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!
The Nicest Thing Joe Has Ever Said to Me
Deerhoof
I don’t believe we’ve ever tested our readers odd meter. Meaning, how odd do you like your music? What’s your oddness threshold? To some listeners, Deerhoof will sound like Top 40 fodder. Others may find it a bit quirky for their tastes. Deerhoof will make a great gauge. So here’s the test: the following MP3s are listed in order of their palatability. Most palatable, in my opinion, first. Start with “Milk Man” and work your way down, then share with us how far you got in the comments. If all the songs are too odd for your taste, leave a zero; if you get all the way through the songs and are dying to hear more, leave a seven, then get shopping. This much I can tell you, “Milk Man” is gonna make your day. It’s what you’d hear in the Rock ‘N’ Roll Hall of Fame if it were curated by Willy Wonka.
Cassettes Won’t Listen
I just finished posting Forget Cassettes and noticed the next artist in my queue is NYC’s Cassettes Won’t Listen. That’s too much of a coincidence to pass up, so I’m making it a cassette-themed 2-for-1 day at 3hive! Cassettes Won’t Listen couldn’t be more different than Forget Cassettes, except that they’re both good. These cats do sprawling, warm synthy pop epics (some with a beat you can nod your head to). You’d expect the label to read Morr Music — it’s that good — except those fools don’t offer free MP3s (come on, Morr, share a little why don’t you?). Thankfully, CWL’s label Dope Lotus does share. And so do we. Happy Cassette Day!
Forget Cassettes
A swirling, blistering wind blows from down Nashville way… Forget Cassettes toy with a precarious (and ultimately intoxicating) mix of combustible garage rock and precise math rock. As a band, they’re tighter than Jon’s mom’s wig. But what stands out most are Beth Cameron’s agile vocals. Much like the great Polly Harvey — and understand I’m not trying to make a direct comparison here — Cameron’s got character and dynamics to spare. Whether she’s at a whisper or a caterwaul, she’ll suck you in like a tractor beam. Oops, there I go mixing metaphors again. Just listen and figure it out for yourself, okay?
The Boy Least Likely To
It was love at first sight. I was smitten by The Boy Least Likely To as soon as their visual hit. A chronic doodler myself, I have a weak spot for the hand-drawn, kid-art look. They’ve got it in spades. Their musical deck is likewise stacked: simple, twee pop melodies sweetened further with candy-coated lyrics. Pop in its purest form. I’m a sucker for it! (Pun intended). There was one slight problem however. No full-length MP3s were available from the band, just a few nasty, embeded clips. Yuck. But this week the band announced their Christmas presents to the world: this MP3 of “Little Donkey” and a flash game of the same name.
You still need to hear more more songs from the band, so I’ll use this opportunity to announce the pre-pre-beta soft launch of 3hive’s guide to myspace. Few bands can resist the free hosting and instant networking myspace offers, nor should they. Too many times we come across artists who only make their music available on myspace, so we thought we ought to take a stab at whittling down the choices for you.