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

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

Caural

Caural is short for Chicago's Artful Underdog Resists Abstract Labeling. Okay, I made that up. Caural is the stagename for multi-talented musician Zachary Mastoon whose off-kilter beats, found samples, and moody synths often find him compared to Four Tet, Prefuse 73, and Daedelus. Flattering company as far as I'm concerned, but not necessarily satisfying as a description. He's got a sound all his own and each track packs its own little surprises if you listen carefully.

from Mirrors for Eyes (2006):
I Won't Race You [MP3, 4.2MB, 128kbps]

from Remembering Today (2005):
Entre Chien et Loup [MP3, 4.2MB, 128kbps]

www.mushrecords.com
www.chocolateindustries.com
www.myspace.com/caural
www.caural.net

Muggs

I know this one's a few years old but this is such the un-Muggs album and perfect for this moody time of year. Muggs is best known for the venomous hooks behind all your favorite Cypress Hill and House of Pain joints, as well as collabos with various hip-hop all-stars under the Soul Assassins umbrella. On 2003's Dust though he pays homage to his less obvious influences such as Pink Floyd and brought in some lesser known vocalists in Amy Trujillo and Josh Todd. Dusted, natch, but broadly accessible.

Rain [MP3, 4.7MB, 128kbps]
Morta [MP3, 3MB, 128kbps]

www.anti.com
www.djmuggs.com

Urbs

Austrian hip hop and breakz DJ, Paul Nawrata, has been crafting mean sets since 1991. He's been producing since 1997 and his first solo album, Toujours le Même Film, in a word, KILLS. Fans of film scores and other cinematic sounds are definitely gonna wanna jump in on this one. As are the hip hop kids. Quality downtempo, trip-hop for folks who are partial to Portishead, RJD2, and surround sound.

The Incident [MP3, 4.3MB, 128kbps]

Buy from iTunes
www.g-stoned.com

Wax Tailor

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

Teddybears

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]

www.teddybearsrock.com