Just thought I’d take a sharp turn after all the pop posts of late… Brendan Fowler has been called a “motivational rapper” by some. I wouldn’t call his work “motivational” or “rap” — but I think I agree with the sentiment. I mean, the guy’s doing his thing and no one else’s. And I guess that in itself is motivational. As for the rap thing, Brendan (or Barr) spews disjointed, autobiographical streams of consciousness over basic drum beats — kind of like a more self-aware Wesley Willis, or an introspective King Missile. So it ain’t singing and it’s somewhat rhythmic, but to call it rap… All I know is it’s far more entertaining than most spoken word I’ve ever heard. So I guess there’s my pocket description: “better than spoken word” — have at it.
Is All for Updated [MP3, 3.8MB, 192kbps]
A Call [MP3, 2.5MB, 160kbps]
Lights Out [MP3, 3.2MB, 160kbps]
They’re back! They’re back! Sukpatch are back! After a near seven-year hiatus, Chris and Steve are finally about to drop a new full-length full of polished bedroom beats, guitar loops, and slacker poetry on our aching ears. (If you need to get caught up on these fools, head over to 
Aside from the obvious ploy to boost our search engine traffic, I offer up Young and Sexy to add to Sean’s early nominations for Pop Album of the Year. This Vancouver outfit’s thoughtful, epic take on pop makes them a perfect foil for the 
Being around my old college friends a few weekends back brought back a craving for cheap Mexican food and ska-punk, which I’ve had a hard time satiating for some reason. So I was stoked when Grant Lawrence included this scorching new (to me, at least) track from Vancouver, B.C.’s Subcity Dwellers on the latest 
There was a time (before MP3s or listening stations) when I’d buy records based solely on the name of the band. Don’t laugh, it’s how I ended up discovering Echo and the Bunnymen and Siouxsie and the Banshees before they became ’80s household names. It’s the name that drew me to I Love You But I’ve Chosen Darkness which, with their shadowy, elastic heartbreakers, could have been shelved alsongside Bunnymen and Banshees back in the day. Only they’re of this decade and from Austin, Texas (with ties to 
There are two good things about making an airport pick-up at one in the morning: 1) I got to see my sons for the first time in a week, and 2) I got to listen to CBC Radio 2’s 
We at 3hive like a lot of the same artists. So we have abided by a simple by-law to help preserve our friendship: first come, first served. If you want to write about someone, do it. If you don’t, they’re fair game. What this has led to though is a sort of squatting technique where one of us will create a post with the band’s name (and not much more) and save it as a draft. That’s our way of saying “dibs.” And the system works…until you dibs so many artists that you can’t remember anymore who dibsed what. So, when we got word of Mogwai’s new album, Mr. Beast, Sean had to remind me that I’ve been sitting on Mogwai since early 2005. Here are two new instrumental tracks (“Folk Death 95” and “Auto Rock,” remixed by Errors), alongside a couple of vocal classics taken from the band website — the frenetic “Lower,” from their first ever single, and a cover of The Fall’s exquisite bummer “Bill Is Dead.” I’m glad to say I love Mogwai as much now as I did a year ago.