Jason Russo was in Mercury Rev around the time that the be-yoo-tee-ful Deserter’s Songs was released to much joy. It shows all over “Safe As Milk,” a euphoric guitar hymn that could be called “indie gospel” (see also The Polyphonic Spree, The Flaming Lips, Spiritualized, and of course Mercury Rev). But that was five years ago and it’s telling that their latest, Hopewell & the Birds of Appetite, is classified on iTunes as “rock” whereas The Curved Glass was “alternative.” With a self-contained riff that’s a close relative to Nirvana’s “Rape Me,” horns with a mind of their own, and drums bigger than the space between your earbuds, the euphoria finds an edge that’s more suited to Saturday night than Sunday morning.
Big Strides
The agressively jazzy feel of Soul Coughing? The vocal dexterity of Sublime? The funkiness of really old Chili Peppers? I’m not sure what I’m digging so much about the sound from the British trio Big Strides, or even if my fascination will last past the first snowfall here in Michigan. For now though, these boys have the bump I’m looking for. Check out “Strangely Inclined” to see if you are as the title suggests.
MP3s From New Twin Atlas Album
Numbers
NPR a few months back had a big piece on Mr. Moog, you know, the electronics wizard who a million bands owe a great deal of thanks to for his wonderous synthesizers, keyboards, and other musical instruments, if we can call them instruments. Turns out it’s pronounced Moog as in “toad”, not as in “moo.” Numbers, the band, are also indebted to Mr. Moog. This San Fran outfit churns out catchy tunes driven by pulsating keyboards, with a quirkiness that can be better understood by imagining Kraftwerk coming of age in the City by the Bay, where a bit of eccentricity is required by city ordinance.
Oh Yeah, the New Podcast
New Titles Added to 3hive’s Library
Pyramid
I’ve been sitting on this one for a while now. Note I say “sitting on,” not “sleeping on,” which is an important distinction because it means I’m more of a jerk than a slacker. Unlike many of the emails we receive in the ol’ suggestionbox(at)3hive.com, I actually downloaded these songs mere moments after Ryan recommended the Charlotte, NC-based octet. So here I’ve been, soaking in their smoldering, headphone-friendly country goodness lo these past couple months without even telling my closest friends about it. Please accept my apologies and let me make it up to you by providing you with a direct link to purchase their fine debut, The First American, as those Amazon and Insound links below probably won’t help much until they land a label or distribution deal.
New Against Me! MP3 + Amoeba In-stores
Self
Back it up about 10 years when Sam, Jon and I were all being paid for what we do now for free, a young man by the name of Matt Mahaffey was also, theoretically, getting paid for what he now does for free. His collage of organic and digital instrumentation, pop and hip-hop sensibilities, and his playful use of harmonic and discordant elements won us over immediately. Self was an essential artist in our soundtrack of those days at Acme. With Jon’s usual sarcasm, he remembers this time as “misty watercolor memories.” It took a loyal 3hive reader (thanks Josh!) to bring us full circle, back to Self. While selfies.com offers a veritable smorgasbord of free tunes, here’s a brief sampler of his classic and newest works. “KiDdies” was a literal hit on my nightly radio show in Salt Lake City and a great Halloween track, “So Low” and “Cannon” the singles from Self’s first album. The rest are from his most current album, this year’s Porno, Mint & Grime.
The Deadly Snakes
Propers to Grant Lawrence for kicking off his latest CBC Radio 3 podcast with this sad, pretty gem from The Deadly Snakes. The format switch from honky tonkin’ garage to straight-up freeform is official with their latest, Porcella and I’m officially okay with it. On “Gore Veil” you’ll hear Donovan or Love or Neil Diamond, but what’ll stick in your head is that recorder (or is it flute?) melody line just begging for a Wes Anderson movie to call home.