Remember the old Reese’s commercials? A woman holding an open jar of peanut butter turns the corner and runs into a man with a chocolate bar. “You got your chocolate in my peanut butter!” Tragedy is avoided when the two taste their happy accident. 13 & God is just as happy an accident. Formed when German glitch-popsters, The Notwist, and No. Cal.’s avant hip-hop duo, Themselves, were stranded while touring Canada. With time to kill and a penchant for collaborating, well, they made beautiful music together. On this track The Notwist flavor is dominant, but I expect Doseone (Themselves) a bit more on the mic for the album. “Two great tastes that (surprisingly) go great together.”
Lismore
Briefly: Lismore skillfully mixes electronics and analog instruments for a sound that hits somewhere between The Postal Service and Portishead. On a side note, the guitar riff in “Tremelo” sounds like a sample from some schlocky pop tune that I can’t put my finger on…Anyone?
Elephonic
Not to be confused with the latest joint by Thai Elephant Orchestra (yes, exactly what the name suggests), Elephonic are four humans from LA who provide some quirky, orchestral chillout music of their own.
Album
Sean’s not the only one talking about South by Southwest. The New York Times — one of the hippest, most progressive indie-friendly rags out there — mentioned Album in its coverage of SXSW. What a score! On the Monterrey (Mexico) band’s website, everything they’ve ever recorded is available in MP3 form, and a lot of it is wildly fresh and inventive. The sampling below starts with a suggested listening sequence supplied by the band, as well as a few more selected tracks that aren’t half bad either. Enjoy!
The Aluminum Group
I’m an idiot. My brother had borrowed my turntable, and while he had it I was just jonesing to listen to Wire’s “Another the Letter” from Chairs Missing. So he returned it, I got it all hooked back up (or so I thought), put the Chairs Missing album on, pulled the needle over and…nothing happened. There was no spinning of the vinyl. I spent a half hour messing around with the darn thing before I realized that…get a load of this…I hadn’t plugged the power cord in! Power restored, I also threw on Severed Heads’ Come Visit the Big Bigot and Modern English’s After the Snow. I could have just listened to The Aluminum Group’s “Motorcycles,” a near perfect blend of the best of those two bands’ sounds, and saved myself some trouble.
Ilkae
Had they offered up even one full MP3 I’d be reviewing this right now. Just as well, Ilkae suits my need for chilled-out electronic sounds just fine. I’m not talking about the soft-bellied glut of easy-listening Musak(TM) that’s out there these days passing as chill-out music. I like mine with just enough twittering clicks and clacks to keep things interesting. Ilkae’s golden like that, without overpowering their gentle, cinematic melodies.
Scientific American
It’s good to see Andrew Rohrmann (formerly of Hush Harbor) take on The Establishment by opting for the proper, if copyrighted, spelling of Scientific American. (Those who know him from his bedroom-beats-turned-commercial-beds on Slabco, know he used to drop the first “c” in Scientific, presumably to keep the lawyers at bay.) Those who don’t know the score can get caught up real quick. Simply set aside 109MB of hard drive space and bask in the generosity of Slabco’s free music policy.
Mobius Band
Just ain’t no doubt. Ghostly has consistently released some of the best, essential music for the past several years. When we started up 3hive (over a year ago!) Ghostly artists frequently appeared on this site. But then the label made the ghastly switch from full MP3s to clips. Oh, the delight to discover a full-length MP3 from Ghostly’s newest signing, the MA trio, Mobius Band! These gents put just the right amount of “electro” into their “rock” without falling into neu-wave cliché. Imagine if R.E.M. began in the 21st century instead of the ’80s of last. They share similar melancholy vocal mumblings and novel sonic arrangements. Get this one while you can, don’t know how long it’ll last.
*Note: Ghostly’s back with MP3s! Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus. Peep the newest Mobius Band MP3 “The Loving Sounds of Static…”
Printed Circuit
Can there be a better name than Printed Circuit for an electronic band? Casio keyboards, Nintendos, the Space Shuttles, Commodore 64s, Sean’s iPod, Ataris, even the new Mac mini — they’ve all got printed circuit boards. But don’t think Printed Circuit lacks a soul; au contraire, Claire Broadley of Leeds, who is Printed Circuit (and Catmobile Records), has a soul of pure pop. She just expresses it through silicon and transistors and electrons.
Fleckfumie
Sure, the name comes off like the Danish translation of “f&ck you,” their music, however, is much more inviting. Japanese vocalist, Fumie, together with British programmer, Fleck, offer a world of stuttering samples, bubbling beats, silky vocals, and, oh baby, the bass! Worldwide flavor in both Fleckfumie’s members and sound. Hit their site for streams of five more album tracks…