Every once in a while, something pops up in my inbox and completely catches my eye. In this case it was the music of two Parisian musicians who improbably have same first name and last initial, who have referenced Neil Young in their band name and who make music that is alternately sober and peppy. Even if I didn’t harbor closet francophilia, a tendency toward melancholic-yet-oddly-upbeat music, and and a predilection for bands with “Hey” “My” “Clap” or “Ra” in their titles–they still would have had me at the opening of “Too Much Space”. I hear they will soon be descending upon the states for a tour and that is good news indeed–these guys make me feel like I’m gonna be able to gloat about knowing about them first.
Pet Politics
Magnus Larsson, as Pet Politics, is the Swedish Jeff Mangum. Fortunately for us, Magnus is presently recording music, unlike the reclusive founder of Elephant 6’s Neutral Milk Hotel. I don’t mean to say that Pet Politics is a copycat, but while Magnus’s songs stand on their own, they also share the best traits of NMH, as in haunted, bizarre lyrics, pleasantly-driven pop, and that sturdy, powerful lead vocal with a unique cadence. The song below is a b-side to a limited 7 inch pressing on the London label the Great Pop Supplement. More songs available for download on the myspace page.
Jack Peñate
I run the risk of dating myself, my better half specifically, when I report that upon hearing “Second, Minute Or Hour” she promptly compared Peñate to The Housemartins. An apt comparison. It’s the frantic, breathless delivery, the quick, jangly guitars, they heavy accent, and the playful lyrics, although Peñate lacks the acerbic subtext of many Housemartins’ songs, a fact Peñate is more than comfortable with. In his bio he says, “I like stuff that’s soulful, happy and intelligent—and I don’t like music ironically.” I should mention Ted Leo in an effort to bring a more recent artist to bear on the comparison. Another recent artist (and XL labelmate), RJD2 contributed to the song “Learning Lines.” A fine pairing when you’re working towards a soulful and intelligent sound. Jack Peñate’s making quite a stir in the UK, with the press and the young ladies in particular, but when the masses here in the U. S. of A. consider American Idol to be soulful and intelligent, Jack Peñate may fly undeservedly low, avoiding the radar, when his album touches down here next month.
Pale Young Gentlemen
Orchestral pop is nothing new, but Madison, Wisconsin’s Pale Young Gentlemen manage to have fun with the genre by adding some theatrics and wit without overdosing on irony (though their cellist is, despite the fairly band’s descriptive name, a woman). That’s about all I have to say, as every other reputable music blog has already beat us to the punch.
Band of Horses
We just got this e-mail from Jared and Stacey Schwartz, and they’re doing this neat thing with a new website, AudioExposure. For every song that visitors add — preferably with a free & legal link — the Schwartz crew is donating a dollar ($1.00) to Critical Exposure, “a DC-based non-profit which teaches students to use the power of documentary
photography to advocate for school reform and social change.” How cool is that?
In looking through the 70+ songs that have already been added, I noticed that Jen from Chicago had posted “The Funeral” by Band of Horses, which leads me to today’s B of H update. When last posted, band of Horses was a recent addition to Sub Pop, with a few demo tracks available for download. Today, I can offer “Is There A Ghost,” the opening track for their latest album, Cease to Begin, as well as “The Great Salt Lake,” and the other links are live and well. The band is touring the US and Europe over the next few months, and that’s about it. Check out AudioExposure and have a nice day!
Is There A Ghost [MP3, 2.7MB, 128kbps]
The Great Salt lake [MP3, 5.4MB, 160kbps]
Original post: 09/01/05
These demo tracks from Horses — or is it Band of Horses? Even after digging around on their website, I’m not sure… — are pleasant and pleasantly genre-defying, hence the Pop/Rock catch-all designation. Try “Funeral” and “Bass Song” for an idea of the cross-section of their ’70s and ’80s influences. Led Zepplin? New Order? Maybe I just need more sleep… Anyway, hopefully the Horses found much audience love on their recent tour with Iron and Wine, and will complete their Sub Pop debut soon.
Mikrofisch
Mikrofisch is our first entry from the Hamburg net-label, Komakino. Their album, Masters of the Universe, represents the label’s first full-length release (the band’s second) and you can download it, in its entirety, here. Mikrofisch formed with the intention of covering The Smiths, but left their first recording session with four original tracks and “a brilliantly intimate lo-fi version of Morrissey´s Everyday Is Like Sunday on fourtrack.” Five years later Mikrofisch remains brilliantly lo-fi, and brilliantly playful, but from what I gather, this long distant recording duo (London/Hamburg) backgrounded their guitars around 2003 and opted for a synth-based sound. The first song, “Drum Machines Will Save Mankind” serves as a kind of mission statement for Mikrofisch in their understated quest to take over the musical universe: “Make a beat so we can dance, make the kids form bedroom bands.” Then Mikrofisch sets their alliances, forming their own Justice League of Indie Rock, in the tongue-in-cheek “Let’s Kiss and Listen to Bis” (hip, indie reference help). The band name drops some of their favorite bands and sounds circa 1995: Teenage Fanclub, Dinosaur Jr, Afghan Whigs, Sonic Youth, Twee, and an allusion to the now defunct March Records (“Keep Sparky’s dream alive…). Finally, it’s the micro-epic “The Kids are All Shite” in which Mikrofisch battle the current UK indie scene including HMV, NME, Coldplay, Keane, Kaiser Chiefs, Kasabian, Jet, Razorlight, their clones and fans. Delusions of grandeur? Perhaps, but Mikrofisch’s small and simple sounds are brimming with enough hooks and wit to bring their great dreams to life.
Causes 1 – Darfur Charity Album
For 90 days starting Tuesday, November 27th, the Causes 1 charity album will be available on iTunes. Three relief organizations — Doctors Without Borders, Human Rights Watch and Oxfam America — will receive 100% of the proceeds, earmarked for relief in Darfur, Sudan. The album is the inaugural edition in a Causes series offered by Waxploitation; the brief window of avilability, according to the label’s founder Jeff Antebi, is designed “to create a sense of urgency – to mirror what is a dire situation in Darfur.” Participating artists: Animal Collective, The Black Keys, Bloc Party, Bright Eyes, Cornelius, The Cure, David Sylvian, Death Cab for Cutie, (International) Noise Conspiracy, The Shins remixed by Clint Mansell, Spoon, Teargas & Plateglass, Thievery Corporation and Travis. A limited edition CD can also be pre-ordered at the Waxploitation website, listed below. Happy Thanksgiving, everyone.
Freezepop
What do 80’s electronic dance popsters Freezepop have in common with the Dead Kennedys and the Sex Pistols? They’ve all been included in the video game Guitar Hero!
Life has been good for Freezepop since we first posted about them on 3hive in July of 2004. They’ve been included in said Guitar Hero game that the kids love so much, and they’ll soon be in some MTV game (I’m not so good with reading to the end of press releases), but they sure keep pumping out the 80’s inspired electronic pop. So let that be a lesson to all you young bands and kids just playing Guitar Hero out there; keep doing your own thing, and maybe you, too, will someday be featured in Guitar Hero XXVII.
Original post July 7, 2004:
In their own words, Freezepop is “hip enough for hipsters but nerdy enough for nerds.” That pretty much says it all.
Chris Walla
It’s a rare day that this kind of pop is considered a threat to national security, but then, these are strange days we live in. Apparently, a “data hard drive containing critical album files was detained by US Customs. The drive was held “to be analyzed” for several weeks on its way back into the US prior to final mixing of the album.” Well, as a mention of the band Death Cab for Cute simply hurls me backwards to my collegiate days of angst and Chuck Taylors–I’m glad the music pulled through. Chris Walla, DCFC guitarist/producer, despite some strange customs officer’s sentiments, is not making “contentious” music, its true. But I’m always ready to don my Chucks, emote a little and listen to something perty.
Service Group
Service Group songs start like any other indie pop song, then suddenly the ’70s era Top 40 guitars and choruses come roaring in, and its awesome, like when Datsun became Nissan. Service Group remind me of Boston the same way Ben Folds might remind you of Elton John, and that’s a good thing.
-Pei Yen (guest 3hive writer)