She, Sir
Label: NoneGenre: Other, Pop, Rock
Austin-based quartet, She, Sir recently built a lovely wall-of-sound EP, stacked with layers upon layers of guitars, modal harmonies, and hushed melodies. With the subtle hooks and deep atmospherics of Who Can't Say Yes, She, Sir drop pop music to an even vaguer level than Loveless. She, Sir beautifully fractures music for the next generation of dream-pop connoisseurs.
The Clandestine [MP3, 5.6MB, 224kbps]
I Love You, Blowtorch Eyes [MP3, 5.9MB, 224kbps]
It's My Way of Staying Connected [MP3, 4.0MB, 128kbps]
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Nom De Guerre
Label: NoneGenre: Pop
Not only do Nom de Guerre play some wonderful pop music, but they offer perhaps the best band shirts ever offered for sale by a band: tailor-made, double cuff dress shirts designed by the bassist for measley 70 euros! Other offers available for purchase include your name in a song, an entire song about you, and even an entire album about you. If only I were the Russian billionaire with some spare cash whom Nom de Guerre is hoping to court, I'd buy Blackburn Rovers, then buy half the Chelsea squad (and no, not Lampard) and have them warm the Blackburn bench cause that other Russian billionaire must be getting bored by now, and then have Nom de Guerre write albums about each member of my family. But in laying out the required payment, I would insist on the formula of "So Long Sister": dirty bass, swliring keyboards, and plenty of la la's and other sing-along harmonies. Oh, and some of those dress shirts. What is the dollar-to-euro exchange rate these days anyway?
So Long Sister [MP3, 4.2MB, 192kbps]
Slack vs. Lame [MP3, 5.8MB, 192kbps]
Everland [MP3, 5.8MB, 192kbps]
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Princeton
Label: NoneGenre: Folk, Rock
Princeton is not from Princeton. I have my doubts that the floppy-headed Santa Monica twins and their best friend, who recorded their first E.P. in London while on study-abroad programs, have ever set foot in New Jersey. They claim such classic Brit-pop songwriters Ray Davies and Rod Argent as influences, and their four-track stylings, carefree lyrical associations and bookish sensibilities also bring to mind Ben Lee, Lou Barlow, Stephen Malkmus, and Jonathan Richman. It takes more than cleverness to write a song about a pirate that doesn’t sound like a Broadway musical, or to sing a travelogue of an Asian city that doesn’t descend into kitsch. But Princeton does it well — with organs, acoustic guitar, and sweet, youthfully knowing vocals. Just don’t ask me which twin is singing.
Blackbeard [MP3, 5.2MB, 192kbps]
Careless Boy [MP3, 8.6MB, 160kbps]
The Indifference Curve [MP3, 4.5MB, 192kbps]
Tokyo Japan [MP3, 4.4MB, 192kbps]
princetontheband.net
myspace.com/princetonmusic
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Perpetual Dream Theory
Label: NoneGenre: Pop, Slowcore
Blissed-out ambient pop from Vancouver. (How many times can we say that it seems all good things come from Canada?) I don't know if there really is a scientific perpetual dream theory, but if you come up with some ideas of what the soundtrack to it would be, the band probably comes close. If you like what you hear and want to grab more free stuff, you can download their whole Tiny Hands EP for free. Thanks to Sarah for the suggestion!
When Worlds Collide [MP3, 4.5MB, 128kbps]
Snow in September [MP3, 2.2MB, 128kbps]
Angels of Search and Rescue [MP3, 4.5MB, 128kbps]
Imaginary Places [MP3, 3.8MB, 128kbps]
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Firecracker Jazz Band
Label: NoneGenre: Jazz
I won't bog you down with personal details, but I recently hit a speed bump in the road of life. No sympathy, please. It's just one of those things that absolutely blows now, but with time will seem insignificant and trivial. Still, it's got me feeling down, and these tracks from the Firecracker Jazz Band (featuring members of Squirrel Nut Zippers) fit the mood perfectly. The comic melancholy of the wa-wa trumpeting, horse clomping, and playful tickling of the piano keys leave me no choice but to laugh at myself and move on. So for anyone who's been dealt a bad hand the Firecracker Jazz Band is here to tell you, no, really, it's gonna be OK.
Blue Leaf Clover [MP3, 3.4MB, 96kbps]
Melancholy [MP3, 3.2MB, 96kbps]
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Gertie Fox
Label: NoneGenre: Pop
Heart-warming, frayed guitar pop with frayed vocals to match. Their press release suggests they may be the United States' answer to Wolf Parade, who were Canada's answer to Modest Mouse (who were Seattle's answer to the Pixies...). I'll say this: they're from L.A., so they must be actors, and actors are paid to pretend they're someone else. So if they seem like they're pretending to be Wolf Parade, keep in mind they're just doing their jobs—and they're pretty good at it. These two tracks are from their new self-released album called An Imaginary Meeting in the Woods, there are a half a dozen other downloadable tracks from previous releases on their site (one of these rainy days I might link to them directly).
Modern Love [MP3, 3.3MB, 128kbps]
She’s So Married [MP3, 3.9MB, 128kbps]
www.myspace.com/gertiefox
www.gertiefox.com
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Elephant Parade
Label: NoneGenre: Pop
Hauntingly melodic, Brooklyn's Elephant Parade betray their cumbersome name with delicate, heart-wrenching pop. A boy, a girl, a keyboard—sure it's been done before, but never so effortlessly.
Goodbye [MP3, 3.3MB, 128kbps]
Riding in Your Car [MP3, 3.8MB, 128kbps]
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The May Bees
Label: NoneGenre: Rock
This one's hot outta the suggestion box. And by the way, let me just say we completely appreciate anyone who takes the time to send in a tip. I know we can take a long time to get to things, but it's the nature of the proverbial beast that is an inbox jam-packed with music. Alright, on to The May Bees—primarily a dutch duo, guitars and drums (with what looks like a rent-a-bassist), who keep their rock stripped down and ferociously lo-fi without losing an ounce of listenability. They also keep their top myspace friends to a minimum (just four), revealing obvious influences/mentors/kindred spirits—a quadraphonic godhead of American indie rock really—Guided By Voices, Grandaddy, Sonic Youth and The Pixies. And what separates The May Bees from many of the micro-indie bands we cover on this site, is that they're making a respectable run at touring, especially considering they're coming across the Atlantic to do so. This is a call for our Canadian, East Coast and Mid West readers to pencil in The May Bees when they come through your town and give 'em a warm North American welcome courtesy of 3hive.
Fields of Albany [MP3, 4.6MB, 128kbps]
Undefined Sofa Sketches [MP3, 2.3MB, 160kbps]
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The Low Hello
Label: NoneGenre: Pop
I'm hoping the Detroit Tigers will put on a better show in the coming days than they did Tuesday night. Yuck, that was ugly. What's not ugly from Detroit are the sounds of The Low Hello and their lead singer Sunil Sawani, featured in the post below. (Sunil's voice isn't exactly pretty, but that's a comment for the next post.) We haven't posted much from Detroit lately, so these low-fi, homemade pop songs — comprising The Low Hello's EP, which they apparently give away for free at their gigs, as well as online — should make up for our D-town dearth. Anyway, if you like what you hear here, move on to the next post...
Nostalgia Makes Confusion [MP3, 2.8MB, 126kbps]
Recess [MP3, 2.7MB, 117kbps]
Lying Down [MP3, 2.7MB, 177kbps]
New Kind of Stress [MP3, 2.2MB, 138kbps]
Down Side [MP3, 2.5MB, 88kbps]
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