Here I was, sitting down at the computer, relatively late at night, at least for me, wondering what on earth I was going to do about 3hive, when into the suggestion box came an email suggesting Ford & Fitzroy. One quick listen and my problem was solved! So enjoy the crisp, psych pop with the pleasantly unsteady vocals. Not to be confused with this guy.
New music from Haley Bonar
The Fatels
Sure, the UK’s The Fatels are starting to get some buzz, as they say in the biz, but boy I am a sucker for their distinctly London-eque, pounding punk/post-punk pop. Especially refreshing is knowing that only three people made all this racket! More downloads available on their sites below.
The Acorn
Look, I’ve got a house to clean but I still wanted to share The Acorn today. So, how’s this: if you’re inspired by what you hear, write your own post and add it to the comments section. I’ll send my favorite guest poster(s) a 3hive prize pack. Cool? Okay, now, where’d I leave the Swiffer…
Maher Shalal Hash Baz
Maher Shalal Hash Baz primarily consists of Tori Kudo, a Japanese composer/musician who has been making somber dissonance for nearly two decades now. The name comes from the Book of Isaiah and roughly translates from Hebrew as “To speed to the spoil, he hasteneth the prey.†As lesser preached Bible passages go, it ranks up there for me with “It is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.†But I digress… Kudo doesn’t just make messy music—he appears to these ears to be a true inventor of improvisational balladry. “Different Daylight†sounds at first like an early rehearsal in which the instruments are all being played by Kudo at the same time. But at the center of that clash of horns, strings, guitar and other odd noises is the steady, knowing voice of Kudo himself, like a tour guide through a sandstorm. He has said of his own music, “Error in performance dominates MSHB cassette, which is like our imperfect life.” Yes, but if you listen to “What’s Your Business Here, Elijiah?†(sorry, Domino isn’t down with the free MP3 tip) you’ll find that imperfection can sound pretty close to perfect after all.
Air
Clay’s posting of this A.I.R., (and his direct mention of the French Band) got me thinking about when I first listened to Air. If you take one of Chicago’s Green Line el trains west out of downtown in the early evening in spring, right as things start to thaw, you’ll see a bunch of old watertowers on the tops of warehouses silhouetted in a huge, wide blue sky, and they look like trees about to bud out and bloom in the warmth you’ve been waiting for and know is coming. That’s what they looked like to me, at least. And if you listen to Moon Safari, Air’s 1998 release, for the first time while admiring the watertowers, “La Femme D’Argent,” the first track, will sound cool and fresh and full of hope. In fact, it will sound that way forever, in my experience. Ever since, I’ve enjoyed the pretty, soothing grooves offered up by this French duo; “Once Upon a Time” apprears on their latest release, Pocket Symphony, due out in about a week.
El Perro Del Mar
Sarah Assbring is a Swedish woman, from the very musical city of Gothenburg, who records as El Perro Del Mar (which translates to “The Dog of the Sea”). I don’t think “ass” means the same thing to the Swedes as it does to us Americans, but nonetheless, she has the voice of a person who has been through… something. This pick definitely falls into the “3hive better late than never” collection, since her album has been making the rounds for some time now and before the album she was collaborating with Jens Lekman, but its time now. High time. El Perro Del Mar is all about keeping it a little offbeat–she has a non-traditional voice (haunted, a little rough, singing like she’s *this close* to a breakdown even when she’s singing “lalalalala”), she’s old school in a way that not many are these days and she named herself “El Perro Del Mar”–but she’s also really tethered to the ideal of making music that people want to, and love to, listen to. Bonus points for the sweetest little animated music video that side of the Atlantic. Seriously, I dare you not to like this video. I double. dog. dare. you.
Sister Vanilla
Props to Clay for digging up the Super 5 Thor gem! Speaking of The Jesus & Mary Chain…after ten long years the Reid brothers have made nice and have invited us all to their family reunion—including Jim and William’s sister Linda. We heard Linda on The Jesus and Mary Chain’s last album, Munki, and all I can really say is it’s about time. It’s about time the Reid brothers are back (along with TJ&MC alumin Ben Lurie), and it’s about time they get their sister in on the act. Her whispery delivery fits so well with her brothers’ fuzzed-out pop songs. The family recipe has been around for years, but it’s never sounded so fresh.
Super 5 Thor
In May 1996 I wrote this in grid magazine about the Super 5 Thor song below: “The Space side’s “Superstar” is a brilliant example of Super 5 Thor’s delicate Velvet Underground-meets-The Jesus and May Chain brand of rock. Sparse, vibrato-tinged and soaring guitars and drugged-out vocals that the Reid brothers can be envious of are backed up by simple, steady drumming.” After many years of hiatus, Manny and Scott are getting the band back together! Actually, Super 5 Thor wasn’t really a band. Manny and Scott had been in the Miss Alans together in Fresno, California, my wife’s hometown (she was a fan), but by the time they got around to Super 5 Thor, they lived in different states and traded tapes in the mail. So until they get going again, enjoy “Superstar,” with Manny’s permission, and also check out their only live performance on KCRW’s Brave New World. It’s what’s kept me going all these years.