The May Bees
This one’s hot outta the suggestion box. And by the way, let me just say we completely appreciate anyone who takes the time to send in a tip. I know we can take a long time to get to things, but it’s the nature of the proverbial beast that is an inbox jam-packed with music. Alright, on to The May Bees—primarily a dutch duo, guitars and drums (with what looks like a rent-a-bassist), who keep their rock stripped down and ferociously lo-fi without losing an ounce of listenability. They also keep their top myspace friends to a minimum (just four), revealing obvious influences/mentors/kindred spirits—a quadraphonic godhead of American indie rock really—Guided By Voices, Grandaddy, Sonic Youth and The Pixies. And what separates The May Bees from many of the micro-indie bands we cover on this site, is that they’re making a respectable run at touring, especially considering they’re coming across the Atlantic to do so. This is a call for our Canadian, East Coast and Mid West readers to pencil in The May Bees when they come through your town and give ’em a warm North American welcome courtesy of 3hive.
Christopher Willits
Hot on the heels of his release with with Brad Laner (ex-Medicine) as North Valley Subconscious Orchestra, Christopher Willits drops this blissful solo album. Each track features layers upon layers of dreamy vocals, soaring guitars, and chirpy synths that keep washing over you until your mind is completely free. Call it shoegazer, call it stargazer, call it what you will. Just make sure you call it up on your iPod to keep you warm inside this fall.
Jeremy Enigk
Jeremy Enigk’s solo debut, Return of the Frog Queen, is more than a decade old now, but it still sounds as groundbreaking as the day it came out. Enigk gave a visceral new dimension to orchestral pop by bucking accepted wisdom: Where most took the opportunity to turn rock into chamber music, Enigk converted chamber music into breathtaking anthems full of sound, soul, and fury. Shortly after, Sunny Day Real Estate released How It Feels to be Something On, one of the best rock albums of the ‘90s, if not ever. Enigk’s cryptically searching vocals seemed to sing duets with sprawling guitar wails, making it sound much larger than anyone had come to expect from an indie rock outfit. The “rumor†(in college, anything with religious undertones automatically became uncorroborated and vaguely suspect) was that Enigk was in crisis but had been born again, and this was his grand purge. Whatever the motivation, How It Feels… sounded like the album I’d always wanted to hear and I still listen to it at least once a month. Which brings us to the aptly titled World Waits, Enigk’s second solo album and two bands removed from his debut. The cheesy thing to say would be that it’s been worth the wait, but the truth is that it has. “Been Here Before†is a perfect sample of where Enigk has found himself. His two lives – the orch-pop wunderkind with the most distinct cracked tenor in music meets the indie-rock frontman of intense introspection – intersect beautifully. Enigk’s secret is that he is capable of grasping for something beyond himself. Yet, like the more emotionally dramatic moments of Pink Floyd (Wish You Were Here) and the universally reflective side of U2, Enigk doesn’t need to know what it is he’s grasping for. He’s happy just knowing that there’s something out there to grasp.
The Low Hello
I’m hoping the Detroit Tigers will put on a better show in the coming days than they did Tuesday night. Yuck, that was ugly. What’s not ugly from Detroit are the sounds of The Low Hello and their lead singer Sunil Sawani, featured in the post below. (Sunil’s voice isn’t exactly pretty, but that’s a comment for the next post.) We haven’t posted much from Detroit lately, so these low-fi, homemade pop songs — comprising The Low Hello’s EP, which they apparently give away for free at their gigs, as well as online — should make up for our D-town dearth. Anyway, if you like what you hear here, move on to the next post…
Sunil Sawani
…and check out some of the solo work of the band’s lead singer. (If you don’t know where the first part of the first sentence is, direct your Internet browser to The Low Hello. See what I mean?) Sunil Sawani’s solo stuff sounds similar to that of his band, maybe with a bit more intropection and melancholy, but still with his weak, nasal voice (that was kind of getting to me after a while). But hey, according to his website, Sunil is getting married on Saturday, so let’s not pick on him. Instead, let’s hope it doesn’t snow (assuming he’s marrying in Michigan).
Serengeti
Remember back on Saturday when I posted Polyphonic the Verbose? Man, those were the days… Anyway, Chicagoland MC Serengeti guests on Polyphonic’s album and I found myself wanting to hear more. And more is what I got this week in the form of an email from Serengeti’s publicist. Get your “rewind” finger ready, if only for the ill shout-outs on “Dennehy” (yes, as in Brian Dennehy). Here’s a taste: “Vacation place: ‘sconsin, sausage: Johnson, chicken: Swanson’s…”
New MP3 + Album from Dosh
Tim Fite
He’s a little bit country; he’s a little bit rock ‘n’ roll; he’s a little bit hip-hop. He’s straight outta Brooklyn. He’s Tim Fite. Basically, Mr. Fite builds songs around hip-hop loops and beats, infusing the tracks with folk’s lyrical sensibilities. “Away From the Snakes,” for example, follows country’s song template: “I lost my dog, I lost my wife, I lost my money.” Then, on “No Good Here,” he’ll fracture an upbeat, diddy-of-a-riff, with rock’s explosive power. Consider him Beck’s East Coast brother-in-arms, ten years later, but mining the same, largely untapped source of urban-folk gems. If cursing offends, beware. If cursing delights, dig in.
The Blood Thirsty Lovers
With that fancy new banner we got here at 3hive, prominently listing Memphis first, it’s about time we got around to something Memphis, ain’t it? Who can be more Memphis (besides Elvis, smarty-pants) than Dave Shouse, in this carnation with friends as the Blood Thirsty Lovers? Shouse is well known round these parts for Think As Incas, the Grifters, and Those Bastard Souls, among others, and his lifelong devotion to guitars and noise. And speaking of Elvis, did I ever mention that my mom taught his cousin 7th grade math?