop by their myspace page for her contribution). Either of those songs make for a perfect soundtrack to this season's closing credits and should easily get your party started.
Cobrastyle [MP3, 2.7MB, 128kbps]
Cobrastyle (Diplo Remix) [MP3, 5.2MB, 192kbps]
Punk Rocker *Featuring Iggy Pop [MP3, 5.6MB, 192kbps]
Punk Rocker Featuring Iggy Pop (Squeak E Clean Remix) [MP3, 5.6MB, 192kbps]
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The Black Neon
Label: Memphis IndustriesGenre: Electronic, Rock
I have to admit I've been squatting on this one for a while. Leaving a blank post in ol' Movable Type just to keep my 3hive colleagues from posting The Black Neon before I do. But blank posts aren't a very effective way of sharing the sharing, so here goes... The Black Neon's first full-length is called Arts and Crafts. It's a regular appetizer tray of styles, as evidenced by these two tracks — one a nostalgic psych-pop ballad, the other a searing electro-rock instrumental. And there's even more goodness if you dig deeper on the album, which I'd love to play for you in its entirety but that's your job now, isn't it?
Ralph & Barbara [MP3, 3.3MB, 160kbps]
Hollywood 1, 2 & 3 [MP3, 5.6MB, 160kbps]
www.memphis-industries.com
www.myspace.com/theblackneon
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Favourite Sons
Label: ViceGenre: Rock
You get the idea when listening to the Favourite Sons that at least one of them owns a beat-up denim jacket and that at some point in his life he wore that spindly thing even in the dead of winter. The Sons’ rock ‘n’ roll oozes with such self-imposed discomfort. They're the guys who, rather than pretending to have a life story actually went out and got one. Ken Griffin was tending bar and contemplating his musical future when Matthew Werth and Justin Tripp, both formerly of Aspera, ventured up from Philly to find the former Rollerskate Skinny member and talk him back into the business. Good thing for us. Griffin has the cynically assured swagger of Ian McCulloch and can curve a hook as good as a fisherman. In Werth and Tripp he’s not only found a perfect rhythm section, but some people who care about his unpretentious brand of art rock as much as he does.
Hang On Girl [MP3, 5.6MB, 192kbps]
No One Ever Dies Young [MP3, 4.3MB, 192kbps]
Tall Grass [MP3, 5.8MB, 192kbps]
www.vicerecords.com
www.favouritesons.com
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