CSS is short for cansei de ser sexy, which is Portuguese for “tired of being sexy.” Tell me about it! I’d discourage anyone who’s just sick and tired of being sexy from listening to CSS. Their playful, decadent, chocolatey dance beats are sure to get even the most tired or uptight to drop everything, kick off their shoes, and start movin’ and groovin’ and droppin’ clothing all over the room. Where’s my lady when I need her!?!?!
Supersystem
Supersystem belt out saturated pop experiments that explode in a cacophony of colorful sound like homemade fireworks on the Third of July – y’know, because you’re too excited to wait for the Fourth. Any of these earnestly analytical numbers (“White light, white light!/what butterflies are made of!â€) is perfect music for kids in the gifted/talented program (is there still such a thing?) who just can’t stomach what Disney Radio is feeding them. Then there’s “Everybody Sings,†which, apart from being the most emphatic social outcast song this writer’s heard in a good spell, with its mega-dubbed chorus, vaguely surf-rock guitar and amped afro-beats takes current Top 40 sensibilities to a gleeful extreme. It’s like something that Justin Timberlake might record…if he was freakin’ awesome!
Canasta
Some bands are made up of those who fled organized education at the first chance possible, while others are just a bunch of math majors. Canasta has got to be one of the latter. Suggested by Dawntread at the University of Chicago (need I say more?), Canasta taps into a Chi-town vibe with melodic, witty and intelligent chamber-pop. For something upbeat, enjoy “Slow Down Chicago,” and glide along with its tastefully muted horn line. For introspection, “Shadowlands” could have been written by heartbreak kings Ben Folds or Mac McCaughan, but wasn’t.
Prototypes
Depending on where you stand on the infamous World Cup headbutt, you could dedicate this punchy little number to Zinedine Zidane because, unless my French is nonexistent (which, actually, it is), the title translates to something like “I don’t know you,” which seemed to be the clarion call of commentators and journalists around the globe. (Did anyone else get tired of the ABC TV commentator repeatedly call the hit “vicious”? Overly aggressive? Yes. Ill-timed? Absolutely. But it seemed clear that Marco Materazzi A) took a dive, and B) said something pretty, ahem, unsportsmanlike…but I digress.) Luckily the Prototypes, who apparently are huge in France and have recently joined Minty Fresh stateside, don’t specialize in downtrodden numbers—there’s a “yeah yeah yeah” callout in English on this track—so we can look at Zizou’s antics with a little levity and maybe practice some fancy footwork, and headwork, of our own.
My Brightest Diamond
Ypsilanti, Michigan, usually has trouble measuring up to its neighbor to the north, Ann Arbor. The bar and restaurant scene is less vibrant, the clubs a bit dirtier, and Eastern Michigan University is no U of M, period. The brightest spot, perhaps, is Materials Unlimited, a salvage shop extrordinaire, filled with eclecticism and rare gems. And so, the analogy should be obvious — the music of former Ypsi-kid Shara Worden, a.k.a. My Brightest Diamond, is like something out of the finest architectural antique shop. Her stylized and orchestrated pop experiments are structured compositions, full of nuance, and her voice reflects he Pentecostal church choir childhood. Too bad for Ypsilanti she moved to New York. Her debut ablum on Asthmatic Kitty, Bring Me The Workhorse, comes out August 22nd.
Holy Shit
I remember as a kid, when I’d get caught cussing, I’d defend myself by saying “but I was just quoting someone…” So I’m just quoting when I say, “HOLY SHIT!” I mean, that’s the group’s name—how can I talk about them without saying it. As in, “HOLY SHIT” this is a match made in heaven for a goofy pop sucker like myself: Matt Fishbeck of the now-defunct LA indie pop group the Push Kings and the one and only Ariel Pink. Matt sings like a dream, while Ariel is able to leave his unmistakable sound through beats, bass, and other various vocal “enhancements.” The result is something the band would call “special” (this time I’m putting it quotes because I am in fact quoting). “HOLY SHIT” they’re right…
Midlake
Midlake’s debut album, Bamnan and Slivercork, has spent the last two years flying well below the radar. Not as quirky as Grandaddy and less pretentious than Radiohead, Midlake gently nudged their way, sonically and alphabetically, between those two bands in my music collection. With the recent unveiling of their new album, The Trials of VanOccupanther, in stores July 25th, Midlake won’t be able to avoid the spotlight for much longer. For the most part they’ve ditched the keyboards replacing them with more guitars, acoustic and electric, as well as more vocals. The resulting sound boldly embraces the country/folk rock of the mid-70s as Midlake channels the likes of The Eagles and Fleetwood Mac. Midlake wears their influences on their sleeves while managing a classical, button-down sound all their own.
*A note on the downloads: with the exception of “Roscoe” all links point to .zip files containing the MP3s so you won’t be able to preview them directly. They’re all worth downloading. Trust me.
Over The Rhine
Another guest post (I’m trying to be on vacation). This one’s from Sean M. in New Hamburg, Ontario. I thought it appropriate that a Canadian school us on an American group this 4th of July.
Here’s a group that I think fits well on 3hive under the “throaty female vocalist with a passion for storytelling” genre. She’s supported by her extremely kind and poetic husband on piano, and they’ve got something like thirteen albums under their belts. They started out recording songs on their kitchen floor by themselves and a grassroots kind of feel continues through their recordings. Over The Rhine’s live shows really define them for me, though—I’ve seen them the past few years playing in these dark, hot summer nights where they’ll play for a good hour and a half or more, then come out and do an impromptu jazz session, or a fantastic cover like “Moondance”. They have this great, gentle blend of country, folk, cabaret, jazz and pop. Just a true understanding of great Americana-type music. And that’s coming from a Canadian, so if I can appreciate it, anyone can!
Unfortunately many of their best songs don’t seem to be online—a little disappointing considering the really solid songs I hoped to share, but still some good ones here. The first is a great studio recording, the other two are live performances from a new, limited edition live record.
The Long Winters
The Long Winters are long overdue for an overhaul on the ‘hive. They were one of the first five original posts, back when we were just so excited to be live, sharing music that we loved, we’d post a micro-review of the band, and move on to the next one. So more background on The Long Winters: it’s the brainchild of John Roderick along with a revolving cast of musicians. Roderick’s an Alaskan native living in Seattle, so there’s lots of talent to tap up there. Producer Chris Walla and Ken Stringfellow (The Posies) are among the many who have put up with Roderick who’s a self-proclaimed “little grouchy Napoleon” (and I don’t think he means of the Dynamite variety). Says a lot about his strength as a songcrafter—that he attracts that caliber of musician. Musically he’s a little bit folk, a little bit psychedelic, like Apples In Stereo caught up in A Mighty Wind. You’ll get caught up in the music and the charming earnestness of his vocals and lyrics.
*Note: Go to The Long Winters site to get hi-fi versions of the 48kbps MP3s. He asks nicely not to link directly to the files, so we won’t. He’s got Merlin Mann running his site, and you straight up don’t want to mess with that guy. He’ll get you done.
From Putting the Days to Bed (Coming July 25, 2006)
Pushover [MP3, 2.4MB, 128kbps]
From When I Pretend to Fall
Blue Diamonds [MP3, 1.3MB, 48kbps]
Stupid [MP3, 1.4MB, 48kbps]
From The Worst You Can Do is Harm
Carparts [MP3, 1.4MB, 48kbps]
Scent of Lime [MP3, 1.4MB, 48kbps]
Original post: 02/17/04
A sampling of favorites from 2003. That ’60s album.
Bedroom Walls
Self-pigeonholed as “romanticore,” L.A.’s Bedroom Walls are equal parts dreamy and playful. Raised in the suburbs, guitarist and songcrafter, Adam Goldman says the band tries to recreate the schizophrenia of his high school mix tapes. “You just love what you love without thinking too hard about classifications or sub-genres…I wanted to get all of that—the anglo-pop of Squeeze, the mythic pre-tensions of Led Zeppelin, the druggy bombast of Floyd, the teenage narcissism of the Smiths.” That should peak your interest. Busy making your summer mixtapes? We love a good summer song and “Your Idea of a Holiday” is just a gem.