Blitzen Trapper

File this one under my favorite band that I completely missed in 2006. This despite the fact that plenty of fine sites have been trying to hit me over the head with Blitzen Trapper's simultaneously spacey and homey sound. "Texaco" is a straight up country joint, the whining of a slide guitar punctuating the wavering vocals while "Summer Twin" floats and hovers about like one of XTC's psychedelic efforts. The two tendencies come together on "Pink Padded Slippers." Pure listening satisfaction. Don't miss "40 Stripes," a throwback to solid AM-worthy, classic rock standards and the electro-funk of "Love I Exclaim!" The band's two self-released albums are available on CD Baby where a fan beautifully sums up Blitzen Trapper: "[they] sound like they're trying to paint the Sistine Chapel with a box of crayons."

From Dead Bees Records Sampler #4:
Pink Padded Slippers [MP3, 2.7MB, 143kbps]

From FieldRexx:
Summer Twin [MP3, 4.0MB, 160kbps]
40 Stripes [MP3, 4.0MB, 144kbps]
Love I Exclaim [MP3, 1.3MB, 139kbps]

From Blitzen Trapper:
Texaco [MP3, 5.4MB, 192kbps]
Cunning Revolution [MP3, 4.5MB, 143kbps]

www.deadbees.com
www.blitzentrapper.net

Uzeda

I was listening to my iPod last night on the way home and had a distinct sense of déjà vu. This sound, this Uzeda, may be from Sicily but that pummeling rhythm, freeform guitar and piercing vocals could have been coming directly from Chicago in the mid-‘90s. And for good reason: Not only are they on Touch and Go and have been since the mid-‘90s, but Steve Albini is their recording engineer. So not only do Uzeda shake the paint off the walls, but they do it in a supersonic way that only Albini can conjure. Oh, to be young and insatiable once more...

Steam, Rain & Other Stuff [MP3, 5.71MB, 256kbps]
The Milky Way [MP3, 4.3MB, 128kbps]

www.uzedaband.it
www.tgrec.com

Bitter Tea for Breakfast

Comparisons never work out right, you know? The most well-intentioned end up sounding like the biggest slams, e.g. when we still had a print newspaper at the high school at which I teach, and the student review of a new restaurant noted the "Applebee's-like customer service with Outback Steakhouse quality." I'm totally certain the kid was giving serious props to the place, while simultaneously guaranteeing that I would rather be hit (gently) by a truck than eat there. Anyway, Bitter Tea for Breakfast is Travis Carter, formerly of Millimeters Mercury, another Mr. Hyde Records band. Bitter Tea etc. reminds me of — well, don't take this the wrong way — Bright Eyes. Not really in terms of sound or lyrics, but maybe in spirit. Meticulous chaos, that sort of thing. The thing is, the big C.O. doesn't offer entire albums for free download over at Saddle Creek, like Travis does at his site. Oh well... By the way, I'm dedicating this post to 3hive's new pal Lisa, like me a former Maroon (she's hardcore though, she was in the college!) and wishing everyone a good 2007.

Fine, I Admit It. [MP3, 3.4MB, 160kbps]
You Have Nothing to Fear From Me (Self-sabotage) [MP3, 3.8MB, 160kbps]

www.bittertea.com

Apes and Androids

Despite the fact that I’m sensing a whole lot of holiday spirit from the 3hive dudes this week, I’m going to have to deviate from the norm and express my relief that the world has returned to its normal state of affairs. And in the coming days, I’ll have to step aside and let someone else find you all that hot new ghettotech version of Auld Lang Syne. In any case, the seasonal lights may still be up, people may still be out of town, but the madness is over. And for a grinch like me, that means some celebration is in order. Who knew that NYC band Apes and Androids would provide just the kind of relief I was looking for? I’m naturally arrhythmic and dancing has just never been my thing, so what a miracle it is that I cannot stop dancing around my apartment to “Radio”! Seriously, this is huge. I’ve been dancing all weekend! There was a time when uber-electronic music that made other people want to bump and grind really didn’t speak out to me, but times are a-changing and Apes and Androids happen to be clever about the placements of their bleeps and zips and pings, which helps. Of course, let us not discount the value of hearing something fun after all these days of cheer and sentimentality. A&A are new to the game, and will be releasing their album in early 2007, but while I wait, I plan on buying a pair of good flat shoes to dance in ALL NIGHT LONG. Ah, how sweet to remember just how fun life can be when you need a holiday from the holidays.

Radio [MP3, 5.5MB, 192 kbps]
Hot Kathy [MP3, 6.5MB, 192 kbps]
Nights of the Week [MP3, 6.6MB, 192 kbps]

www.apesandandroids.com
www.myspace.com/apesandandroids

Irene

White Christmas in Sweden? When would it not be a white Christmas in Sweden? Guess that's why Labrador Records' Christmas present to us is the wishfully-titled "Christmas on the Beach" from pop masters Irene. I say pop masters since Irene's songs display pop from every decade since the 60's, no doubt honed and perfected on many a white Christmas Day while dreaming of warmer climes...

Christmas on the Beach [MP3, 1.9MB, 128kbps]

www.labrador.se

The Layaways

Any holiday worth its salt supports the spirit of sharing. So here's sharing songs about sharing from the ever generous band The Layaways. All their previous links still work as well, so if you haven't dug these out of the archive yet consider your stockings stuffed. From our families to yours we hope your holidays (be it Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, or Festivus) are safe and warm and filled with delicious treats.

O Christmas Tree [MP3, 4.7MB, kbps]
Joy to the World [MP3, 1.4MB, kbps]
Silent Night [MP3, 6.1MB, kbps]

Original post, 05/15/2005:

Apologies to Jennifer Z. (no relation) for procrastinating her suggestion until now. Why do today what can wait until tomorrow is the motto I too often live by. Better late than never. Jennifer notes, "They kind of have a Jesus and Mary Chain meets Guided By Voices thing going. Very catchy stuff!" I'll date myself and add to that that it reminds me of Rain Parade — a band I distinctly remember jamming out to while doing inventory all night at Music Plus. I got pulled over on the way home, and upon seeing my bloodshot eyes, the police officer asked me to step out of the car and asked me what I had been smoking. I finally convinced him that I was sober, and any high that I might have experienced that night was due to a lack of sleep and the chilled, psychedelic rock of Rain Parade. The Layaways sound as if they've been taking hits off the same pipe.
Silence [MP3, 4.1MB, 192kbps]
The Long Night [MP3, 6.9MB, 192kbps]
Ocean Blue [MP3, 3.5MB, 192kbps]
Let Me In [MP3, 2.7MB, 192kbps]
Is This All [MP3, 4.2MB, 192kbps]

www.mysteryfarm.com
www.thelayaways.com

PostPrior

As my friends and family will attest, I'm a big fan of Christmas-y songs — new and old, classic and offbeat. So I'm always thrilled when I hear a new entry in the genre, such as this ditty from PostPrior (Midwest Product's Ben Mullins and drummer/descendent-of-circus-acrobats Michael Kuzmanovski). PostPrior's Touched Pilot EP is an icy cool treat in its own right, with its intricately composed and delightfully goofy new wave soul. But, for now, the lyrics to "Snow Orge" so you can sing along on the way to Grandma's house:

"Confusing Scientists
With Conscious thought and moving limbs
The sun comes out and then he melts
Only to re-form again

Avoiding Mobs and cops
Because they know not what he does
Cause this his life 'twas forged in ice
And so misunderstood

GO SNOW OGRE, POUND YOUR FISTS AND ROAR
GO SNOW OGRE, A FINE AMBASSADOR
GO SNOW OGRE, LET THE SNOWFLAKES FALL
GO SNOW OGRE, THE ICE CONSUMES US ALL

Mom and dad, are just a lab, he has no place, of residence
Alone on Christmastime

Speeding Sleds, Gingerbread, Hyper kids, packages
Rotate through his mind

In the snow, he built a fort, with fine decor and even more
The Ogre trims the tree

Down below, warmer homes, throw a bone, and telephone
Say Ogre PLAY WITH ME.

Go snow ogre, go snow ogre, go snow ogre go!
Go snow ogre, go snow ogre, pound your fists and roar
Go snow ogre, go snow ogre, go snow ogre go!
Go snow ogre, go snow ogre, a fine ambassador
Go snow ogre, go snow ogre, go snow ogre go!
Go snow ogre, go snow ogre, let the snowflakes fall
Go snow ogre, go snow ogre, go snow ogre go!
Go snow ogre, go snow ogre, the ice consumes us all"

Happy holidays, one and all :)

Snow Orge [MP3, 3.5MB, 160kbps]

www.ghostly.com
www.myspace.com/postprior

Aimee Mann

Out here on the fringes—that's where we are, blog readers, the fringes—it might not be cool to cop to liking the Christmas standards. Then again, maybe I'm alone on that one and there's no chip on anyone else's shoulders. There certainly isn't one on Aimee Mann's. The reigning champion thinking girl's singer-songwriter-goddess offers up an album of standards with some awfully fine originals in-between, making it a Christmas album that your mother will love as much as you do (although we make no recommendations on how to get her off Mannheim Steamroller altogether). Since there's only one weekend left, shoppers, hop on over to your friendly neighborhood online music store and pick up the album. "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen" will give you just enough of a taste to hold you over until your download is complete.

God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen [MP3, 2MB, 128kbps]

www.aimeemann.com
www.superegorecords.com
myspace.com/aimeemann

Angela Desveaux

So, the photo here might not do Angela Desveaux justice. Then again, if you see country girl instead of modern Lizzie Borden, maybe this does work. Montreal-based Desveaux's layered country-pop calls to mind fellow countrywoman Kathleen Edwards, or fellow North American Lucinda Williams. (Yeah! Go continent!) (If you can't tell, I need a holiday break right about NOW.) Angela's debut album Wandering Eyes is likewise avaliable NOW. Peace for the season.

Heartbeat [MP3, 5.4MB, 170kbps]

http://www.angeladesveaux.com/

Takka Takka

So I have this friend who is pretty much the indie rock grinch. You can throw on the newest.freshest.latest and he’s all BAH! INDIE BY NUMBERS!! Off with its head! It’s a battle you can’t really win. If he hears so much as a hand clap, a trace of irony, or god help you, whistling – it’s over. Enter exceedingly indie, uber DIY, outer-borough band (specifically: Brooklyn, Queens): Takka Takka. Hand clapping? Oh yeah. Whistling? Totally. Irony? Much. And they’ve got a country twang that’s not living in Mississippi. They are the arch nemesis of my hater friend. But that is his issue, not mine. Despite some musical tics that might seem a bit obvious, there’s just something about these boys that resounds with me. It’s a kind of clapping that I can get down with clapping along with. And who doesn’t like something catchy to whistle along with. Indie by numbers, it’s possible, but Takka Takka are also doling out some solid, catchy pop too. And after forming a veritable trifecta of oddness when they joined forces with Clap Your Hands Say Yeah and Architecture in Helsinki for a recent tour, the proof is in the pudding – silly/weird/random can be some good stuff.

We Feel Safer at Night [MP3, 4.1MB, 160 kbps]
Coco on the Corner [MP3, 2.9MB, 160 kbps]

www.takkatakkamusic.com
www.myspace.com/takkatakka

The Red Faced Laughter

I think I can safely speak for all of us here when I say we're suckers for a great pop song. We'll even settle for a relatively good pop song. By pop I mean a song that begs to be sung along to. Occassionally, however, it's good to drop in and turn up music that you can crash a car to. Enter The Red Faced Laughter. A Texas trio that excels at mangling things up a bit. This is a complete EP, Brokenear #4, released on the German net label Broken Ear Records. They remind me a lot of Sunny Day Real Estate, the vocals mostly, but with a more noisy, improvisational style of playing. This one's for everyone who likes their coffee black—no cream, no sugar, no fluffy latte—this is the stuff that Will Farrell's character in Elf was so excited to share as "The World's Greatest Coffee."

Clouds Came [MP3, 4.9MB, 207kbps]
Devoul [MP3, 4.9MB, 216kbps]
Impending Doom [MP3, 4.3MB, 242kbps]
You Can't Hug Children with Nuclear Arms [MP3, 5.8MB, 219kbps]

www.brokenear.de
www.myspace.com/theredfacedlaughter

Bossanova

More Canadians, eh? I've been sitting on Bossanova for a while now, ever since their debut album Hey, Sugar was released on Teenbeat way back in March. Please accept my sincerest apologies for hiding this Vancouver band's catchy pop sensibilities for so long.

Calvary [MP3, 3.0MB, 128kbps]

www.teenbeat.net
www.bossanova.ca

Thieves Like Us

A great tip from Lismore's email blast. The two bands just played Friday at the Delancy in NYC. I can't stop listening to the 12" from Thieves Like Us. This A-side plays like a lost track from the Trainspotting soundtrack. A little New Order, a little Daft Punk, a lot of dance floor fun. A tribute to tripping. 3hive does not condone illegal drug use (at least not before breakfast), but we fully support dropping beats that induce body moving euphoria. Tune into these two Swedes and a Yankee and let yourself go.

For those of you keeping score at home, this post marks 3hive's 1,000th entry. Make some noise!

Drugs in My Body [MP3, 4.8MB, 192kbps]

http://www.thieves-like-us.com

L.A.O.S.

I've been holding out on posting this one...holding out for the day when L.A.O.S.'s brilliant (not to mention educational!) "Panda Style" single becomes available to the masses—or to me, at least. Alas, it's not widely available in any format and I can't, according to the 3hive Oath, keep awesome free MP3 downloads to myself. L.A.O.S. (Large Amount of Soul) are a drum 'n' bass trio from Helsinki with a great ear for deep hooks, cheeky samples, and beats that won't quit. "Drowning Deep Inside Your Soul" is a good taste of their sound. However, if you want to hear "Panda Style" you can stream it from their MySpace page, or download the DJ Abraham (1/3 of L.A.O.S.) mix from their old school site where it sits alongside some other killer dubplates. Also, if you don't mind voiceover—and in this particular case I really don't—I'd recommend the thrilling Hospital Records podcast where I first heard "Panda Style" (thanks Moodmat!). Rumor has it, L.A.O.S. will release at least one title on Hospital in the near future. Fingers crossed it's you-know-what...

Drowning Deep Inside Your Soul [MP3, 15.4MB, 320kbps]

www.largeamountofsoul.net
www.myspace.com/largeamountofsoul

Kama Aina

I like to think, mainly because it makes me feel less pathetic, that everyone who went to college and studied something other than business administration had some kind of youthfully pretentious obsession. Mine was Marshall McLuhan, the new media oracle from the Great White North who looked like a professorial Salvador Dali, had a cameo in a Woody Allen movie (nay, the best. cameo. ever.) and was an astoundingly salient bullshitter. I ain’t saying I don’t still love the man, just that nearly a decade after graduation it’s funny to look back and think of taking my dog-eared copy of War and Peace in the Global Village to my bartending gig at Benihana and intensely and conspicuously reading it between mixing Mai-Tais—as if any of my Japanese coworkers gave a damn. We were so cool once, weren’t we? Anyhow, I think of McLuhan’s fabled “global village” now because two of my favorite Japanese acts (the other one is Cacoy) this year have come to me from the Danish label Rumraket, which is doing for non-European music in Europe what Minty Fresh has been doing for European music in the U.S. of late—namely, rockin’ it. Kama Aina, whose name is Hawaiian and whose sole member is Takuji Aoyagi, doesn’t rock it, per se, he soothes it with loopy little lullabies built around clean, undistorted percussion, guitar and other sweet, naturalistic sounds. “Hotaru” is prettiest on headphones, where you can nearly see each bang and pluck. But if you’re just not that visual, check out the video for “Glasgow Sky,” which is as inventive as Bjork and twice as contemplative.

Hotaru [MP3, 3.5MB, 128kbps]

myspace.com/clubkamaaina
www.rumraket.net

Kunek

Tim Ortopan is back for another guest DJ session. About 9 months ago he brought us Joseph Arthur. Now we have Kunek. O:

I went to high school with a kid named Kunec and at first I wondered if there could be any connection to the band Kunek. They sound like they could have been the socially awkward students sitting alone at lunch reading computer magazines that I remember. Could he have produced these beautiful songs of loneliness and sadness? It seems unlikely as I did not go to high school in Oklahoma nor could the student that I remember ever be described as “a delicate intersection of science and emotion—at times organic, dynamic, buoyant or ethereal.” I hope things are going well for the Kunec that I remember, but I know you will enjoy this Kunek straight from the flowering Oklahoma art-rock scene.

Coma [MP3, 2.1MB, 128kbps]

www.playtymemusic.com
www.kunek.net

Beat Hive

We're pushing three years serving music fans by "sharing" from artists and frankly it's time we give back to the music makers. Introducing BeatHive.com (no relation to 3hive). BeatHive is an online marketplace for musicians to buy and sell loops. They currently have producers from the US, UK, Spain, Argentina and Canada, offering their best loops in Apple Loop and Acid formats, which work in programs like GarageBand and ACID. This means even uninitiated songwriters can grab some loops and start banging out the hits. We came across BeatHive and thought it was the coolest thing since curly fries, so we asked them if they'd be willing to share some free loops with y'all. They said yes! Both WAV and AIFF formats are available and all the loops are 100% royalty free. Mouse over the handy buttons to hear each of the loops. The download links are just below. 3Hive 12-pack Contents:
	Drums 1		Synth 1
	Scraper		Guitar 1
	Triangle		Drums 2
	Guitar 2		Pedal Steel
	Electric Bass		Synth 2
	Drums 3		Bass Synth
Download Apple Loop AIFF Format Here Download ACIDized WAV Format Here (Not sure which format to use? Click here.) CONTEST: Make Stuff from BeatHive, Post it on 3Hive! Now here's the fun part: create a piece of music using all or part of at least six loops from this 12-pack and post a URL of the mp3 to the comments. Five top compositions, picked by 3Hive and BeatHive, will receive a free Best of BeatHive, Vol 1. DVD-ROM (click here to check it out) that's just chock full of royalty free loops, a 12-pack of CDs from 3hive artists, and we'll post the tracks on 3hive (CONTEST ENDS 1/22/07 and we reserve the right to make up the rules as we go along).

The Crabapples

Yes, OCD, you don't need to tell me. "Hi, my name is Clay, and I'm obsessively compulsed with Slumberland Records!" Hey, the first step is admitting you have a problem. And my problem is the self-described "loud but melodic...catchy tunes played with sloppy abandon" that are Slumberland Records and the Crabapples. Continuing with the self-descriptions, the Crabapples rush "along in a breathless blur, fuelled by lager, explosive tunes and a love of great pop." I'll be sure to bring that up at my first meeting...

London Belongs To Me (Pt. 2) [MP3, 2.5MB, VBR]

www.slumberlandrecords.com

Tom Rothrock

An album named after the instrument it fetishizes, Resonator (a wood-bodied guitar with a single metal coned center often called by the brand name DOBRO) is producer Tom Rothrock's first album as a recording artist. You'll immediately recognize the Resonator's bluesy soul sound as the backbone of many of Beck's early songs. You old-timers and blues enthusiasts may scoff at pop music's grope at authenticity, re-discovering the guitar some fifty years after its heyday. You cannot, however, chide Rothrock's passion for the instrument. This instrumental work resonates with respect and reverence. He adds hip-hop beats, live drums and strings to the equation for a cinematic mood and scope. Fitting, considering it was Michael Mann's urging Rothrock to compose the score for Mann's film Collateral, that set the prolific producer to work on his own compositions. Getting your hands on the entire album may prove problematic as it's been limited to a one-time pressing of 1,203 hand-numbered copies. Not to fear, it's just the first in a series of instrumental albums planned by Mr. Rothrock, released via his newly re-launched Bong Load Records.

Darker Blues [MP3, 3.1MB, 128kbps]

www.myspace.com/mrrothrock

Blake Miller

"Son, you must be/Your own tree/Let your roots grow/Let them grow deep." Wise words, though when sung by a 19-year-old Blake Miller they're not so much delivered as sage counsel to the listener as they are repeated the way a kid would sing the grocery list on his way to the corner store lest he forget. Blake's youth isn't the only thing that makes him sound so special. His very human and melodic brand of folk helps distinguish him from the so-called "freak folk" genre (see Devendra Banhart) and creates a space he can call his own. I guess you could say he's being his own tree...

Your Own Tree [MP3, 3.8MB, 192kbps]
Summer She's Hiding [MP3, 2.5MB, 128kbps]
Cut Your Hair [MP3, 3.6MB, 128kbps]
In Our Own Places [MP3, 4.0MB, 192kbps]

www.exitstencilrecordings.com
www.myspace.com/burntape

Hello Saferide

Remember a few weeks ago when I gave you some music that my pal Lisa had recommended? Well, she's done some more spot-on MP3 hunting, and rather than give my own take on it, let's hear directly from the woman herself. Take it away, Lisa…

Everyone loves love. We really do. We love us some love. And because there simply aren't enough misanthropic recluses out there who can't find other humans to care for their sorry selves, there is a truckload of songs made to feel how we feel. And that's great. Really. It's great. That said, it was breath-of-fresh-air time when I finally to listened to Hello Saferide – a guitar-playing Swede who's a little nutty, a little neurotic, totally self-conscious and, OMG, she's not even a little bit afraid to be such a girl.

Hello Saferide wishes her ex-lover the very worst on Valentine's Day, she hopes you keep your socks on in bed because, well, she's still scared of feet, and she knows that "somebody" ordered too many drinks last night and "somebody" reckoned that dancin' on the bars was all right. Yep she's a total mess, but she delivers her personal brand of nuttiness with such quirk, flare and snark that I'm right there with her. It's nice to hear someone feeling how SHE feels, not how she thinks the rest of us will. And somehow, underneath all of that idiosyncrasy and Hello Saferide-ness, it's all totally relatable.

The Quiz [MP3, 3.9MB, 96kbps]
High School Stalker [MP3, 3.9MB, 192kbps]
Valentine's Day [MP3, 4.6MB, 192kbps]
San Francisco [MP3, 3.9MB, 192kbps]
iPod X-Mas [MP3, 3.9MB, 160kbps]

www.hellosaferide.com
myspace.com/saferide
www.razziarecords.se

Aloe Blacc

I'm ashamed to admit I would have passed this guy up if I had to gone on name alone. Not to be a jerk, but Aloe Blacc?? Are we really running out of stage names? What's wrong with Nathanial Dawkins? But, after taking in his magnificient R&B gem "I'm Beautiful" for the first time, I got over my prejudice real quick. This guy's voice is pure enough to invoke comparisons to Motown legends. His debut, Shine Through has just the right amount of polish (despite being recorded in a makeshift bedroom studio) and draws from a rich array of musical influences, old and new. If most Stones Throw releases reek of chronic (not that I'm complaining, mind you), this joint's a breath of fresh air. Inhale.

Stones Throw took down the "I'm Beautiful" MP3, but you still get a lovely B-side from the single.

Find a Way [MP3, 3.8MB, 128kbps]

www.stonesthrow.com
www.myspace.com/aloeblaccmusic
www.aloeblacc.com

The One Night Band

So this is what old school ska/reggae sounds like in Montreal. Reminds me a bit of those early Bob Marley recordings when he had short hair and wore matching outfits with Rita and Peter Tosh. "Who feels it knows it..." Singing in both English and French, The One Night Band's debut album, Way Back Home came out summer 2006. Hey Sam, how do you say "rude boy" in French?

So Low [MP3, 4.5MB, 160kbps]

www.stomprecords.com

Tahiti 80

Since 3hive's own Sam lived in Tahiti for a short time and speaks French, I almost feel like I'm stealing a Sam band, a la this entry from Sam last week, since Tahiti 80 are a Parisian quartet named after a t-shirt that singer Xavier Boyer's dad got from a Tahitian trip. Sam and I both fell for Tahiti 80's lovely pop masterpiece "Heartbeat" from their 2000 album Puzzle, and the band's gift for wistful, delightful pop has grown and matured with their new release Fosbury. A Tahitian Treat indeed!

Addendum:
1. For our non-US readers, Tahitian Treat is a fruit punch flavored soft drink. Mmmmmm. 2. Pardon the kinda crappy 96 kbps Changes MP3 made available to us. So be sure to grab the recently added "Here Comes" VBR MP3. Thanks Min!

Changes (Borderline Remix) [MP3, 3.2MB, 96kbps]
Here Comes [MP3, 5.9MB, VBR]

www.tahiti80.com
www.atmospheriques.com
www.mintyfresh.com

Mitch Easter

I recently rekindled a new friendship after googling an old friend. Except this wasn't a friend from high school or college, it was a friend from the old hi-fi: Mitch Easter. Mitch Easter gained recognition for his production skills in the early '80s producing R.E.M.'s first single, "Radio Free Europe," and their first two LPs with Don Dixon. And thinking back to my own history as a music fan I don't remember which came first for me, R.E.M. or Mitch's band Let's Active. I do remember that Let's Active played a key role in formulating my taste for pop music. Smart, snappy, and cheerful without being sappy Let's Active helped forged the template for American indie pop while flying mostly below the radar. Constant line-up changes, usually coinciding with changes in Easter's relationships, occurred throughout the band's one EP and three album history. Mitch has kept busy over the years as producer, working with everyone from The Connells, Dinosaur Jr., Superchunk, engineer, Pavement and Ride, and as guitarist extraordinaire (the two tracks from Shalini feature Mitch on guitar. Shalini currently plays bass in Mitch's band). Coming across brand new music from Mitch Easter was an unexpected and thrilling surprise. He's still got it. He's like the King Midas of pop music. Everything he touches sounds like gold. Watch for his first release in eighteen years, Dynamico, in the next couple months on 125 Records.

Sudden Crown Drop [MP3, 3.3MB, 128kbps]
Shalini - Synthesize w/ Mitch Easter on guitar [MP3, 3.2MB, 128kbps]
Shalini - Downed w/ Mitch Easter on guitar [MP3, 3.7MB, 128kbps]

www.mitcheaster.com
Listen to Let's Active songs here:
www.myspace.com/mitcheasterband

Cake on Cake

Really simple, almost childlike arrangements revolve around a single line or thought, some delicate piano, flute, etc., and the irresistible layered voices of Swedish songbird Helena Sundin. Makes for exquisite bedtime music. More MP3s where these came from...follow the links below.

from Sun-Chairs EP (2006):
Wish Upon a Star [MP3, 1.4MB, 128kbps]
My Melody [MP3, 2.9MB, 128kbps]

from I See No Stars (2005):
Lonely Song [MP3, 2.9MB, 160kbps]
Animals and Humans [MP3, 2.8MB, 160kbps]

rainmusic.free.fr
www.desolationrecords.com
www.myspace.com/cakeoncake
www.cakeoncake.com

Christians & Lions

If you were to strip the music from the songs of some awfully fine lyricists like Bob Dylan or Conner Oberst, you would likely be a little perplexed by what you're hearing. Indeed, the few attempts there have been to give Dylan's lyrics a more literal interpretation on stage and on the big screen have been so disastrous that it can make one lose respect for the incoherent old bastard. Fortunately, when such lyricists set their thoughts to a simple melody, what they say doesn't have to be open for the simplest of interpretations. So even though you can easily find out why Sam Potrykus named his band Christians & Lions, or you can dissect the big-brained, big-hearted meanderings of songs like "Gimme Diction," you can just as easily get lost not in what the words mean, but in the way they rise from the music like smoke from an agitated candle, creating a deductive harmony you can ponder or simply take on your own terms.

Gimme Diction [MP3, 5.4MB, 256kbps]
Skinny Fists [MP3, 7.2MB, 256kbps]
Free Radio Post-Apocalyptic Metropolis Blues [MP3, 3.1MB, 192kbps]

www.christiansandlions.net
myspace.com/christiansandlions
www.ecarecords.com