With a name fairly similar to Hugh’s very own Quasi, this band is basically nothing like it. Forget I even mentioned that.

Found accidentally in New York, this female-fronted group (with electric violin) rocked the Bitter End like I did not ever expect it to be rocked. The songwriting is superb and excessively catchy. The violin, the lyrics, Rona’s delivery, it’s all too damn intriguing and fun. Plus they’re all cute (I will take the word of my female friends about the male members).

Unfortunately, they have ceased to exist. Luckily, the lead singer, Rona Figueroa (apparently the main force behind the group) still continues on, and the various other members also have gone off to do their own things. Their first and self-titled CD may be be quite difficult to find now (unless you contact her directly), but their latest is available through Amazon.

From Quasilulu2 (yes, their second CD is differentiated by an appended ‘2′)
Atlantis – (MP3, 3.3 MB)
Uptown – (MP3, 2.1 MB)

From Quasilulu
Welcome to Our World – (MP3, 4.7 MB)
Give Me Love – (MP3, 2.4 MB)

No Comments

If I were to put Hot IQs into an ill-fitting nutshell, that nutshell would be one resembling a happier Interpol (though The New One reminds me more of Pulp). If I were to describe them using factual statements, then I’d say they’re a indie rock band from Denver with a surprisingly talented singer and a super-cute drummer. If I were to drop names, then I’d say that they’ve toured with Built To Spill and Tegan & Sara, and that they’ve shared the stage with Spoon.

Some of their lyrics make little to no sense to me, but with songs like these, who cares? Did I mention the super-cute drummer?

From An Argument Between Brain & Feet
Firecracker – (MP3, 3.3 MB)
Getting Old – (MP3, 2.9 MB)
The New One – (MP3, 3.7 MB)
Hot IQs – (MP3, 4.2 MB)

1 Comment

No, it is not a book and no, it’s not a book turned movie, either. Instead, it’s an 8-piece band right out of Vancouver, B.C.

Being a tenor sax player myself, I’ve always found horn sections to be amusing. They Shoot Horses Don’t They, in their 8 person glory, has horns AND manages to stay far away from the ska classification. Their album Boo Hoo Hoo Boo features intriguing, sometimes overwhelming musical arrangements and sloppy vocals that often leaves the brain wondering what the hell is going on.

I have to admit that I’m usually not the type to find a band like this listenable. Be it the upbeat tempos or the general chaos of it all, they managed to coerce me into it somehow.

From Boo Hoo Hoo Boo
Emptyhead – (MP3, 3.3 MB)

1 Comment

Somewhat strangely, my last two posts both have something in common with Billie The Vision & The Dancers: Margot & The Nuclear So And So’s shares both the long name and the large band(eight and seven members, respectively), and Hello Saferide shares the Swedish nationality, more or less the same style of tunes, and is the band who got me into them. That is to say, Hello Saferide referred to them as “My new favorite band,” which I’m pretty sure is always a compliment.

If you’re used to going from top-to-bottom when downloading tunes, I’d really recommend not doing that in this case, at least until you’ve listened to Summercat. It’s an insanely amazing song, but it’s on their debut, and thanks to me putting newer music on top, it’s towards the bottom. In case you like what you hear, make sure to check out their webpage because they offer all their music, for free, at good quality. Sounds like a good deal to me!

From The World According To Pablo
I’m Pablo – (MP3, 4.1 MB)
A Man From Argentina – (MP3, 4.6 MB)

From I Was So Unpopular In School…
Summercat – (MP3, 4.3 MB)
Nobel Square – (MP3, 5.2 MB)
No One Knows You – (MP3, 6.9 MB)
Want To Cannot Help But Dance – (MP3, 5.8 MB

1 Comment

Although I’m well-aware that 3hive posted this band a mere five days ago (that post is where I heard of them, after all), their sheer awesomeness compels me to post them despite the incredibly blatant blog-thievery. I will attempt to remedy this issue by talking about them more thoroughly.

Margot & The Nuclear So And So’s, while having an entirely indecipherable name, play some of the most accessible, rockin’ tunes I’ve heard in a while. Though most of their songs don’t remind me of any particular band, the ones that do are probably my favorites. To sum those up, the chorus of Paper Kitten Nightmare sounds like Weezer’s old style of choruses; Vampires In Blue Dresses reminds me of Ben Kweller – the vocals, the song, the lyrics, everything (except for the drums at the end!) – and I cannot explain in words just how glorious that song is; and Jen Is Bringin’ The Drugs reminds me of Bright Eyes. Unfortunately, none of those songs are offered for download, but Skeleton Key is, and as it was my introduction to the band, so shall it be yours!

From The Dust Of Retreat
Skeleton Key (MP3, 4.7 MB)
Barfight Revolution, Power Violence (MP3, 5 MB)

No Comments

Continuing on with another Swedish band, Hello Saferide plays a mix of songs ranging from fairly mellow pop to fairly upbeat pop. What I find both refreshing and surprising about them is how intelligent their lyrics are, at least considering that English isn’t their first language. This is not to say that their lyrics are pretentious, just well-written and thoroughly enjoyable. Arguably my favorite of their lyrics, and certainly their funniest, is “Damn I wish I was a lesbian / damn I wish I was / and that you were too.” Although that’s off My Best Friend, I would not recommend actually singing it to your best friend; sing it to yourself instead.

From Introducing…
San Francisco – (MP3, 3.9 MB)
Highschool Stalker – (MP3, 3.9 MB)

No Comments

Before I’d listened to El Perro Del Mar, I assumed they (she, actually, since there’s only one musician and she plays all the instruments) were Spanish simply because the name of the band is. As it turns out, she’s Swedish, not entirely unlike how José González is a Swedish artist. She plays lo-fi, exceedingly mellow pop songs, with a slight touch of retro which is more evident on some songs than others (especially on God Knows (You Gotta Give To Get) and Here Comes That Feeling).

She has the distinction of being the only songwriter (that I know of) who has a lyric that reminds me of Eeyore (”Being sad all day long / what’s the use of talkin’ about it?“). This song is fittingly on the track Sad, and is not nearly as utterly depressing as it sounds. That said, if you are looking for high-energy rock, do not expect El Perro Del Mar to satisfy you whatsoever. If you are instead looking for tunes that would fit right in on a mellow oldies radio station (if such a thing existed!), then start downloadin’ and stop readin’.

From You Gotta Give To Get
God Knows (You Gotta Give To Get) – (MP3, 5 MB)

No Comments

I’m never content with my attempts at minimalism, so while 3hive can write such a description of Elliott Smith, I wouldn’t be able to sleep at night if I attempted such a thing (and I’d be a plagiarist to boot).

While his first three albums featured largely acoustic songs with sparse accompaniment, the accompaniment on XO grew along with his budget, leading to Figure 8 which had a more diverse mix of songs – some slow songs that would fit on his older albums, and then the epic pop songs that wouldn’t. What all his albums have in common, however, is his extraordinary lyricism, a voice that gives new meaning to the word haunting, and instrumentation that is simplistic, yet unpredictable.

Considering we named the site after one of his albums, and you’re reading this blog because you like what we like (I’m assuming!), it is hereby decreed that you download Mr. Smith’s tunes, straight away. Since he’s into file sharing, I might as well direct you to this page that has an inordinate amount of demos and b-sides – I recommend starting with the “Basement II” Demos if you are unfamiliar with his work.

From From A Basement On The Hill
Memory Lane (MP3, 3.5 MB)
Twilight (MP3, 6.1 MB)

From Either/Or
Between The Bars – (MP3, 2.1 MB)

From Some Songs
Some Song – (MP3, 2 MB)

No Comments

Delving even further into the world of supremely excellent mainstream (or at least, more mainstream than usual) music, we have Queens of the Stone Age (QOTSA) with their latest (2005) release Lullabies to Paralyze. I shall tell you this, though: I have never been disappointed with what these folks output, and this album is no exception to that dandy rule.

Lullabies features that wonderful sound that we’ve all (or at least, some of us) come to know and love. If you’ve never listened to QOTSA before, you might say that these guys were simply a hardcore “raaar!” band. Luckily, I am here to tell you that they are not: their music has feeling to it, rather than a haphazard collection of screaming and stupid guitar riffs. Josh Homme’s voice is perfect for the music that they play: a pleasing mix of a somewhat ethereal voice (Long Slow Goodbye) and a voice with more gutso (Everybody Knows That You Are Insane and In My Head). The music isn’t boring either, which may be what you are thinking when looking at my catergorisation of them as “stoner rock”. Thanks to my lousy explanations, you’ve probably no idea what they sound like, which is why I suggest you sample of their delightful product today!

Like Norah Jones, QOTSA’s site is plagued by flash. There is some media on their site, though!

No Comments

For some reason, I more or less forgot about my drive to post a bunch of songs from the KRS label. It is high time to continue the trend with The Gossip, whose songs have the energy of Sleater-Kinney and Le Tigre, which, it just so happens, are both bands that The Gossip has opened for. They can slow it down if need be, if Coal To Diamonds off their latest, Standing In The Way Of Control, is any indication. They are, in my opinion, one of those bands that is better than the bands they open for (such as The Features, who opened for Kings Of Leon a while back). To summarize, if you like your rock loud and fast, listen to the gossip and listen to The Gossip.

From Standing In The Way Of Control
Standing In The Way Of Control – (MP3, 4.9 MB)

From Movement
Fire / Sign – (MP3, 2.9 MB)

1 Comment