Saxon Shore
This is a guest post from 3hive junkie Amber North:
I caught these guys a few weeks ago in little Bowling Green, Kentucky where I attended college. I was confused because we never got any good bands to play there, but somehow, miraculously, Saxon Shore made it to town. It was beautiful, loud and instrumental. Can’t go wrong with that. Made me not feel so bad about missing Mogwai back in March, and that’s saying a lot. Â
Sufjan Stevens New MP3
The Bronx Grip O’ Death
Bedroom Walls
Self-pigeonholed as “romanticore,” L.A.’s Bedroom Walls are equal parts dreamy and playful. Raised in the suburbs, guitarist and songcrafter, Adam Goldman says the band tries to recreate the schizophrenia of his high school mix tapes. “You just love what you love without thinking too hard about classifications or sub-genres…I wanted to get all of that—the anglo-pop of Squeeze, the mythic pre-tensions of Led Zeppelin, the druggy bombast of Floyd, the teenage narcissism of the Smiths.” That should peak your interest. Busy making your summer mixtapes? We love a good summer song and “Your Idea of a Holiday” is just a gem.
Books on Tape
Books on Tape is actually just one Todd Drootin (should that make it Book on Tape?), current resident of Los Angeles (where I’ll be landing tomorrow, by the way). Todd was raised on punk, but was then hooked by electronic music and hip-hop as he began making music. The result: “beatpunk,” as coined by Todd himself. The energy and spirit of punk, expressed through electronics, very deliberate and focused, not as brash and concussive as say Atari Teenage Riot or Les Georges Leningrad.
The Isles
Ever since I came across their compilation Tracks For Horses back in ’03, I’ve been a big fan of the Manchester label Melodic. That CD alone introduced me to Pedro, The Earlies, Psapp, Minotaur Shock, Micah P. Hinson and a slew of others. So I keep close tabs. Melodic recently announced a rare American signing, The Isles from New York City. Melodic tends towards electronic artists, so again The Isles are somewhat of a rarity for the label. Their debut album, due July 24th in the UK and on iTunes, is rooted in acoustic guitar. The Isles songwriting depends heavily on, well, songwriting. “We wanted to write songs that didn’t rely on volume or delivery to have an impact,” says Andrew Geller, singer and guitarist. “The traditional ‘campfire’ test is a great tool—does this song translate with one guitar and one voice, in the middle of the woods?” It is, and yes, the songs do hold up. The band’s influences are easy to hear, and I’ll avoid the obvious comparisons. Know this, their Manchester-based label is a fitting geography for The Isles acute take on the jangly, indie-pop music that consistenly flows forth from the city.
Alice Smith
This angel of Brooklyn has more vocal range than any one woman should be allowed. Just check the difference between these tracks — one straight sheet schmoovin’ and one straight blues beltin’ (and one remix for good measure). Plus, she’s got that “I don’t really know how sexy I am” sexiness to her. Her debut is set to drop September 5, 2006 in hard copy form but can be downloaded in full at eMusic NOW. Be still my heart.
Damon Huss
The following post is courtesy of my co-desk jockey, Jerod:
There were two kinds of American indie-rock/college rock in the 1980s—the bands that everyone knew, R.E.M., Camper Van Beethoven, Husker Du, et al. Yeah, I know, those bands were yours. You were there first. Before everyone else figured out how great they were. But then there was that awful night in 1987, you were walking past the local lame-fraternity/sorority bar and from inside you heard a group of drunken idiots singing every word to “It’s the End of the World As We Know It” at the top of their lungs. That was rough.
Lucky for you that you kept a secret stash of bands under your bed for just such an emergency. Bands you could still claim as yours, bands like Let’s Active, The dbs, Dumptruck, Love Tractor. Those doofuses from fraternity row will never get their hands on these bands. These bands are true, still slugging it out on their own terms, still making music for no other reason than to make music. These bands never let you down.
If he were around 20 years ago, Damon Huss would have been part of your secret stash. But he’s here today to keep a tradition alive of American indie rock that never aspired or cared to be anything more than indie rock. Like his underground heroes, Damon rolls the 8-track and throws it all out there for you in all its ragged, jangly, droney, angular, glory. The songs take their time and deliver on their own terms. I have no idea when this was recorded, it could have been yesterday it could have been 20 years ago. Whenever it was recorded, let’s just be thankful that there’s still an honest and great songwriter out there writing in a style that was pretty much forgotten after the underground heroes of the ’80s turned off the tape machines. So here’s Damon Huss, go get him, go hide him under your bed. He’s all yours.
The Gray Kid
Never timid on the mic, The Gray Kid (born Steve Cooper) unleashes the sexy falsetto and back-pocket rhymes over some giant beats. Kinda like a Pharrell for the Silverlake set. Like that means anything to most of you…don’t worry, Ann Arbor, you’ll like him, too. As CD Baby customer reviewer Tim Bones says: “Joint is flavorful. Makes you want to impregnate your local librarian.” And for the Sunday afternoon version, go to The Gray Kid’s unplugged MySpace page.