Twin Tiger

I recently caught the last hour or so of the classic documentary Athens, Georgia Inside/Out. That LP was probably the most used vinyl of the summer between high school graduation and my freshman year of college, Love Tractor and Pylon being two of my faves at the time.

Athens has continued to be an almost non-stop source of bands over the years, of all types and sounds, so it's natural that the pysch-tinged, shoegaze-influenced rock of Twin Tigers would hail from the capital of alterna-rock, forming, playing, putting out an EP and touring from Georgia to Texas to Michigan, all in about 6 months. Ah, the innocence of youth, making music the way they want to, and seeing what happens. That's Athens for you.

If [MP3, 5.2MB, 192kbps]

myspace.com/thetwintigers

Molly Shannon, Molly Shannon

These guys dig women...or their names, at least. Not just the "Saturday Night Live" star after which they're named (twice, for good measure), but every track on their debut album is named after famous-to-obscure female celebrities (if you can identify all of them without the help of Google, my hat's off to you). What connection they all have with each other is a mystery to me ("Batgirl, Miss America 1954, and a French physicist walk into a bar..."). And that mystery is only furthered by their nearly unintelligible lyrics and eclectic compositions (ranging from Eno-esque to bluegrass to indie spunk). What I do know is some strangely compelling songs emerge from the artsy din, "Bianca Montale" probably being the most conventional of the lot.

from You Think Yr The Doctor, I Think I'm The Sheriff (2008):
Bianca Montale [MP3, 5.2MB, 160kbs]

http://firtradersunion.blogspot.com/
http://www.myspace.com/mollyshannonmollyshannon
http://mollyshannonmollyshannon.com

Great Lakes Myth Society

Ok, so Great Lakes Myth Society is bringing their ornate, stylized, vaguely '70s medieval rock to an outdoor stage about two blocks from my house this weekend! How cool is that? The 3hive crew often talks about trying to catch the shows of the bands we post, but usually our real lives interfere and we're left with the wistful memories of life before kids, wherein we could function past 9:30 pm and therefore go to shows. With this weekend's Green Street Fair in Plymouth, Michigan, all I need to do is open my window to rock out with my fellow Great Lakes Staters. About the band: based in Ann Arbor, GLMS offers up orchestrated, big rock, the kind that probably needs to be written out on sheet music in order to perform. I like "Brablec Farms" and "Across the Bridge," as both are complex yet user-friendly pop-rock gems, full of texture and imagery. And hopefully that's what I'll see and hear on Saturday in town, while checking out these local boys.

She's Come Home to Steal Her Rainbows [MP3, 3.9MB, 192kbps]
Brablec Farms [MP3, 4.8MB, 192kbps]
Heydays [MP3, 4.5MB, 192kbps]
Summer Bonfire [MP3, 4.3MB, 160kbps]
Across the Bridge [MP3, 4.9MB, 160kbps]
Love Story [MP3, 5.2MB, 160kbps]

www.quackmedia.com
www.greatlakesmythsociety.com

Reeve Oliver

Did you notice? Reeve Oliver's initials are R.O., the first two letters in the word "rock." You know where I'm going with this don't you? Well, they do! They rock like alternative radio circa the late '90s when bands like Foo Fighters were ruling the airwaves and alternative radio wasn't all that alternative any more. Reeve Oliver is one of those no-it's-not-a-dude-but-the-name-of-their-band bands from San Diego who recently recorded their second album courtesy of a major label only to have the major label back out of the deal. Luckily, the band was able to get control of the record so it didn't end up getting shelved, out of sight, out of mind for years. A few songs on this new album are re-recordings of previous releases, the band wisely choosing to spend big money production on their strongest songs, e.g. "Yer Motion." I dig the band's oh, so tasty melodies, melodies you wouldn't usually hear on a rock record. They remind me a lot of Erik Voek's lithe vocal melodies, a genius, under-the-radar pop recluse that I can never get enough of. And really, when you've got a secret weapon like O. (Olivelawn, Fluf) up your sleeve it's pwnage time. Play often, play loud, play now.

Yer Motion [MP3, 4.7MB, 192kbps]
Open Face Daryl [MP3, 3.5MB, 192kbps]

Buy from iTunes
www.reeveoliver.com
www.myspace.com/reeveoliver

Alibi Tom

Another day, another Swedish band changing its name (see The LK). Now it's Out Of Clouds changing their name to Alibi Tom, with a change in members and a change in style. In my previous post, I described Out Of Clouds as being influenced by ABBA and 70's AM radio. Let me also change that, dropping the ABBA reference (hey now, it was true, not just because they're Swedish) to say their smart, hook-throwing indie rock is influenced by 70's AM radio. So here's to new beginnings, and their debut LP Scrapbook out May 4.

Fire [MP3, 4.7MB, VBR]

www.leonise.co.uk
www.alibitom.com

We Were The States

Murfreesboro, Tennessee's We Were The States have taken their childhood influences, dozens of them from 70's punk to 90's indie rock and beyond, thrown them into the blender of their collective spirit, and come out with a version of post-punk/garage-punk rock that's original and entirely their own. Brash, energetic, and no-fuss, their songs must make for a heckuva live show. Their debut LP Believe the Thieves is out now.

Up Your Sleeve [MP3, 2.5MB, 128kbps]
Till Morning Comes [MP3, 2.9MB, 128kbps]

www.wewerethestates.com
www.chickenranchrecords.com

The Whigs

I swear I must have llistened to "Right Hand on My Heart" a hundred times since I pulled it off the SXSW website a few weeks ago. The full-on power rock of Athens, GA's The Whigs is pure excitement, from the driving, droning guitars to the tight drumming, and then the bass kicks in, whoo wee. This is a great ride to be on, with a band that clearly has their skills and history down. Best song I've posted in 2008? Without a doubt.

Right Hand on My Heart [MP3, 4.8MB, 160kbps]

www.atorecords.com
www.thewhigs.com

The Lovely Sparrows

They're on Abandoned Love records and of the song "Chemicals "Change" they say " It’s been well noted by many music journalists that this was a break up record. Roger that." So you can probably guess where on the lyrical spectrum that The Lovely Sparrows fall. But as with Okay from last week (I seem to have a mini-fetish with acoustic guitar right now), the story about this music is much more than the lost love and disappointment expressed in the words. Shawn Jones has a mildly forceful vocal range with a hint of Texas drawl, like a mixture of Eef Barzelay and Edie Brickell. There's some Modest Mouse in there too, or at least what Isaac Brock might have become if he'd been raised in the Hill Country instead of the rainy Northwest. The Lovely Sparrows undoubtedly do their hometown of Austin proud in live performance because these two tracks, for all their polish and shine, sound like they would fill you with the joy of Jones's despair in concert. And indeed, that's what you'll find on tracks recorded for the excellent Daytrotter Sessions.

Department of Forseeable Outcomes [MP3, 4.5MB, 192kbps]
Chemicals Change [MP3, 5.6MB, 256kbps]

www.thelovelysparrows.com
www.myspace.com/thelovelysparrows
www.abandonedloverecords.com

Tappan Zee

In one of Douglas Coupland's novels, maybe All Families are Psychotic, there's a passage about how we lived in a golden age, without pain or fear, something like that... When I found Tappan Zee one day last year while digging around the Internet, that idea came back to me. Check out their introduction on the Wormco website — "It's 1999. . . . . and what have we got to show for it?" etc. Just a little reflection, like finding an old newspaper from before you were married or had kids, from before the war, before 9/11. I like "The Only Ones," nice and simple indie rock from the good old days, eh? Whatever happened to Tappan Zee?

Decoder Ring [MP3, 4.4MB, 160kbps]
The Only Ones [MP3, 5.1MB, 160kbps]

www.wormco.com