Cornershop
Label: Rough TradeGenre: Beats, Pop
3hive reader Saud dropped a wake-up call in the Suggestion Box about Cornershop. He wondered if we'd heard of them. Yep. Heard of them, seen them play live, even worked the term "everyone needs a bosom for a pillow" into a conversation once...but, as so often I do with bigger acts, assumed they didn't have a free and legal MP3s to share. My face is red; I stand corrected. Here's some material from a couple years back, including the wickedly infectious MIA remix of "Topknot." New full-length due out in June. So keep it locked.
Topknot (MIA Remix) [MP3, 4.3MB, 96kbps]
Hot Rocks (featuring Rowetta) [MP3, 2.3MB, 96kbps]
Battle of New Orleans (John Peel Session) [MP3, 2.0MB, 96kbps]
www.roughtraderecords.com
www.cornershop.com
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Blonde Redhead
Label: 4ADGenre: Pop
For the past 10+ years Blonde Redhead has delivered some of the finest textured music from the indie world. Each release brings their old-world pop sounds, complete with orchestral flourishes and whispery vocals, into crisper focus. Fortunately for us, we're at the tail end of down time between records. It's been over two years since their last album, and it sounds like the band is in the process of recording a new record that'll be available early next year. Too long of a drought in my opinion. But I ain't gonna complain. Not when they're the kind of band that enlists David Sylvian for vocal duties (for an alternate version of their song "Messenger"). I'm including the video to my favorite song from the band, "Equus," below. For some reason the song's buried at the end of the album Misery is a Butterfly and it's easy to miss. Don't miss it.
Misery is a Butterfly [MP3, 4.7MB, 128kbps]
www.4ad.com
www.blonde-redhead.com
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max Min
Label: NoneGenre: Pop
Austrian singer/songwriter Max Tertinegg, a.k.a. max Min, writes romantic, modern pop (that's right, I'm on a pop kick... I'll soon recover) replete with dreamy strings, horns, synths, harmonies, flawed English...whatever the moment calls for. It's rather magical stuff. He's got a political side, too, having crafted this amusing device that allows you to play speechwriter to The Decider himself (a little nod to "The Daily Show" there). Fun for the whole fam.
Lie [MP3, 4.9MB, VBR]
I Don't Let You Go [MP3, 6.1MB, VBR]
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Bing Ji Ling
Label: Kreme KulGenre: Other, Pop
Let's start the weekend off right with two fine examples of this new Bay Area Soul that's been brewing up North for sometime. First, it's Bing Ji Ling. Loosely translated it means "ice cream" in Chinese. Not many east Asian influences in his music, but sweet and creamy grooves abound. His record, Doodle Loot Doot Doodle A Doo, has been out a couple years now and he's been busy in the meantime. He's remixed the likes of Quannum's Curumin and Blackalicious and has collaborated with Darondo and Tommy Guerrero. Bing Ji Ling is 100% party music and he'll get you going like it's 2099. Watch for a new album this year, and catch him live to enjoy tasty ice-cream treats courtesy of his hot-bodied entourage.
Do What I Gotta Do [MP3, 5.0MB, 160kbps]
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Nino Moschella
Label: UbiquityGenre: Other, Pop
Next up, Nino Moschella. More low-key than Bing Ji Ling, but all up in your groove nonetheless. Moschella offers up a smooth blend of electronic and acoustic elements while channeling the raw, gritty funkmasters of the '60s. He keeps the instrumentation minimal which leaves more room for the soul, baby. The Fix, his debut album, is out next week on Ubiquity.
Moved On [MP3, 4.0MB, 160kbps]
www.ubiquityrecords.com
www.ninomoschella.com
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Absentee
Label: Memphis IndustriesGenre: Folk, Pop
Absentee's calling card is the world-weary, whiskey-soaked voice of Dan Michaelson, who may remind you of Kurt Wagner of Lambchop or, as the band's MySpace page puts it, "Leonard Cohen singing from the trouser backed up with a mix of incompetence and occasional suprise." Whatever the case, "Something to Bang" is a brilliant blast of horns and wit but somewhat of a "radio single" compared to my favorite: the simple and resigned "Hey Tramp." Both are available on their new album Schmotime which you can find on eMusic to avoid paying import prices.
Something to Bang [MP3, 2.4MB, 96kbps]
www.memphis-industries.com
www.absenteemusic.co.uk
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Bill Patton
Label: NoneGenre: Country, Pop
Available in its entirety for free download from Bipolar Productions, Bill Patton's cleverly fragile debut album Gets It On is looking for a good home. Part Neil Young from the "Sugar Mountain" days, part Dashiell Hammet meets Nick Drake (the title "A Crimefighter Who Pities Fools" should say enough), Patton's sparse arrangements, with mumbled vocals and piercing pedal steel guitar, are about as emotive as you can get. Try two originals (especially "Dirty Woman") and two covers — yes, from the Beatles and Prince — to get a handle on his unique sound and, of course, to enjoy. PS Thanks for the tip, Justin.
Dirty Woman [MP3, 2.1MB, 128kbps]
She Loves You [MP3, 2.9MB, 128kbps]
A Crimefighter Who Pities Fools [MP3, 3.7MB, 128kbps]
Kiss [MP3, 977KB, 128kbps]
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The Minor Leagues
Label: DatawaslostGenre: Pop
Only thing minor about this Cincy outfit is the occasional chord... Their vibrant, orchestral, and decidedly grounded pop sounds like it could be the fruit of the now-defunct Elephant 6 label but instead comes from datawaslost, the same collective that brought you Coltrane Motion.
Scene It All Before [MP3, 6.3MB, VBR]
The Pestilence Is Coming [MP3, 6.1MB, VBR]
www.datawaslost.net
www.minorleaguesmusic.com
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Beirut
Label: Ba Da Bing!Genre: Other, Pop
Zach Condon is an A-student from Albuquerque who bummed around Europe for a few months and came back with a head full of Balkan harmonies just begging for a pop reawakening. With the help of Neutral Milk Hotel's Jeremy Barnes, who lends lovely layers of percussion, they've gotten just that. Condon's melancholic, lazy-tongued crooning owes more than a little to the Magnetic Fields' Stephin Merritt, as does his ability to turn the oddest mix of melodies into an aural box of chocolates. From a hodgepodge of musical traditions, and without a single traditional pop rhythm, Beirut creates little gems that will stick in your mind as much more than just quaint novelties from faraway locales.
Postcards from Italy [MP3, 5MB, 160kbps]
Mount Wroclai (Idle Days) [MP3, 3.8MB, 160kbps]
Interior of a Dutch House [MP3, 4.7MB, 160kbps]
www.beirutband.com
www.badabingrecords.com
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