Sean’s not the only one talking about South by Southwest. The New York Times — one of the hippest, most progressive indie-friendly rags out there — mentioned Album in its coverage of SXSW. What a score! On the Monterrey (Mexico) band’s website, everything they’ve ever recorded is available in MP3 form, and a lot of it is wildly fresh and inventive. The sampling below starts with a suggested listening sequence supplied by the band, as well as a few more selected tracks that aren’t half bad either. Enjoy!
Dooley-O
If his medium of choice were finger-picking or field hollering, hip-hop pioneer and graffiti advocate Dooley-O would have long since been immortalized by NPR or the Smithsonian as an influential folk artist obscured by the wrong time, place, and people. Instead, he’s quietly amassed a hype discography of one night stands with various shoestring labels. Well, here’s to one night stands…of the audio variety, of course.
Below the Sea
If you’re looking for bright, pretty, upbeat ambient sounds, choose song #1, “Let It Happen.” If you’re looking for dark, pretty, slow ambient sounds, choose song #2, “Accord Final.” If you’re looking for more of the ambient sounds mentioned above, choose from the substantial discography of Quebec trio Below the Sea.
The Aluminum Group
I’m an idiot. My brother had borrowed my turntable, and while he had it I was just jonesing to listen to Wire’s “Another the Letter” from Chairs Missing. So he returned it, I got it all hooked back up (or so I thought), put the Chairs Missing album on, pulled the needle over and…nothing happened. There was no spinning of the vinyl. I spent a half hour messing around with the darn thing before I realized that…get a load of this…I hadn’t plugged the power cord in! Power restored, I also threw on Severed Heads’ Come Visit the Big Bigot and Modern English’s After the Snow. I could have just listened to The Aluminum Group’s “Motorcycles,” a near perfect blend of the best of those two bands’ sounds, and saved myself some trouble.
Hot Hot Heat
For those who like your heat hot hot — and you know who you are — help yourself to a couple MP3s from the forthcoming Elevator. For those who like your heat canned…ahem, well, here’s to you.
Anna Fermin’s Trigger Gospel
So, my wife and I are taking our daughter on her second trip to Chicago (or “Ka-goh,” as she likes to say) a week AFTER Anna Fermin’s Trigger Gospel plays at Schuba’s, one of the greatest bars in the whole world. I bet the kid would love Anna’s clear vocals and rootsy country-rock (in fact, she’d probably say “better,” in comparison to something else that wasn’t as good). I’m not sure if they’d let almost-two-year-olds in, though.
Big Betsy
I know it’s not actually St. Paddy’s Day just yet, but it’s a perfect Irish day here in Memphis. Cold, about 40 degrees, with a stiff, strong wind that goes right through you. There’s also a light rain that comes and goes. Like I said, a perfect Irish day. Since I lived in Ireland for a few years, I go a little overboard with my celebrations, wearing my 1996 Ireland national soccer team jersey to work and forcing my family to wear entire outfits of green. Another way to celebrate is going to hear Big Betsy play at Murphy’s Pub, and if this song ain’t Irish, I don’t know what is.
Ilkae
Had they offered up even one full MP3 I’d be reviewing this right now. Just as well, Ilkae suits my need for chilled-out electronic sounds just fine. I’m not talking about the soft-bellied glut of easy-listening Musak(TM) that’s out there these days passing as chill-out music. I like mine with just enough twittering clicks and clacks to keep things interesting. Ilkae’s golden like that, without overpowering their gentle, cinematic melodies.
Lorna
Leslie (last name protected to prevent stalking) is one of those angels sent from heaven masquerading as IT support. She floats through the hallways with a skip in her step and a song on her lips. Her first question is always, “When do you need this?” And, while her office looks like an ER for abused laptops and fried hard drives, she’s as good at chill conversation as she is at virus removal. Now that I’m in our decidedly more DIY Detroit office, I count new ways to miss her each day… Anyway, I discovered Lorna a while back when I left my laptop with Leslie for some kind of unscheduled maintenance and it came back with a couple “bonus” tracks on it (see what I mean?). Appropriately enough, the Nottingham-based Lorna have an angelic quality to them as well: wistful and utterly gorgeous boy/girl harmonies strung carefully over rich, heady, and often surprising orchestration. There are even more MP3s on the band’s website (requires free registration), but if you want to hear the two tracks that started this whole train of thought — “2AM Beach Story” and “Glow Worm” — you’ll need to buy their 2004 album This Time, Each Year. While you’re at it, pick up their latest, Static Patterns and Souvenirs. Heck, spring for a t-shirt, you tightwad!
Piney Gir
I’ve been sitting on this one for months now…a testament to how much great music 3hive has in store for you this year! Angela Penhaligon (aka Piney Gir) comes to us from Kansas via the UK. Random right? Her album, Peakahokahoo, is all over the musical map as well; take this first song here as an example. Slippery with slide guitars, it starts off with a twang, breaking down to 808 electronic wizardry in the second verse. Then it all swells together for the chorus. “K-I-S-S-I-N-G” takes the familiar children’s rhyme, backs it with an Italian noir-ish soundtrack, and sets it in Vegas. The one constant? Her solid, silky vocals.