The venerable Volebeats have been around since I was in high school (which is long ago enough to warrant the term “venerable”). They were the default local opening act for every tour that came through Detroit. They were alt country before alt country was cool. Their old singer, Terry, had black teeth and sang songs about dating women in their 50s. So they were doing that before it was cool, too. Anyway, their new album, Like Her, demonstrates even greater confidence and maturity, even if their teeth are a bit whiter. It comes out on July 15 or you can download it now through eMusic. (These tracks are from their Country Favorites record, just so’s you don’t get it twisted.)
Matson Jones
Among the many classic moments from Woody Allen’s Take the Money and Run (my intro to Woody Allen) is his character, Virgil Stark, attempting to play a cello in a marching band, bumbling along a parade route with a chair and his cello, never able to get situated long enough to play a note as the band marches along. Well, Matson Jones is my intro into cello-based rock ‘n’ roll. And they save the cello from the geek heap that Allen left it in. There’s a definite Morphine thing going on here, with cellos in place of the saxophone and Exene Cervenka-like vocals. What these tracks are lacking in MP3 quality, they make up for in vibe.
Antony and the Johnsons
One of the nice things about a new job (note to self: update bio page) is all the new music you get to hear through your new co-workers. This week, as part of New Music Tuesdays, Andrew brought in Antony and the Johnsons’ exquisite I Am a Bird Now. Antony has been tagged with the same “freak folk” moniker as his pal Devendra Banhart, though I’d call it the transexual blues and add that he sounds more like Nina Simone than Woody Guthrie.
Sparrow
Time for some band genealogy: more than a decade ago, drummer Jason Zumpano stole singer/guitarist Carl Newman from a covers band and formed, simply, Zumpano. Their debut album, on Sub Pop, Look What The Rookie Did, is pure genius. Easily one of my favorite records of the past ten years. See, while too many bands haphazardly claim to be influenced by The Beach Boys’ Pet Sounds, Zumpano is one of the few that make the influence count. After two records Newman and Zumpano went their separate ways and formed The New Pornographers and Sparrow, respectively. It took me a while to track down Sparrow, but it’s been worth the wait.
Cute (That’s Right, I Said Cute) Jens Lekman Video
King Apparatus
It’s a perfect time to post the pleasant early-’90s ska-pop of Toronto’s King Apparatus. For the past few days, we’ve been lounging on the lovely shore of Lake Huron, pushing my daughter and her cousins around in the kayak and threatening to send them across the lake to Canada if they didn’t eat their hot dog buns. Assuming we ever did manage to send the kids that far in the boat, just like “Michael and Anne” we’d have to come up with a seriously good story for the cops.
Forest Giants
Just because we all contribute to 3hive doesn’t mean we like the same bands. Jon’s got a thing for prog rock that I just don’t quite understand. Sean has his SoCal punk roots, but these days how bland is that? Joe, a Northerner, likes country! As for Shan, don’t get me started. That leaves Sam, and his lifelong obsession with Billy Bragg (likeable enough, as long as I don’t have to listen to him). But we all share common loves. Sam and I, we loved the Beatnik Filmstars. Forest Giants is the new band of Tim Rippington, formerly of the Beatniks, still cranking out beautiful noise, a la the Beatniks’ Laid Back and English. Mundane Sounds’ Volume Four Sampler includes Forest Giants and 14 other bands, all available for free download. And as for me, well, I’ve got impeccable taste!
Foreign Born
Somewhat of a misnomer, Foreign Born are from right up the way in Los Angeles, although they do have a certain anglophilic atmosphere about them. Turn the clock back twenty years and I wouldn’t be surprised to find them palling around with Echo and the Bunnymen.
Baby Teeth
My introduction to disco funk and AM gold came at a rec center ice (not roller) rink in Oxford, Ohio, where I was more focused on learning to let go of the sideboards than I was on honing my critical ear. So I have to admit — and I think I’m in good company here — a soft spot for a lip-biting groove, syrupy synths, and falsetto back-up vocals. Oh, and an extroverted frontman with ridiculously romantic lyrics. Baby Teeth have all those ingredients in place, right down to their lead singer, Pearly Sweets, whose delivery lives up to his name and wrings any suspicion of irony right out. In fact, as his tender a capella vocals kick off the ballad “Mandy” with “Mandy…Mandy…Mandy…you make me feel like a dandy…”, I can feel my palms getting all sweaty in anticipation of the PA announcer saying, “Snowball…”
Tiger Baby
I’ve always maintained the theory that no matter what kind of music you grew up listening to, you can find it, recreated somehow, someway in a current band. However, whether or not you’re open-minded to it is another story. Some people get stuck in the past and are happy to be there. Those who don’t read 3hive. So it finally hit me who Tiger Baby remind me of (and I can’t wait to play it for my wife, Alisa, who’s a huge fan of): Claudia Br�cken and her projects Propaganda and Act. Tiger Baby represent faithfully the heart and soul the aforementioned bands injected into ’80s synth pop. We’ll see if my hypothesis holds when these tracks end up in Alisa’s iPod.