This CD’s been staring me in the face for months. Staring up at me from the bottom of a towering stack of albums on my desk at home. Exactly why it took me so long to listen to it remains a mystery (I’m scared of alliteration? I became accustomed to it acting as a foundation to the mess that is my desk?). I mean I like cookies, especially since my friend Jennifer gave me this exquisite recipe for oatmeal chocolate chip cookies, and I couldn’t resist another day. So it’s time to share the sharing as Casper and Co. have been very generous with a scrumptious batch of songs. The best way to describe Casper & The Cookies is kitchen sink pop because they’re all over the place. They seemingly worship a great variety of pop idols. Wonderful moments of The Beach Boys (“Summer Spider” ), Big Star (“Sid from Central Park” ), XTC (“Little Lamb”), Violent Femmes (“Oh!”) and The Damned (“Take It Away, Kathy”) all manifest themselves in the songs. And in “Kroetenwanderung” the band literally turns to the kitchen for its instruments, snapping green beans and slamming cupboards to create an organic loop that provides the rhythm. Casper & The Cookies, like their name suggests, are playful, yummy and delightfully irresistible.
Monster Movie
Don’t let the name fool you. Monster Movie plays music antonymic to its moniker. Now I won’t spend too much time comparing Monster Movie to their guitarist’s old band, Slowdive, but wow it’s as if someone awoke Slowdive from an extended slumber. But see, they’re still drowsy from their nap. In a sort of been-there-done-that move Monster Movie dropped the wall of guitars from an eleven to a five or six. Fear not shoegazers, you still get a liberal dose of dreamy, lush, blissed-out pop, along with the occasional dance-floor number like “Driving Through the Red Lights.”
The Folk Yous
Some cats, like Sean and Clay, were just born with good taste in music. Me? I took the long way, which included a phase of schlock rock—most of it consumed on 8-track. Now some of you youngsters won’t remember the delight of plugging an 8-track cassette into the player and listening to the sweet sounds of REO Speedwagon and Journey. Which means you also won’t remember how songs would fade out midway through the bridge, allowing the cassette to jump tracks with a clumsy “ka-chunk” sound, then the song would fade back in as if nothing had happened. It sounds as though Athens, GA’s Julie Dyles and Courtnie Wolfgang do remember those good ol’ days. Or they’ve at least developed a fondness for the power ballads of that era. Their covers of Asia, Jouney, and REO classics are earnest and well-honed, if a bit difficult to sing along to without falling back on old habits…
Finest Dearest
A year or so finds San Francisco’s Finest Dearest a little more raw and angry, muscially at least. (Carly’s new e-mail was very much as pleasant as the last one, though. Thanks.) Both new tracks off their upcoming 7″ are tense, energetic, argumentative, confrontational and really good listening material. I can’t wait to hear their next message in our inbox.
We’re Making a Sound 1 [MP3, 5.1MB, 160kbps]
March into Flames [MP3, 4.3MB, 160kbps]
Original post: 09/15/05
Carly from Finest Dearest left a nice e-mail in our Suggestion Box recently (nice because she acknowledged that we receive a lot of suggestions) and so here is San Francisco’s Finest Dearest. Yes, Carly, I do like these two songs, particularly “Idaho,” which reminds me of being in high school again for some reason, in a good way. Your classic indie-rock sound is like comfort food, you know? Mashed potatoes or p.b. & j. or whatever it is for each of us. Oh, and good luck with the debut of your EP Pacemaker in a few weeks. If you ever hit the big time and make it to Detroit…
Cola Wars
First, let me welcome any visitors who got the 3hive tip from the recent Michigan Alumnus magazine. (I’m happy with the photo they ran of me in the ‘UM alum bloggers’ article, as it hides my double chin fairly well.) And although today’s post reflects a band affiliated with my other alma mater, the University of Chicago, I encourage any suggestions of good Ann Arbor bands to share. Anyway, Cola Wars. Complex rock orchestration and whiny geek vocals. Social Thought or Math majors? Either way, totally interesting and fresh.
Out of Clouds
More Swedes, anyone? Gotheburg’s Out of Clouds play an arena-pop that can only come from being raised on ABBA and ’70s AM radio (do they have ’70s AM radio in Sweden?). Sharp licks, sweet hooks, and vibrant harmonies usher in their second EP Into Your Lovely Summer, which seems only appropriate as ours starts to slip away.
Strike Anywhere
Twenty-five years after MTV declared the death of radio by airing The Buggles’ video for “Video Killed the Radio Star” Strike Anywhere reiterate the sorry state of radio and pop culture in general, not because they’re trying to build their own corporation however. Just the opposite. They wail out “anthems for a new world disorder” questioning mainstream media, consumer capitalism, war, and politics as usual. Young, pissed, and/or a Nader-supporter? Then you need Strike Anywhere in your life. Maturing punks longing for the anti-establishment strains of first generation punk bands should likewise take note.
The New Sound of Numbers
Odd, rhythmic, friendly pop that strays just slightly off course from its Athens, GA/Elephant 6 roots. Here’s the quick geneology: The New Sound of Numbers was founded by Hannah Jones, percussionist for Circulatory System, which is the band W. Cullen Hart formed after Olivia Tremor Control broke up. And Olivia Tremor Control, well, that’s where the Elephant 6 reference comes in. (Scott W. told me once I tend to assume everyone’s following along, so for you slowpokes here’s a handy Elephant 6 history lesson.) The debut album, called Liberty Seeds, is due out in October 2006 on Hart’s own Cloud Recordings.
Teddybears
For all intents and purposes summer’s coming to a close real quick. Sweden’s Teddybears drop a late entry for Summer Song of the Year with “Cobrastyle” featuring Mad Cobra on vocals. Mad Cobra flavors the track with highly addictive dancehall rhythms and resurrects Kid Rock’s “Bawitdaba” (who knew that song could be salvaged??) in the process. Other guest vocalists on the album include Iggy Pop and Neneh Cherry (drop by their myspace page for her contribution). Either of those songs make for a perfect soundtrack to this season’s closing credits and should easily get your party started.
The Black Neon
I have to admit I’ve been squatting on this one for a while. Leaving a blank post in ol’ Movable Type just to keep my 3hive colleagues from posting The Black Neon before I do. But blank posts aren’t a very effective way of sharing the sharing, so here goes… The Black Neon’s first full-length is called Arts and Crafts. It’s a regular appetizer tray of styles, as evidenced by these two tracks — one a nostalgic psych-pop ballad, the other a searing electro-rock instrumental. And there’s even more goodness if you dig deeper on the album, which I’d love to play for you in its entirety but that’s your job now, isn’t it?