Fishbone

Fishbone | All We Have Is Now | 3hive.com
Fishbone | All We Have Is Now | 3hive.com

Fishbone the Red Hot almighty legends of ska & alternative rock music are back with a brand new single (the first with Cris Dowd in the band since 1994) “All We Have Is Now”, which comes off the new compilation Bottle Music For Broken People on Fat Mike’s new imprint (under Fat Wreck Chords) Bottles to the Ground.

“All We Have Is Now” was recorded and produced by Fat Mike and Norwood Fisher and is a teaser for a new EP to be released later this year. It implores us to live in the moment, “to take advantage of the gift of the ever present now”. It’s a bouncy track, packed with all the keys and horns you could want from a new Fishbone song, including a classic Angelo sax solo.

Check out the video and stream of the new single below and watch for Fishbone on tour, hopefully somewhere near you, with Les Claypool’s Flying Frog Brigade starting in late March.

Nathan Womack

Nathan Womack | Past But The Dream | 3hive.com
Nathan Womack | Past But The Dream | 3hive.com

Nathan Womack is one half of the fabulous Paces Lift & Ben Bounce project, as well as the guy behind the Wax Thématique label. He also just released his debut single Past But The Dream. Taken from samples found while crate digging in Bangkok, Thailand and Guangzhou, China, Nathan has constructed two killer tracks full of funk, soul and groove. You can check out both tracks below, I highly suggest that you do.

Past But The Dream is available now on vinyl via Wax Thématique’s website and digitally via their Bandcamp page. Enjoy.

Bananagun

Bananagun | The True Story of Bananagun | 3hive.com
Bananagun | The True Story of Bananagun | 3hive.com

Melbourne five-piece Bananagun bring their brand of funky exotica meets psychedelic rock goodness on their debut LP The True Story of Bananagun. This is a head-nodding, rump-shaking 11 tracks (including one with birds singing over the top of a killer bongo beat) of nothing but groove, it is safe to say this album has groove for days. Check out “Mushroom Bomb” and “Taking The Present For Granted” below, they will hook you for sure.

The True Story of Bananagun is out now via Full Time Hobby. It’s a good one. Enjoy.

Khruangbin

Khruangbin | Mordechai | 3hive.com
Khruangbin | Mordechai | 3hive.com

Khruangbin are back with Mordechai, their first proper album since their smash 2018 release Con Todo El Mundo. This new album has all the funk, groove and soul you’ve come to expect from a Khruangbin release, with the addition of vocals on most the tracks – which act more like an additional instrument rather than being at the forefront of the tracks – it’s a nice touch.

Mordechai is solid from beginning to end and perfect for those late night “stay home, stay safe” solo dance parties.

We have Mordechai on delicious transparent pink vinyl at the 3hive Record Lounge. It’s also available via Dead Oceans Records. Enjoy.

Monster Rally

Monster Rally | Escape To The Cloud Forest | 3hive.com
Monster Rally | Escape To The Cloud Forest | 3hive.com

Take a trip through the tropical beats of South America and Japan with Monster Rally’s new two-part digital 45, Escape To The Cloud Forest. As usual, like everything MR releases, it’s really good.

Escape To The Cloud Forest is available now via MR’s Bandcamp page and you can sample its goodness below. Enjoy.

You can also pick up some other Monster Rally releases on vinyl at the 3hive Record Lounge. MR on vinyl is a treat, you won’t regret it.

Camino Sound

Camino Sound | Western Excuses | 3hive.com
Camino Sound | Western Excuses | 3hive.com

Recorded mostly before all hell broke loose in 2020; New Jersey trio, Camino Sound, has unleashed their debut Western Excuses, on the world.

Comprised of 8 instrumental “soundtracks” (that’s how they refer to each song), Western Excuses weaves it’s way through many genres including psych-rock, funk, surf and straight up rock ‘n’ roll. These guys have chops for days.

Listen to “You Are The Map” and “Disculpas Occidentales” (below) for a taste. Western Excuses is available now via Camino Sound’s Bandcamp page. I highly Recommend it.

Todd’s Favorites of 2019

2019 was another great year for music, below are my top ten favorite albums 2019:

  1. Business of Dreams – Ripe For Anarchy [Slumberland]
  2. Select Level – S/T [Wax Thématique]
  3. Pinch Points – Moving Parts [Roolette/Six Tonnes De Chair]
  4. Oh Sees – Face Stabber [Castle Face]
  5. Modern Nature – How To Live [Bella Union]
  6. Cherry Glazerr – Stuffed & Ready [Secretly Canadian]
  7. Trampoline Team – S/T [Hozac]
  8. Cold Showers – Motionless [Dais]
  9. Czarface – The Odd Czar Against Us! [Silver Age]
  10. Altin Gün – Gece [ATO]

Also for your aural pleasure (and my own), I have attached a handy-dandy playlist of some my favorite songs from 2019…

Rezin Tooth

Rezin Tooth | Rezin Tooth | 3hive.com
Rezin Tooth | Rezin Tooth | 3hive.com

Rezin Tooth is the secret dub project of Seattle’s Nathan Spicer along with most of his fellow bandmates from Polyrhythmics. Their self-titled debut is the “never meant to be released” album that somehow Wax Thématique is magically releasing at the beginning of 2020.

We are honored to premiere their debut single “Dub Crater” (below). It’s a laid-back, dub-filled jam flavored with hints of the funk and groove goodness Polyrhythmics are known for.

Rezin Tooth lands on January 10 and is one hell of a way to kick off the new decade. Enjoy.

Select Level

Select Level | Select level | 3hive.com
Select Level | Select level | 3hive.com

Seattle multi-instrumentalist Andy Sells has been doing his thing for quite some time, (all in bands that I need to/ will be checking out) including playing bass for Nosretep, drums for Afrocop and being part of the electronic outfit FCS North.

Sells’ new project (with Joel Cuplin, Noel Brass Jr. and Jason Powell rounding out the band) is Select Level. Their upcoming self-titled album is a funktastic, 8 song romp of post-punk meets disco-groove goodness – seriously, these guys aren’t messing around, this is a solid contender for album of the year.

Give album opener “The Race” a spin (below), it’s just a small sampling of the groove packed into this album.

Select Level drops on June 21 and is available for preorder now from Wax Thématique, you should preorder this. We will also have some copies at the 3hive Record Lounge as well. You don’t want to miss this one.

Sam’s Faves of 2018

It’s time for my annual blog post…

Without further ado, my favorite albums of 2018:

Khruangbin Con Todo El Mundo (Dead Oceans)
Durand Jones & the Indications self-titled (Dead Oceans)
Bodega Endless Scroll (What’s Your Rupture?)
Jean Grae & Quelle Chris Everything’s Fine (Mello Music Group)
Janelle Monae Dirty Computer (Bad Boy)
Altin Gun On (Bongo Joe)
Smokescreens Used to Yesterday (Slumberland)
Idles Joy As an Act of Resistance (Partisan)
Low Double Negative (Sub Pop)
Cut Chemist Die Cut (A Stable Sound)

I encourage you to enjoy these on vinyl (link will go here as soon as I get off my butt and update the online store).

And because 2018 offered so much more music than can fit neatly in a Top 10 list, here are my 23 favorite songs of the past year…