Looks like I’m just in time to have missed the press onslaught, CD release, and U.S. tour (with The Locust) of San Diego’s Sleeping People. I missed their release show at the Belly Up with Pinback (Kenseth, their newest member, also plays in Pinback and Howard Hello). But I’m in time for the band’s downtime as they regroup for their first European tour in March and April. Yes, I’m late. Pardon the pun….I’ve been sleeping! (No, really I have. I woke up at 6 A.M. this morning to jump start the ‘hive after a long weekend). But let’s get real. Very few people can keep up with record labels’ small windows of marketing. And very few people need to (although I admit I sort of try). That said, it’s never too late for great rock and roll. And if you like your with more rock, less talk, and a dash of prog set your alarm to Sleeping People and start your day with a jolt.
Figurines
I’ve been digging through the mail and scouring the net for two hours searching for that something something that will hit the spot. Figurines do the trick. The band’s last album Skeletons recently made it back into heavy rotation here at 3hive’s Southern California HQ, the wood/cork paneled office in my ’70s suburban tract home, so I figured I’d do some nop-notch investigative work on the band’s current status. I struck gold: two new tracks from their forthcoming LP, When the Deer Wore Blue, plus the video for another. At first I was let down by the songs’ slower tempo, but only for a listen or two. The slower the tempo the more they channel a lovely, laid-back Beach Boys vibe (“The Air We Breathe”). The band’s U.S. label, The Control Group, already has the album up for sale, but it won’t be out in their hometown until next month. I’m kicking myself for missing them in L.A. back in October. This calls for an exception to my no-mailing-lists-because-I-don’t-need-the-extra-emails-rule. Sign me up boys!
Hey Girl [MP3, 3.0MB, 160kbps]
The Air We Breathe [MP3, 4.2MB, 128kbps]
The Gang
What does it sound like to have a band of former Jersey prep school kids with great indie DNA joined by a Julliard-trained Icelandic lass? Like a glorious train wreck, actually. The Gang is a Brooklyn-based quintet started by classmates Gary Keating and Rich Bonner, who then recruited Danny Leo (fellow Seton Hall Prep grad and Ted’s little brother), Eva Johannesdottir (not an SHP grad, unless they have a branch in Kopavogur, Iceland), and Patrick Brennan (older brother of Tim in Dropkick Murphys). Yes, they’re all over the place both on the bio sheet and on the MP3s. But don’t worry because that’s the way it’s supposed to be. “One Up the Sun” seems to draw equal inspiration from Gang of Four (perhaps the inspiration for their name as well?) and Billy Joel. And “Sea So” is a cacophonous anthem of screaming vocals, screeching guitars, and a towering rhythm section that barely bothers to keep rhythm. It drives my wife insane even when I listen to it quietly, and that’s more than enough to keep it in heavy rotation on any set of speakers I have that can handle it.
Blackfire
Sometimes I like to follow links from the websites of bands I enjoy to see where I end up. That’s probably how I found Blackwater, but heck if I know exactly how I got to this Native American hard rock outfit. I will say that, after teaching about the Holocaust and the atomic bomb on consecutive days, “Mean Things Happening in this World” seems a totally appropriate song. I’d say that about the recent Michigan primary, too, but then the song would be about stupid things instead. Anyway, go ahead and get a bit heavy with this Woody Guthrie cover offered up by Navajos (hey, I taught about the code talkers, too!) Jeneda, Clayson and Klee Benally. And if you’re looking for more, on the family website you can check out their political action, past albums, multiple awards for Native artists and more downloads.
Kickstart
A wise colleague recently said of the advertising industry, “deep down inside we all just want to be rock stars.” I’m sure he’d also agree with Kickstart’s corollary that “rock ‘n ‘roll is never easy.” Kickstart plays raw and relentless barroom brawl music. Frontman Eric Strickler lights up each anthemic number with gravelly vocals and guitar licks to match. Oh, to be a real rock star.
Wire
So I was just talking in the past week with a rather new friend about our top 5 albums. So I made my list after much internal debate, and when it came to adding Wire, one of my favorite bands of all time, I had such trouble deciding between their albums Pink Flag and Chairs Missing. I ended up going with the former, but Wire is not just musical nostalgia; the old lads are still making music, as heard in the song “23 Years Too Late” below from their November 2007 release Read & Burn 03. Many more free songs available from their website.
The Unsacred Hearts
Joe’s Benji Cossa post left me wondering how to repay homage. Well, it’s only fitting that in discovering Benji Cossa I discovered that labelmates The Unsacred Hearts have a song called “I Am Joe” (their singer’s name is Joe Willie). And that led me on a wild journey through their back catalog during which I fell for their elastic, spastic sound and booze-soaked narratives. So, here’s to both of you Joes…
The Bell
Despite my penchant for cheerful pop I do enjoy moody sounds more than occasionally. The Bell joins fellow Swedes, The Mary Onettes, as another Scandinavian ’80s flashback band with a darker edge. Who am I kidding? The Bell is about as dark as a fluffy white cloud getting between you and the sun. It may throw a shadow, but it won’t ruin your picnic. The Bell is as threatening as anything on the Pretty in Pink soundtrack. The Bell does capture the mood, what you remember as melancholy when your mom made you tear down your Cure posters or when she drove you to the barber to “fix” your self-coifed Tears For Fears hair-do, you may have often experienced as a teenager during the Reagan Years. This is all speculation of course, because really, what would I know about that?? Watch for The Bell’s U.S. release in February, twenty-two years after Andie, Duckie & Co. hit the big screen, on Badman Records.
Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks
There used to be a bunch of MP3’s available for Stephen Malkmus so that you could get a great sense of what the erstwhile Pavement frontman has been up to for most of the last decade — and if you haven’t been keeping up, you’re missing out. We’re down to one: the sprawling, guitarilicious Randy Newman cover (!) “Baltimore,” all 6 minutes and 37 seconds of it. The new album is called Real Emotional Trash and as far as I can tell there is no release date yet, so don’t wear out this stocking stuffer too soon because it may be all you get for Christmas.
The Loved Ones
Sometimes I like to look for songs that include the names of my kids. One of my daughter’s favorites is by Raffi. You know, whatever. I got a hit with The Loved Ones (nice, appropriate), and hey look, they’re even on 3hive! I figured I’d update Sean’s post from ’05 with another free download, “Suture Self,” and let everybody know that a new album’s coming out in February. Rock on.
Suture Self [MP3, 2.8MB, 128kbps]
Sean’s original post: 03/22/05
I know we’re late on this, but if you haven’t done so already, raid the SXSW site for a shload of MP3s (hit the day, then artist links) before they’re pulled. When in Texas, eat like a Texan. So, off to the The Salt Lick for slabs of heaven on earth. After demolishing three rounds of smoked ambrosia, my BBQ buddies dropped me off on Red River Street where I could hear The Loved Ones blasting their brand of stripped down, punk ‘n’ roll for all the world to hear. I scrambled my way up to the front of the stage for their raucous set, fueled by the bottled-up energy of their twenty-seven hour road trip to make the show. Me? I was fueled by brisket. Culinary and musical highlights coming together like magic.