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.
3hive Makes Flavorpill’s F-List
Nick Robin
I recently bought this and this from Insound. The package they arrived in included the usual 2:1 ratio of collateral marketing material to music product. Among the collateral was a small, square glossy catalog/zine. The theme of the issue was “indie rock road trip” and it was actually a pretty good read. However, nowhere did it mention perhaps the best driving-themed song I’ve heard all year: Nick Robin’s “Drive-On”. Nick’s slow, careful folk glows with yearning. And it’s got vibes, which earns automatic bonus points in my book. Go buy the album here. (Many thanks to Lise for the suggestion.)
Links Fixed for The Weakerthans
Early Man
Those of you already familiar with Early Man, “two Pentacostalists from Columbus,†might find it strange to hear them called “quaint.†But that’s what comes to my mind when when listening to the monster, and unapologetically analog, riffs blaring out of these digital speakers. The song names could have come from Black Sabbath, Judas Priest, or early Metallica records, and so could the angry guitar and manic drums. The whole thing takes me back to those Halcyon days when my skater friend got me off the Depeche Mode with an interventionist helping of Ride the Lightning. In fact, Early Man are so earnest about their music that listening to them really is infectious, even if they’re telling me to die a slow, horrible death.