Len Monachello was the bassist for Thisway, which signed with Reprise in the waning days of the major label indie land-grab of the ‘90s. They released one critically well-received but publicly underexposed album and recorded another that is yet to be released. The same thing happened to Wilco around the same time and on the same label. The name of that album was Yankee Hotel Foxtrot. Just saying. Anyway, Monachello has no misconceptions about the business of making music, which could be why he’s so good at the craft side of it. The Brooklyn-based singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist has a mellow, reflective voice that speaks to experience and a way with instrumentation that, as they say, goes easy on the ears. Fans of Elliott Smith, Badly Drawn Boy, Joe Henry and Ron Sexsmith should clear some space on their iPods, as should the rest of you.
Hands Down Eugene
Hailing from Nashville, uh Indiana, Hands Down Eugene is yet another of the fine acts featured on Delicious Berries, MusicalFamilyTree.com‘s cool compilation of Hoosier bands. MFT had the entire Hands Down Eugene EP Full Blast available for free download, so here it is. With a rotating cast of musicians and a little weirdness thrown into the pop-rock mix, there’s probably something here for everyone.
Play It As It Lays
Hit The Switch Album Part 2
The Autumn Project
No, summer ain’t over, but the kids are back in school, which means it’s essentially autumn. Des Moines, Iowa’s The Autumn Project and their post-rock sounds, then, provide us with our first assignment of the school year. Their 2003 LP Fable is a case study in the genre, full of monsterous guitar soundscapes and crashing cymbals. Their latest A Burning Light is darker and more focused, as demonstrated by doing a little compare and contrast between “Of Memorium” from Fable and the newer “Between the Smoke & Mirrors.” Five paragraphs, double-spaced. Due tomorrow.
New Mexican Disaster Squad
Over the weekend I ran into an avid 3hive reader, Rick R., who first blamed us for the recent departure of sizeable chunks of cash leaving his wallet in exchange for music we’ve posted on the site. I love hearing that. Then he complained, good-naturedly, that our Punk section was all over the place (which 3hive genre section isn’t??). I love hearing that as well. When I asked him what persuasion of punk most buoyantly floated his boat he mentioned New Mexican Disaster Squad. Ah yes, a new generation of classic, old-school punk. Musically, punk has moved beyond the early sounds of Minor Threat and Black Flag, so much so that, with the exception of just a few bands, music like this, fast, angry and completely skateable, has been relegated once again to the margins. Fine by me as long as bands like NMDS keep keepin’ it real.
The Screaming Eagles
This is not the screaming eagle from the beginning of “The Colbert Report” (though I hear he’s got a Christmas album in the works). This is a Vancouver, B.C. outfit who play fiery instrumental pop inspired by “pre-shitty Weezer” that’s good enough to not require lyrics…though I sure would love to know the story behind some of these song titles. Their debut album, Enemy Gold, is available at shows or — as wonderfully quaint as this may seem — by emailing the band members individually and making arrangements.
New Jolie Holland MP3s Added
G. Love
I’ll be honest. I’ve let G. Love drop off my radar. It’s been a long while since I’ve chilled out with a cold beverage tapping my toes along with G. Love’s white boy Philadelphonic blues. He’s sweetened up his new album, Lemonade, quite nicely with Blackalicious and Lateef on my favorite track, “Banger.” Perhaps you prefer a twist of Ben Harper, or a pinch of Donovan Frankenreiter. G. Love’s got a posse and they’ve set up their lemonade and blues stand just in time for me to drop some quarters on a refreshing, late-summer cool-me-down.