Can there be a better name than Printed Circuit for an electronic band? Casio keyboards, Nintendos, the Space Shuttles, Commodore 64s, Sean’s iPod, Ataris, even the new Mac mini — they’ve all got printed circuit boards. But don’t think Printed Circuit lacks a soul; au contraire, Claire Broadley of Leeds, who is Printed Circuit (and Catmobile Records), has a soul of pure pop. She just expresses it through silicon and transistors and electrons.
The Essex Green
Hopefully you were familiar with the musical offerings of Merge Records before hearing The Arcade Fire. If not, I hope you’ve done some due diligence since. The Long Goodbye, released in 2003, from The Essex Green is among the many gems in the Merge catalog. Largely underappreciated by the press, public, and perhaps even their label, songs like “The Late Great Cassiopia” alone are worth 10x the current download pricing standard of 99 cents. Thanks to the generosity of the artist however, you pay nothing. Appreciate it!
The One A.M. Radio
“Why, this singer/songwriter has the proud bearing and glossy coat of a Yale man.” Sorry, couldn’t resist. Yes, Hrishikesh Hirway (you’d change your name to The One A.M. Radio, too) is a Yalie, but far more important to this crowd, I reckon, are his whisper-quiet ballads which fingerpluck their way to your heart — not unlike those of Iron and Wine. If you find yourself wishing for just a bit more glitch to go with that guitar, check out On the Shore of the Wide World, which features The One A.M. Radio remixed by offbeat maestros Daedelus, Alias, and Caural, and holds weight on its own. (Thanks, Jeff, for dropping this in the suggestion box.)
The Hentchmen
The Hentchmen seem like they’ve been on the Detroit garage-rock scene forever, and in band-years, they have. Twelve years or so as a butt-shaking rock and roll trio must equal about sixty years in real-person life. Anyway, age sure doesn’t slow them down on Form Follows Function, their recent ’60s rock-flavored release. Check out “Love” for a little of the nth degree.
Man Man
If you’ve ever been hitchhiking along a muddy country road in the middle of nowhere and been picked up by a beater Econoline van filled with career carnival professionals (and their children) who entertain you the remainder of your journey with their song and lore, Man Man should sound pretty familiar. If you haven’t…well, you haven’t really lived, have you?
The Occasion
The subdued, swaggering basslines and organ expanses you’ll find from The Occasion will probably bring plenty of comparisons to mind. The one that lights up most in my own noggin is The Doors. They may be more wallflower than life of the party, and their noir melodies may make you want to look over your shoulder rather than to the sky, but these cloudy-headed dudes can still ride on the storm without getting the least bit wet.
The Same Fate
I like to look at local bands for 3hive, and usually that means Detroit acts. The Same Fate are even more local than that; guitar player Joe used to sleep in the back of my Creative Writing class a few years ago. He’s spent his time since wisely, skipping classes at the University of Michigan, playing gigs for ten people, and crafting gems like “The Last Flight of the Fireflies,” the most frequently played track on the family iPod.
Marbles
Robert Schneider has a special place in my heart. It’s not just the perfect pop he has cranked out under the monikers of the Apples in Stereo, the Marbles, and Ulysses. You see, he’s such a swell guy. Many years ago, I left Utah with my girlfriend to drive to Denver under the guise of visiting my sister, when in fact, I wanted to see the Apples. By the time we reached Denver, my girlfriend was my fiancée, and the first thing we did upon arriving was head to the Lion’s Lair (oh yeah, it was a dive) to see the Apples with special guests, The Drags. While we didn’t tell them we just got engaged, we did tell them we made the trek from Utah just to see them (and my sister, in case she’s reading). They embraced us as dear friends. The love affair will continue when the Marbles play Memphis on March 24th supporting their new album Expo and Clem Snide.
Fleckfumie
Sure, the name comes off like the Danish translation of “f&ck you,” their music, however, is much more inviting. Japanese vocalist, Fumie, together with British programmer, Fleck, offer a world of stuttering samples, bubbling beats, silky vocals, and, oh baby, the bass! Worldwide flavor in both Fleckfumie’s members and sound. Hit their site for streams of five more album tracks…
Skaos
AM 960 The Student Undeground Network. Founded by 3hive’s own Sean way back in 1993. Our friend Scott and I hosted a ska show, making our best effort, as Scott recently said, to educate the high school youth in town about ska. We lifted the title of our show from the Skaos song “Ska Skank Down Party.” This song below is from Skaos’ brand new album Pocomania, proving to us once again that them German rude boys sure can cuss. Note: Two more songs added from earlier albums, “Too Late” and “Shout.” Enjoy!