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In the Mix

RAVE’S FAVE! Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros – Dear Believer

This current Edward Sharpe album is mellower that its predecessor, and they really nail the quiet beauty on “Dear Believer”. It would be my choice for their next single. By the way, check out their Letterman and Kimmel appearances if you’re a fan. Some of the best late-night gigging in recent memory, with leader Alex Evert dancing in the crowds during “Man On Fire”. By Bruce Rave

Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros – Dear Believer

Ed Sharpe california (Official)

*Check out Bruce’s Moheak Radio “Go Deep” show on Sunday nights 8-10 pm Pacific, 11-1 am Eastern, 4-6 am GMT. Also listen to past shows at Bruce’s blog and follow Bruce on Twitter.

Rating 8.8

brown93

reviewed by
06-23-12

Freddie Gibbs & Madlib – Shame ft. The Chicago Kid

Gibbs and Madlib take turns choppin it up about ‘the walk of shame’ over the buttery backdrop of some classy motown. JB approved (hit me!). What’s not to like?

Freddie Gibbs & Madlib (Details)

Rating 8.9

brown93

reviewed by
06-22-12

RAVE’S FAVE! The Walkmen – Heartbreaker

The Walkmen have delivered Heaven, an album that will probably land on my year-end list. The title track is the current single, but “Heartbreaker” is my personal fave. Check it out below, and be sure to catch them on tour. A little small world note is that my eventual adventures with B3Sci began at a Walkmen SXSW gig in ’05. Mike of B3Sci and I were in line next to each other and started chatting. The rest is history. – By Bruce Rave

The Walkmen – Heartbreaker

The Walkmen (Facebook)

*Check out Bruce’s Moheak Radio “Go Deep” show on Sunday nights 8-10 pm Pacific, 11-1 am Eastern, 4-6 am GMT. Also listen to past shows at Bruce’s blog and follow Bruce on Twitter.

reviewed by
06-15-12

RAVE’S FAVE! The Hives – Come On!

By Bruce Rave

The Hives blew their Coachella crowd away this year, and their Lex Hives album will drop on Tuesday. I don’t think it will go down as their best, but it starts out with 69 seconds of hotness. Come on and check out “Come On!”

The Hives – Come On!

The Hives (Facebook)

*Check out Bruce’s Moheak Radio “Go Deep” show on Sunday nights 8-10 pm Pacific, 11-1 am Eastern Fridays, 4-6 am GMT. Also listen to past shows at Bruce’s blog and follow Bruce on Twitter.

reviewed by
06-03-12

RAVE’S FAVE: Little Barrie – Surf Hell

By Bruce Rave

This is a UK 3-piece fronted by the killer guitar player Barrie, who just likes to use his first name. They combine 60′s influenced garage and blues and have a Rolling Stones feel. There’s a line on the band’s site that Barrie’s guitar sounds like “Dwayne Eddy with a distortion pedal”. Their sound is far more than that, but that vibe definitely applies to “Surf Hell”. They played in LA this past Thursday and nailed it despite having just arrived from London that afternoon. They will play dates in Seattle, Portland, Oakland, and San Diego this coming week before heading back to the UK.

Little Barrie – Surf Hell

Little Barrie (Facebook)

*Check out Bruce’s Moheak Radio “Go Deep” show on Sunday nights 8-10 pm Pacific, 11-1 am Eastern Fridays, 4-6 am GMT. Also listen to past shows at Bruce’s blog and follow Bruce on Twitter.

reviewed by
05-26-12

RAVE’S FAVE! The Royalty — Bartender

By Bruce Rave

The Royalty are a new El Paso band that combine rock freshness with a retro feel. I met them at a SXSW party. They were really nice people, and I’ve been keeping fingers crossed that I’d like at least some of their songs. It turns out their Lovers album is pretty damn good. “Bartender” has a big sound and compelling melody behind Nicole Boudreau’s strong vocals.

The Royalty — Bartender

The Royalty texas (Bandcamp)

Check out Bruce’s Moheak Radio “Go Deep” show on Sunday nights 8-10 pm Pacific, 11-1 am Eastern Fridays, 4-6 am GMT. Also listen to past shows at Bruce’s blog and follow Bruce on Twitter.

reviewed by
05-20-12

IN THE MIX: May 2012

We won’t front, the last month or so has been a bit hella crazy at B3SCI HQ. It’s the good crazy though, like growing pains or maybe some sort of music blog puberty (or something like that). And just because there’s been so much music on the plate, here’s a collection of tracks (new and from the vault) finding some steady play through our speakers as of late.

reviewed by
05-14-12

RAVE’S FAVE! Silversun Pickups — Dots and Dashes (Enough Already)

By Bruce Rave

Silversun Pickups return with their long-awited album number three It’s a fairly relaxed affair with a few tracks that will rock you, including “Dots and Dashes”. Nikki Monninger’s base line hooked me right out of the box, and I wouldn’t be surprised to see this track become a single after “Bloody Mary” has had its hit run.

Silversun Pickups california (Facebook)

Check out Bruce’s Moheak Radio “Go Deep” show on Sunday nights 8-10 pm Pacific, 11-1 am Eastern Fridays, 4-6 am GMT. Also listen to past shows at Bruce’s blog and follow Bruce on Twitter.

reviewed by
05-12-12

Bo Saris – She’s On Fire

Bo Saris and “She’s On Fire” make the Godfather ‘feel good’.

Bo Saris netherlands (Facebook)

Rating 8.49389

brown8

reviewed by
05-10-12

RAVE’S FAVES! The Envy Corps – Ms. Hospital Corners

Contributed by Bruce Rave

the-envy-corps

If you are longing for some fresh Muse, this band by way of Iowa just might help you through the drought. The Envy Corp. definitely have that vibe with some Radiohead mixed in. They are a complex band with depth that requires some attention, and the groove will really begin to stick with you about halfway through the song. A couple of listens have worked for me. Think Muse with a groove on “Ms. Hospital Corners”.

The Envy Corps – Ms. Hospital Corners

The Envy Corps iowa (Facebook)

Check out Bruce’s “Go Deep” show on Fridays 1-3 pm Pacific, 4-6 pm Eastern, 9-11pm GMT. Also listen to past shows at Bruce’s blog and follow Bruce on Twitter.

Rating 8.4

brown8

reviewed by
05-05-12

THROWBACK: Neil Young & The Band – Helpless

RA1005_BAND

R.I.P. Levon Helm

reviewed by
04-19-12

RAVE’S FAVE: Hot Chip – Night and Day

By Bruce Rave

hotchip

Hot Chip whetted our appetites with the 7-minute “Flutes”, and now comes the official single “Night and Day”. It’s want you usually want in your Hot Chip: uptempo, melodic, and infinitely danceable. The album comes in June, and this band is poised to gain more and more fans. Assuming the album is strong to go along with their ace live shows, we should be dancing to these guys for the rest of the year.

Hot Chip england (Facebook)

Check out Bruce’s “Go Deep” show on Fridays 1-3 pm Pacific, 4-6 pm Eastern, 9-11pm GMT. Also listen to past shows at Bruce’s blog and follow Bruce on Twitter.

reviewed by
04-19-12