Sharing the sharing.
Beach House’s warm-toned, wandering and languid guitars recall the work of L.A. Paisley Underground resident David Roback. Like Roback, Beach House guitarist, Alex Scally, is accompanied by a silver-tongued siren, Victoria Legrand (whose vocals recall Nico rather than Smith or Sandoval). Together the duo produce haunting, psychedelic pop, an appropriate sound, and mood, to usher in autumn. Album and tour hit early next month.
The NBA season is almost upon us and I ain’t gonna lie, I’m a bit nervous about my Detroit Pistons. I guess that’s better than being cocky like I was last year only to rip my hair out as they lose steam in the playoffs. What do hoops have to do with a French DJ/producer? Well, those of you with NBA 2K7 on pre-order will soon find out. This year’s game gives you more than just the chance to watch digital sweat run off Shaq’s face as he shoots free throws; you get a Dan the Automator-produced soundtrack featuring Wax Tailor’s collabo with North Carolina rap duo The Others, “Walk the Line.” A nice cap to a fine year for Wax Tailor (born JC Le Saoût), whose throwback 12-inch “Que Sera”/”Where My Hearts At” — available for free download at Better Propaganda — was followed by a monster debut album, Tales of the Forgotten Melodies. However, in this post, I’m showcasing Wax Tailor’s skills on the remix because that’s what is available for download at his site. I’m particularly fond of the loping “Guns of Brixton” bassline on the Clash Tribute Remix of “Eye Drink.”
Tara Jane O’Neil is a Portland, Oregon-based singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist with a gently persuasive way of convincing you that, even though her heart is breaking, she’ll be just fine. On the just-released In Circles, she continues down a road marked by folksy self-discovery, which sounds awful in abstract. Yet, filtered through O’Neil’s steady voice and accompanied by the simplest of guitar twangs and sonic experimentation, personal revelations become occasions for rapt attention. She’s especially enchanting on the new “Blue Light Room†and beautiful “The Poisoned Mine.†O’Neil is also a wonderfully original visual artist whose work—equal parts playful and foreboding—gives insight into her music far better than a few words might, unless those words are her own.
Sometimes a little sincerity really works. Eric Bachmann avoids irony and anything cute on his recently released album To the Races, and it makes me believe he means every word he sings. Excessively sentimental? Who cares? Think Springsteen’s Nebraska or The Sunset Tree by the Mountain Goats and you’re in the right neighborhood. If you don’t buy the record — and you should, if solid and unapologetically sincere songwriting is your thing — at least shell out a buck for the opening track, “Man O’ War,” which is sadly unavailable for free and legal download.
It’s been a good two and a half years since I checked in with Sprites and what do you know, they’re on a new label and just popped out a new album, Modern Gameplay, this week. They have a bunch of great songs on their site, so I thought they deserved a new posting. If you’re familiar with Jason’s music you know to expect a sweet, nostalgic take on the Breakfast Club Generation. No change this time around (except for his return to riffing out sweet licks on the keyboard), even when he sings about zombies and the end of the world in his tribute to horror-masters George Romero, Sam Raimi, et al. It’s a twisted take on Everything I Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten complete with Korzen’s uncanny ability to write these epic hooks. I’ve listened to that song like thirty times in a row now. Alisa’s ready to put a brick through the computer right about now. Don’t write off Sprites as a band stuck in the past. They’re intimately familiar with contemporary culture. This song, just one example, captures the heartbreak of Generation Blog with deft aplomb.
Taking pop cues from fellow Chicagoans, The Sea and Cake, and tapping into hip-hop’s rhythms (courtesy of DJ White Lightning, whose desert island discs by the way are Fleetwood Mac’s Rumors and Daft Punk’s Homework) Royce delivers up a second dose of everything from introspective campfire songs to bouncy romps praising girls on bikes (one of my favorite songs this year!). They frequently put Chicago’s underground MCs on mic duty to keep things fresh and now. Royce forges music of the future, a pastiche of pop past, present, and tomorrow, launching from where the Slabco family left off. Now if they’d just get out of the Windy City more often…
Just imagine it: a bunch of headteachers from Yorkshire, seeking an outlet from the stress of education and teenage students, gathering late at night in a corner of a school cafeteria, plugging in their instruments and unleashing a torrent of sound rooted in the Animals, the Buzzcocks, and early Sonic Youth. Although in this case, it’s actually a group of six lads from Sheffield flailing away. Fury of the Headteachers, indeed.
The day’s just too damn nice to be sitting in front of a computer. I’m going to the beach. Come with me. If not physically, then in spirit with the sounds of Diminished Men!
My sister-in-law’s family live in one of those farm suburbs outside of Philadelphia. Whenever we visit them we need to drive to a larger suburb called King of Prussia for our “big city” amenities (i.e., first-run movies or non-Wal-Mart shopping). The running joke is, “Come on kids, we’re off to see the King of Prussia!” You can imagine their disappointment when they learn there is no castle, no king — only a mall just like the one they have back home. I mention all this to contrast with the band King of Prussia (from Athens, GA, ironically), recommended by 3hive reader James A.. Unlike the aforementioned mall, King of Prussia live up to the promise of their name with lush, romantic, and, yes, regal pop. In fact, the only disappointment you’ll experience is figuring out how to get your hands on their debut CD, Save the Scene. (Hey KofP, shed some light if you’re reading this.)