It’s funny how everything comes together around the holidays. I was assembling my Christmas-cast last night and wanted something…wasn’t sure what. Then, I check my email to find that Zooey (one Matthieu Beck from Bordeaux, France) has just wrapped up his melancholy Grey Christmas single and, like everything Matthieu creates, is giving it away for free. It fit nicely into the mix, a delicate, flickering little Christmas miracle. That track and his latest full-length, Pique-Nique et Jeux Dans L’eau, are .zip files. So you’ll have to go to Zooey’s downloads page to get your hands on those. However, if you’re looking to escape the weather of the season, we’ve got “Endless Summer on the Beaver Island” with it’s lazy, hazy ode to warmer days.
Sam’s 2005 Year-End List
Sean’s 2005 Year-End List
A Christmas Podcast for You From 3hive
Matt Costa
I’ve been dying to post Matt Costa. And he recently put up one of my favorite songs from his album, “Cold December,” a song that sounds as great in July as it does in, well, December. So just in time for the holidays… Now in the past couple years I’ve watched Matt go from playing my radio show, local clubs in and around L.A., and a small showcase at SXSW to huge ampitheater shows opening for Jack Johnson. No matter the size of the crowd Matt makes fans because A) he can play, B) he’s cuter than 90% of the men in this world which — surprise! — helps with the ladies, and C) he’s got the songs. Mark my words, you’ll be seeing and hearing plenty from Mr. Costa in the zero six. So start now and get used to it.
Feed Me
The Spectacular Fantastic
Sean accused me of being a squatter the other day in his Tessitura post, and he’s not wrong. Silly me, I just forgot about these folksy, rocking, old-fashioned easy-to-sing-along-with tracks from The Spectacular Fantastic. With a name as superlative as that one, you’d think it’d be hard to do — anyway, it won’t happen again. Start with “60 Cycles” and “I Love You,” (both from a fully-downloadable EP on the band’s website), then check out “Winter Song” and “You” (from a split single with the previously-mentione Tessitura). Then, in gratitude for all the free music, shell out a few bucks for The Spectacular Fantastic Goes Underground and start singing along yourself.
Ghostly Holiday Tracks
The Special Guests
I found an old tape in my parents’ garage that I’d made for my brother years ago. While it had Wire and Yello on it, it led me down a train of thought that eventually inspired me to dig out Desmond Dekker’s song “Reggae Recipe,” which naturally led to more ska listening. Yes, it’s been a while since 3hive’s last ska post, so something special was needed. Something authentic, something true to roots of ska, something with a rocksteady soul, and Germany’s The Special Guests are the perfect fit. Plus, they’re the only thing keeping me going after 15 hours at work!