Sometimes I’m absolutely stumped about what to write about a particular artist. Complete writer’s block. That’s not the case with Eagle*Seagull. A laundry list of bands they remind me of, and are likely influenced by, are tumbling around in my skull, waiting for someone to just open the door. In this case, I think any one of them would cheapen the listening experience. I will say this: the band’s seven members strong, they’re from Lincoln, Nebraska, and a large majority of our 3hive audience is really going to like them. Props to DoCopenhagen for the tip.
Belle and Sebastian
Look, we don’t worry ourselves with being “first” on anything. 3hive’s about sharing, not competing for some cool trophy. But damn are we late on this one! Shame on us! I know Clay’s gonna be kicking himself for missing this. Sam too. If you were unaware of the forthcoming Belle and Sebastian album (The Life Pursuit, in stores February 7th), enjoy its first sounds. If you’ve already got your hands on the whole thing, memorized all the words, and saw them in Scotland last week, or this week in England, well, you’re cooler than us. Believe me, that ain’t hard.
North Atlantic Explorers
Seems like whenever I need it most, there’s something waiting in the ol’ Suggestion Box. Not just something (there’s always something), but something right for me and my everchanging mood. This morning was no exception. Right at the top of the pile was a suggestion from Garret: Vancouver, B.C.’s North Atlantic Explorers, aka Glenn D’Cruze and his many instruments. There’s more music where this came from but this particular track is drowsy, optimistic, and gorgeous — just what I needed to ease into an otherwise overwhelming week. So thanks Glenn (pictured)! Thanks Garret! And thank you, trusty Suggestion Box!
No Trigger
I came across No Trigger while doing business with their drummer, Mike. He was too modest to mention his own band, keeping everything aboveboard, business-like. Respectable. But I gave him an earful when I finally heard his band — you can talk up your band without hyping it up ad nauseum. A rare skill, but possible. No Trigger has given me an earful ever since. I’ve got a soft spot for scream-a-long punk rock. It got me through adolescence, kept me awake on road trips, and lately it’s been paying the bills (full disclosure: I’m employed by No Trigger’s record label). I’m uncomfortable with any self-serving promotion (ah, I understand Mike’s reticence), but I’ve been listening to and loving No Trigger a lot lately. And it was time for a little dose o’ punk rock around here.
Liz Durrett
Liz Durrett inhabits her songs with the sweet melodies and savvy longing that make Chan Marshall and Beth Orton such naturals with a guitar and a naked vocal. Her enveloping arrangements (helped along, no doubt, by her uncle and sometime producer Vic Chesnutt) will wrap you up like a cotton blanket on a cool Southern evening, much like labelmates and fellow Georgians Azure Ray. She’ll make you feel like she’s singing just for you. And she has good taste in cover material too, offering up numbers by Lou Reed and the West Side Story soundtrack here and more on her website.
Trace Wiren
When the tunes are coming out of Salt Lake City, it’s hard to resist a little comparison: “I’m a little bit country, I’m a little bit rock and roll.” Trace Wiren has that in common with Donny and Marie, that’s for sure. However, she’s also a little bit folksinger, a little taken with the blues, and a whole lot fresh. Download “Trouble at Home” now and start preparing your summer roadtrip mix.
New Seedy Gonzales MP3
Free MP3s From Bleep
Tender Trap
Apologies to you, dear 3hive reader, for slacking on the job. Tender Trap, an ecletic pop band whose members have been in too many great indie bands from the past to name them all so I’ll just say Amelia Fletcher is the heavenly voice behind Heavenly, and their label Matinee Recordings have dispatched with the free MP3s. No more sharing the sharing. Well, they used to share MP3s with us, but here I was, sitting on Tender Trap, just biding my time, thinking I had all the time in the world until, alas, I was too late. Or so I thought. Thanks to Spain’s Elefant Records, the driving electro synth pop of “Face of ’73” can be shared with the world, albeit in crappy 80kbps, for which I also apologize. Just think of it as really good AM radio.
Jel
Chicago-born, Oakland-based beatmaker extraordinaire, Jeffrey Logan, aka Jel, is “a man whose heart is equally divided between the clouds and the streets.” Jel made his way out West with his trusty drum machine, the SP1200, and forged an entire sound and label — Anticon — with his driving passion and skills. And just so you know, he’s a master at the SP1200. He was one of the very first to play the drum machine live as an instrument, with little or no sequencing. Judging by these two tracks, Jel’s forthcoming album, Soft Money, promises to be a monster. Not since the city of Bristol unleashed a little band called Massive Attack has any collective threatened to take hip hop to yet another level. Another FYI: Jel’s also a member of Themselves, Subtle, and 13 & God. If you couldn’t tell, we’re fans.