Friday, 2 October 2009

Beehive Recommends - Hollands

Hollands are from New York and have a new EP out on the 13th October called 'Mother'.

They are a mixture of rock'n'roll, strings, pounding drums, driving guitar, but add into all of that some cello, violin and some softer moments and you have Hollands.

This band have my attention and the individual members have some very strong backgrounds in the music business, however for once no name dropping, just a strong emphasis on checking them out.

I personally reckon we will be hearing more about these folk in the coming months.

Listen:
'Air Conditioned Heart'



MP3: HERE.
Website: MySpace. Official.

As mentioned the EP Mother is out on the 13th so keep an eye on their website for more details and enjoy!

Beehive Recommends - Secondstar

Secondstar is Liam Carey and a few other fine musicians.

With a new EP out called 'Teeth' which is best described as a mixture of alt-folk-rock with guitar, banjo, layered vocals, drums, cello and whistling and with bunches of harmonies.

Secondstar are in my opinion worth checking out if the above description gains your attention.

The band live in Brooklyn, New York, and a follow-up EP called 'Feets' should be out in a few weeks.

Listen:
'Great Machine'



MP3: HERE.
Website: MySpace

You can find out more about Secondstar at their MySpace site along with details of getting hold of a copy of 'Teeth', and of course stream a few more songs there.

Monday, 28 September 2009

The Troggs - Live In France 1981

This is the The Troggs live in concert in Dijon, France, back on the 5th October 1981.

Famous for a number of sixties hits including 'Wild Thing' the band found a sympathetic ear at French label New Rose in the 1980s, the label releasing 1982's Black Bottom LP.

This concert would therefore be around the time of the recording of the album and some new material is featured, and with a release on the horizon touring in France made eminent sense.

It is fascinating hearing them do covers of Buddy Holly and The Stones with Reg Presley's accent & vocal style putting a 'Troggs' slant on the proceedings. I never thought of The Troggs as a 'play it loud' rock'n'roll band, I stand corrected!

Source:
FM Broadcast

Sound Quality: Very good stereo mp3 @192kbps

Genre: Pop, Rock, R&B.

Set: Majority of concert

Set List:

01 - Love Is All Around
02 - Feels Like A Woman
03 - Strange Movie
04 - Black Bottom
05 - I Don't
06 - Peggy Sue
07 - Satisfaction
08 - Evil
09 - I Do Do
10 - Night Of The Long Grass
11 - Give It To Me
12 - With A Girl Like You
13 - Wild Thing
14 - I Can't Control Myself
15 - I Can Only Give You Everything

Links: Official site HERE.

Comments: This is another of those French FM Radio broadcasts where the presenter pops up here and there to tell you your listening to The Troggs, however thankfully this does not detract as he has been edited out (a little roughly) where possible and the band are just doing their thing regardless.

Download link in comments below or click on the picture.

Buy: - MP3's at Amazon.co.uk - The Troggs

Friday, 25 September 2009

Stereolab - Live in Liverpool & London 1999.

Sadly Stereolab have called it a day for the time being, however having been together for nineteen years the desire to take a rest and move on to new projects is understandable.

This is the band a decade ago from two different concerts both recorded by the BBC.

Tracks 1 to 5 are from a BBC Broadcast at The Royal Court Theatre, Liverpool on the 28th, October 1999. Tracks 6 to 15 are from a BBC Broadcast at The Queen Elizabeth Hall, London on the 3rd June 1999.

Source:
FM Broadcast

Sound Quality: Very good stereo mp3@224kbps

Genre: Post-rock, indie rock, ambient.

Set: Two sets (neither complete).

Set List:

Liverpool:

1. Escape pod.
2. The free design.
3. Metronomic underground.
4. Op hop detonation.
5. Analogue rock.

London:

6. Miss modular.
7. Escape pod.
8. The free design.
9. Analogue rock.
10. Op hop detonation.
11. Percolator.
12. Rainbow conversation.
13. People do it all the time.
14. Metronomic underground.
15. The seeming and the meaning.

Links: Official site HERE.

Comments: The wikipedia entry for Stereolab which is pretty comprehensive includes the following:

Called "one of the most fiercely independent and original groups of the Nineties", Stereolab were one of the first bands to be termed "post-rock". Their primary musical influence is 1970s krautrock, which they combine with lounge, 1960s pop, and experimental pop music. They are noted for their heavy use of vintage electronic keyboards, and their sound often overlays a repetitive "motorik" beat with female vocals sung in English or French. Stereolab often incorporate socio-political themes into their lyrics.

These two concert elements give a fine feel to the live capabilities of the exceptional Stereolab.

Download link in comments below or click on the picture.

Buy: - MP3's at Amazon.co.uk - Stereolab

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