Summertime rules. And it’s got the best of the 3hive crew as we can’t seem to remember who’s posting when, who’s filling in for who when the latter who’s vacationing. But not even summer can stop us even while it’s trying to melt us all. New music everyday, or damn near close. Today’s selection is Peppertree: soaring, dramatic rock from Québec. A nice interplay between opposites (acoustic/electric, English/French, soft/loud) gives off an air of dramatic tension, without giving into overt thespianism. If you’ve been searching for Radiohead’s French Canadian cousin, you’ve found them.
Birdmonster Leaves Nest + MP3
Relay
Let’s get this straight from the start: the band named Relay contained herein is the one from Philly, not Delaware, Jersey, England, or (for cryin’ out loud) Utah. This Relay is a purveyor of shoegaze updated for the new millenium. Well, perhaps not that updated, but Relay are putting out some fine shoegaze in our current millenium, reminiscent of those shoegazer stalwarts from the early 90’s, Drop Nineteens (who were from Delaware, even though this is NOT the Relay from Delaware). Relay’s Type/Void EP is out on Bubblecore on August 8th.
The Hourly Radio
I get the same funny feeling in my tummy listening to The Hourly Radio as I did when I first heard Placebo. Or when I eat four packages of Ding-Dong’s then wash ’em down with a Big Gulp Coke. It tastes good instantly. I get all sugared-up and heady. But just like I keep putting away the Ding-Dong’s, I play The Hourly Radio over and over, singing along, straining to reach the high parts, and pulling off over-dramatic gestures as I pretend I’m on stage with the band. See, the problem is they’re catchier than any band should be allowed with lyrics teetering on the brink of cliché, and prance-along fun in that faux-British, just-this-side-of-pretentious way. You may think I’m being a bit flip . But I am serious. Just like Sam and I were dead serious dancing around to “Come Home” ten years ago in my basement. (Wait, I wasn’t supposed to tell anyone about that was I??) Welcome to my new guilty pleasure.
Jonah Matranga
Jonah Matranga is a veteran of a diverse set of rock bands (Far, New End Original, Gratitude) going back about 15 years. Jonah has now taken to the punk ethic (if not sound) of roaming the globe with a guitar and an amp and a book of intimate songs—both originals and interpretations of personal favorites. Jonah recently stepped out from behind the Onelinedrawing moniker he’d been using for his singerly/songwriterly work. Which makes sense: with music this approachable, we ought to be able to call him by name. “How Does Life Go?” is a heartbreaking yet catchy tune from a recent Welcome Home Records comp. “A New England” is a slightly Americanized rendition of a classic by one of the great living punks-roaming-the-globe-with-a-guitar-and-an-amp, Billy Bragg. If you’re digging, you should check out Jonah’s split 12-inch of covers with Frank Turner, who covers “You Are My Sunshine” and The Lemonheads “The Outdoor Type” on the flip.
Languis
Hmmm. I’ve been somewhat bored with music lately. Slow stuff is really getting to me. I saw Radiohead in LA a few weeks ago, and while it was a good show (“Paranoid Android” was awesome!), when the stagehands started wheeling the piano out, that was my queue to sit down. I just fly through my old lady’s iPod on shuffle. Boring. Next. Boring. Next. Boring. Next. Maybe it’s due to my advancing years, but I need something with some zing to it, some energy! Of course I say that and here I find myself digging out LA’s Languis. Their drive to create electronic music with real instruments is intriguing, as are their frequent releases, their impressive list of contributors, and their musical histories. Which because I’m sick of writing, I’m going to make you read for yourselves at the links below, after listening to “In The Fields of (Lonely Fences)” from their Other Desert Cities EP.
Hexes and Ohs
Listening to “Alive Until Saturday Night” by Hexes and Ohs made me want to pull out my New Order albums from high school and get back into that groove again, but of course, they’re on vinyl! Like I have a turn-table… besides the one I got for my 12th birthday in 1983, which is probably in my parents’ basement somewhere. For better or worse, their other downloadable track below, “This and Other Distances,” calls to mind Death Cab for Cutie rather than the sounds from when sequencers were young. Hexes and Ohs, a Montreal duo with an ’05 album, Goodbye Friend, Welcome Lover, and maybe another coming soon, are another great suggestion from Dawntread (she sent us Canasta from last week).
The Aquabats
The Aquabats are the only band that I saw before having kids (1995 to be precise) that my kids have also seen. That happened just a few weeks ago thanks to 3hive’s own Sean. The very day we were visiting him and his family was the same day the Aquabats were playing nearby in a cul-de-sac for someone’s birthday party. When the kids got to take a photo with the Aquabats before the show, little did they know what was in store: the costumes, the comedy, the monsters, the satire, the mosh pit, the silliness, and the pool party accessories. In the last 9 days, they’ve listened to the full album 42 times. And watched the “Fashion Zombies” video 38 times. Aquabats, you have some new cadets!