Photo by Karl Haglund |
THE
HIVES
Dressed to the nines in matching black outfits and
white ties, the image of these five unlikely rock stars
from Sweden has become ubiquitous in 2002. Who knew
the world just wanted to have fun and rock out to a
bunch of guys with humorous names like Nicholaus Arson,
Chris Dangerous, Howlin' Pete Almqvist, Vigilante Carstroem
and Dr. Matt Destruction? After having been almost universally
overlooked for nine years, The Hives finally caught
on in 2002 with their infectious, buzzing garage rock
that harkened back to such legendary punk acts as The
Stooges, The Ramones and The Flamin' Groovies. Their
album, Veni, Vedi Vicious, is one of the most
entertaining albums of the year and with songs such
as "Hate to Say I Told You So" and "Main Offender,"
they've proven once again how much fun three chords
and an attitude can be. The Hives are STIM members
who license their music through ASCAP in the U.S.
PHANTOM
PLANET
 |
In early 2001, Phantom Planet began recording The
Guest with producers Mitchell Froom (Tom Waits,
Crowded House, Cibo Matto, Elvis Costello, Paul McCartney)
and Tchad Blake (Pearl Jam, Peter Gabriel and Sheryl
Crow). When the album was done and released in early
2002, the band had created probably the first best pop
rock album of the year. The Guest is a collision
of youth and melody featuring catchy guitar sounds and
soaring vocals. It was a breath of fresh air from a
lot of the metal music that was dominating the radio.
Influenced by bands like U2 and The Flaming Lips, Phantom
Planet created their own unique sound and had a radio
hit with "California," a song as big and sunny as the
state itself. Although drummer Jason Schwartzman is
most recognized as an actor for his lead role in the
cult comedy film Rushmore, he and his bandmates
quickly dispelled any notion that theirs was a celebrity
musical side-project. The band is quite simply one of
the best new American pop bands on the, well, planet.
BEN
KWELLER
At the tender age of 20, Ben Kweller shows off
his gift for crafty songwriting and kinetic performance
with his 2002 ATO Records debut album, Sha
Sha. Encompassing playful folkadelica, indie
punk/pop and soaring ballads, Kweller's warm,
whimsical wordplay and unstoppable power-pop hooks
are in full effect on such tracks as "Wasted and
Ready," and the piano-powered "In Other Words."
Acclaimed by the Boston Herald as "a
young, singing-songwriting wunderkind," the Brooklyn-based
Kweller has spent the past few years winning over
hearts with his eclectic, irresistible solo sets
and opening for such kindred souls as Evan Dando,
Juliana Hatfield, Jeff Tweedy and Guster. Now,
with Sha Sha, Kweller has fulfilled the
promise he showed as a much younger artist with
his band Texas-based band Radish. In 1996, Kweller
and his band were a much-hyped and much-publicized
group that scored a major-label deal. After releasing
one album, touring the world, and scoring a top
40 hit in the U.K., the band parted ways. Now,
as a solo artist, Kweller has gained the respect
of his peers and the industry and is certainly
one of the best songwriters of his generation.
|
Photo by Tobin Velland |
EARSHOT
Singer/bassist Wil Martin, drummer Dieter Hartmann
and guitarists Mike Callahan and Scott Kohler
make up the LA based band Earshot. They hooked
up in 1999 after relocating from such far away
locations as Austria, France, Kansas and Ohio
to pursue their musical calling in sunny SoCal.
"We all had a common vision," agrees Mike. "We
wanted to play heavy rock music, but take it a
step further -- make it more melodic and stylistically
diverse, instead of just pounding out heavy songs
for the sake of it. We wanted there to be substance
to what we played." Earshot's brand of moody,
melodic metal has earned comparisons with Tool
and caught the attention of Warner Bros. who signed
them and released Letting Go, produced
by David Kahne and Andy Wallace, in the summer
of 2002.
|
 |
SUGARCULT
Sugarcult songwriter/vocalist/guitarist Tim Pagnotta
didn't have to search too far to find a good name
for his band. In fact, it was right in front of
him. Pagnotta was living across the hall from
a group of lesbians who referred to themselves
as the "sugar cult." And he thought the name would
fit perfectly with his band's progressive pop
sound. The band has been tearing up both coasts,
garnering rave reviews. The New York Post
says "Sugarcult's pop aesthetic is snatched from
British New Wave, when Elvis Costello was butting
heads with Joe Jackson. Nearly every song has
the potential to be a single." The Hollywood
Reporter called their music "very-to-the-point
power punk anthems that feature hooks, hooks and
more hooks. Engaging, snot-nosed punk, poppy,
fun and infectious."
|
 |
DASHBOARD
CONFESSIONAL
The Places You Have Come To Fear The Most,
Dashboard Confessional's second album, is a soundtrack
for the lives of young romantics and lost spirits.
Punk rocker Christopher Carrabba, the passionate
singer-songwriter behind Dashboard, started the
project as a forum for his more intimate songs.
Unsure that punk rock audiences would accept his
departure from his earlier bombastic sound, Carrabba
jettisoned his belongings (as well as his doubts
and fears) and started touring with Dashboard
Confessional. There is no doubt that audiences
have been won over. He is the balladeering boyfriend
that every girl always wanted to break up with
just to hear the break-up songs. Carrabba's simple
and honest songs are both intensely personal and
unquestionably universal. So, does he ever get
the girl? If Dashboard Confessional's musical
success is any indication, there is no doubt he
will.
- KAREN CORREA
|
Photo by Marina Chavez |
THE
MOONEY SUZUKI
Ten sweat-drenched slabs of electrocuted rhythm
& blues. That's how The Mooney Suzuki describe
their second album, Electric Sweat (NYC's
Gammon Records). As funny as that sounds, you'd
be hard-pressed to describe it any better. Recorded
in Detroit with Jim Diamond (The White Stripes,
Jon Spencer), the album is brimming with melodic
hooks and raw punk soul that never fails to inspire
people to move. The self-proclaimed "Hardest Working
Band in Show Business" make it their business
to give audiences an explosive live show that
sweats, shakes and clamors for the attention of
every living thing within earshot. Having sharpened
their performance skills by touring ceaselessly
across the country, The Mooney Suzuki have endeavored
to win spots with bands like The Pretty Things
and The Zombies and even a coveted invitation
to play New York City's "Cavestomp!" garage rock
festival. The Mooney Suzuki's first album, People
Get Ready, charted at #12 on CMJ Top 200
and received rave reviews across the board. Electric
Sweat is even more urgent and fueled by that
frantic energy that makes the Mooney Suzuki impossible
to ignore.
- KAREN CORREA
|
 |
Page 1
2 3
4
|
