Remember a few weeks ago when I gave you some music that my pal Lisa had recommended? Well, she’s done some more spot-on MP3 hunting, and rather than give my own take on it, let’s hear directly from the woman herself. Take it away, Lisa…
Everyone loves love. We really do. We love us some love. And because there simply aren’t enough misanthropic recluses out there who can’t find other humans to care for their sorry selves, there is a truckload of songs made to feel how we feel. And that’s great. Really. It’s great. That said, it was breath-of-fresh-air time when I finally to listened to Hello Saferide – a guitar-playing Swede who’s a little nutty, a little neurotic, totally self-conscious and, OMG, she’s not even a little bit afraid to be such a girl.
Hello Saferide wishes her ex-lover the very worst on Valentine’s Day, she hopes you keep your socks on in bed because, well, she’s still scared of feet, and she knows that “somebody” ordered too many drinks last night and “somebody” reckoned that dancin’ on the bars was all right. Yep she’s a total mess, but she delivers her personal brand of nuttiness with such quirk, flare and snark that I’m right there with her. It’s nice to hear someone feeling how SHE feels, not how she thinks the rest of us will. And somehow, underneath all of that idiosyncrasy and Hello Saferide-ness, it’s all totally relatable.
Since 3hive’s own Sam lived in Tahiti for a short time and speaks French, I almost feel like I’m stealing a Sam band, a la 
I recently rekindled a new friendship after googling an old friend. Except this wasn’t a friend from high school or college, it was a friend from the old hi-fi: Mitch Easter. Mitch Easter gained recognition for his production skills in the early ’80s producing R.E.M.’s first single, “Radio Free Europe,” and their first two LPs with Don Dixon. And thinking back to my own history as a music fan I don’t remember which came first for me, R.E.M. or Mitch’s band Let’s Active. I do remember that Let’s Active played a key role in formulating my taste for pop music. Smart, snappy, and cheerful without being sappy Let’s Active helped forged the template for American indie pop while flying mostly below the radar. Constant line-up changes, usually coinciding with changes in Easter’s relationships, occurred throughout the band’s one EP and three album history. Mitch has kept busy over the years as producer, working with everyone from The Connells, Dinosaur Jr., Superchunk, engineer, Pavement and Ride, and as guitarist extraordinaire (the two tracks from Shalini feature Mitch on guitar. Shalini currently plays bass in Mitch’s band). Coming across brand new music from Mitch Easter was an unexpected and thrilling surprise. He’s still got it. He’s like the King Midas of pop music. Everything he touches sounds like gold. Watch for his first release in eighteen years, Dynamico, in the next couple months on 
Really simple, almost childlike arrangements revolve around a single line or thought, some delicate piano, flute, etc., and the irresistible layered voices of Swedish songbird Helena Sundin. Makes for exquisite bedtime music. More MP3s where these came from…follow the links below.
Slumberland Records changed my life. My first Slumberland purchase was the compilation Why Popstars Can’t Dance, which introduced me to Rocketship, whose 7″ “Hey, Hey Girl” I have completely worn out. My second Slumberland purchase is still the most prized piece of vinyl that I own: Henry’s Dress “1620.” (My failure to obtain the Henry’s Dress/Rocketship split single released on Slumberland in 1996 and re-released in 1999 still haunts me.) Slumberland also introduced an entire new world of bands to me, many of whom have been my “favorite” band at particular points in time. The aformentioned Rocketship and Henry’s Dress, plus 
Some bands are just Clay bands, whether or not he posts them. Upon first listening to The Asteroid #4, I catch that British re-invasion vibe that make Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, Brian Jonestown Massacre, and the 
This one’s been sitting on the back-burner for too long. An enigmatic little label releases the first solo record (a double album!) from prolific songwriter Matthew Friedberger, one half of the brother/sister duo The Fiery Furnaces. Part 1 of the album, Winter Women, as represented by the first download, is a more hooky, melodic affair with plenty of spacey textures Furnace fans will appreciate. Spontaneous speaking in foreign tongues inspired part 2 of the album, Holy Ghost Language School, and expectedly embodies the weirder, more experimental tracks such as “Do You Like Blondes?” Possessed or collected, Friedberger continues to compose songs that will both trip you out and get you singing along.
I originally wanted to make this a topical post a couple weeks ago when the Dems took the power back. Now the gag is a bit dated. It’s just been that kind of month for me… But good music is good music and The Elected make good music. Their textured folk-pop stops time and encourages introspection. The Californian quartet is fronted by 
Today, we sail South down the Pacific Ocean to New Zealand to tune into Over The Atlantic—a couple young lads recording music that’s completely unhip compared to today’s standards. I mean none of the kids are doing this. As far as I can tell, most of the 
After featuring