Pet Politics
As I spent this weekend in NYC for the big wedding, I was able to get in a lot of quality iPod time on the subway and walking about (we don’t walk much back in Michigan). Just as I ducked out of the bitter cold wind into a subway tunnel, this lovely, VU-esque pop song came on labeled “Pet Politics – In My Head.” That’s all I knew at the time. When I got home, I did what I always do in these situations: I searched through my old email for “Pet Politics” and found a note from one Magnus Larsson (dba Pet Politics) of Gothenburg, Sweden, sent back in August 2005 asking me nicely to listen to his music. Well, Magnus, I did…eventually. And, while “In My Head” is no longer available, 3hive readers, here is a quaint Robyn Hitchcock-esque songs about ghosts that I may like even better. Unfortunately, blog/label Catbird has since sold out of his extremely limited edition EP, released late last year. If you want to hear more, check out *sixeyes’ interview with Magnus for a couple other downloads or go to the Pet Politics MySpace page.
Micah P. Hinson
I probably shouldn’t call attention to the fact that this post is very late. Maybe I’d be able to sneak it in at the eleventh hour, literally, with little fanfare. But Sam, Clay, Shan and Joe all know I’m late because we just had breakfast this morning at Veselka in New York and Sam straight up asked me, “Sean, aren’t you going to post today?” So my secret was shattered over a plate of raspberry blintzes. It was the largest gathering of us 3hive kids since we started this thing up. We talked shop and helped Joe finish off his potato pancakes. Anyway, my apologies to anyone who noticed the lack of new music for the better part of the day. You’ll find it was worth the wait with this “country-noir” track from Micah P. Hinson. Jade Tree is thankfully re-issuing Hinson’s debut EP, The Baby and the Satellite and will be shedding new, well-deserved light on this young Texan. His album from last year, Micah P. Hinson and the Gospel of Progress was one of my favorites, and seemed to make more noise in the UK than here in the States. Here’s hoping folks start catching up.
Black Twig Pickers
Today’s post is dedicated to Serge and Sabrina, who today will marry in a Manhattan loft overlooking the Hudson river. Serge’s taste in music splits pretty evenly between ’80s one-hit wonders and old timey bluegrass. Sabrina’s…well, let’s just say her request list for the wedding mix included this song. So, in their honor, I’m going with the banjo and fiddle. Congratulations, S+S!
Rocky Votolato
With a name like Rocky Votolato, I was expecting disco covers, not classic folk-rock — acoustic guitar, harmonica, brooding lyrics, scruffy cheeks and the long gaze. Ah, I shouldn’t make assumptions based on the guy’s name, especially with that Italian ring to it. Did you see those ads in the paper, around the time of the Alito confirmation, blasting people for calling him “Scalito,” claiming that was ethnic bigotry? 3hive doesn’t need that kind of attention. Anyway, Rocky’s an old-style singer-songwriter from the PNW, and “Portland Is Leaving” is the prettiest sad song I’ve heard in a long time. “Love’s a trainwreck, you’re a mistake…”
Thanks to everyone for pointing out the bad links…
These songs are only downloadable directly from Barsuk’s website. Sorry.
Play It As It Lays #228
SXSW is in the Ear, er, Air
American Analog Set
Seriously now, how did we here at 3hive miss out on American Analog Set for so long? My commute home was extra long due to rain, so whilst trolling through my MP3 player in the car, I settled upon AmAnSet. I couldn’t find one of my favorites, “Hard to Find,” but since I knew I had it somewhere, I hit the computer once I got home. So after checking my collection, I didn’t see “Hard to Find” there, so I hit their website. All this time I’m wondering to myself if AmAnSet has made it to the pages of 3hive. Somehow, some way, we missed it. For those of you who love AmAnSet like I do, enjoy. And for those of you who do not know AmAnset, enjoy.
Spinto Band
Props to Shiv and Mike over at WOXY.com for turning me onto the Spinto Band. Actually, let’s talk about WOXY.com before we get back to the music—after battling the economic realities of internet radio for a couple years, WOXY.com is turning to its listeners for support. Their goal is 7,000 members to keep the music streaming. If you’re already a listener, subscribe. If not, start listening and if you like what you hear, subscribe. Sure the internet puts power in the hands of the people, but those hands gotta be generous and help foot the bandwidth bill.
Back to the Spinto Band—they’re a bunch of East Coast boys with ties to the Mississippi delta and who like a little rhythm to their pop. “Crack the Whip” is a close runner up to what I consider the most danceable pop track from last year, Of Montreal’s “Wraith Pinned to the Mist (and other games).” And since Beulah called it quits, the Spinto Band make for a respectable replacement in the post-Elephant 6 world. Keep your eyes and ears peeled for an upcoming tour with Arctic Monkeys and a new album for Bar-None in the near future. Oh, and more props to *Sixeyes for unearthing the MP3s.
Wooden Wand
I never really cared for the meandering freak-folk outfit Wooden Wand and the Vanishing Voice. To be fair, I haven’t listened to everything they released — if I had that much free time I could finish my Master’s degree — but what I did hear seemed to require an accompanying prescription to hallucinogens to be appreciated. So it’s strange that I even stopped to check out founding member James Toth’s solo record. But I did and I really dig it. Toth seems to have holed himself away from the world, or at least his cumbersome collective, and stripped his mystical and spiritual meditations down to their hypnotic core. Even his moments of self-indulgence are done with humor and innocence, such as his “okay” vocal tick on this track. I may be able to join this cult after all…