Three Imaginary Girls - The Hives

New Releases From Easy Street Records

Jflores — Tue, 18 Mar 2008 19:00:52 +0000

Must be Tuesday!

The Hives at the Showbox Sodo

imaginary chona — Thu, 06 Mar 2008 02:18:14 +0000

23 Feb 2008

For those of you who have never been to the Showbox Sodo: that place is a pretty sweet venue!

Local Bainbridge Island band Holy Ghost Revival got the night started off right, with lead singer Mikko Freeman frequently jumping into the audience and surfing around the crowd. Their sound is a self-professed combination of metal, folk, and powerpop, as classified by the band’s MySpace page -- and joke or not, the description sounds about spot on to me.

"Legendary bar band" is the vibe I get when I saw the Donnas perform on stage (in no way is this meant to be derogatory!). The heavy (occasionally delving onto slightly metal grounds) pretty girl quartet definitely proved themselves to be the best all-girl live band I’ve ever seen. All-girl bands these days are far and few and at the expense of sounding totally cheesy, the Donnas rocked. How often do you catch a female lead guitarist shredding the hell out of her guitar while head banging and singing? Seriously, I think Allison Robertson is my new hero. The audience went wild during the set.

The Hives are band I’ve been waiting to catch live for years. For those of you that missed the sold out show, I highly recommend catching them at Sasquatch later in May (along with all the other brilliant bands performing). The Hives have had a lot of hype over the years, and my standards for their performance were high. Somehow, I knew I wouldn’t be disappointed and I was most certainly right! Howlin’ Pelle Almqvist owned the stage like a master, with the sex appeal of a hundred male Swedish models and the shriek of a caricature banshee.

Snarky Pelle Almqvist quotes of the night:

Seattle only permits a band like the Hives to play for an hour and 20 minutes at a time because of their incendiary nature.
The Hives is your favorite band.
The Hives is sweet Swedish rock and roll!
I’m going to introduce us again just because I can! The HIVES! The HIVES! The HIVES! The Hives!

I am hard pressed to describe the show in words, so I’ll have to let the pictures speak for themselves. Bottom line: do as I was told and do whatever you can to catch the Hives live in concert. They will melt your pretty little music minds!

Howlin’ Pelle Almqvist owned the stage like a master, with the sex appeal of a hundred male Swedish models and the shriek of a caricature banshee.

Hives vs. Mountain Goats

imaginary liz — Thu, 21 Feb 2008 18:43:48 +0000

Two of my favorite live bands are in town on Saturday and I'm so torn!

The Black and White Album

ChrisB — Mon, 14 Jan 2008 05:58:27 +0000

7.5

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000WCBMA8/wwwthreeimagi-20/

hives08jan.jpg

The Hives, to me, represent the rock and roll equivalent of Isaiah Berlin’s The Fox and the Hedgehog theory. As Berlin put it, “the fox knows many things but the hedgehog knows one big thing.” The Hives knows how to do one thing really, really well: rock the hell out to catchy pop rock songs.

As much as they try to diversify their sound and bring in pop hit-makers like Pharrell Williams to produce songs with on their latest album, The Black and White Album, they are still a band with a consistent sound that they either cannot or do not want to escape. On TBAWA there are plenty of Hives trademarks – big epic, 3-chord anthems that rock out from beginning to end like the MC5 or the Stooges and they seem to model themselves after KISS (with, hopefully, less assholery). Their songs are written to be catchy bubblegum songs with power chords, they refer to themselves on stage as “the greatest band in the world” or “your new favorite band” and each band member has a distinct, cartoonish stage name (Dr. Matt Destruction, Nicholaus Arson, Vigilante Carlstroem, Chris Dangerous and “Howlin’” Pelle Almqvist). The Arctic Monkeys probably sell more records, but how many of their members can you name?

Recently, Almqvist told Spin that he was afraid that TBAWA could be the last rock record that major labels were willing to pour a lot of money in to and it could be the last chance the band has at the superstardom their hype and boasts promise. A&M did spend a lot of money on bringing in pros like Pharrell Williams and the results, overall, are a mixed bag. It is definitely the most diverse Hives record to date but it feels like it is also the most uncomfortable for the band at a few different moments.

The two tracks Williams produced, “Well All Right!” and “T.H.E.H.I.V.E.S.,” add a sense of funk. “Well All Right!” brings to mind Little Richard and Jerry Lee Lewis. It uses piano, handclaps, and lots of “woo hoos” and works well because the Hives effortlessly recall the antics of Little Richard and Lewis (and even James Brown a little). “T.H.E.H.I.V.E.S.” doesn’t work nearly as well. It’s a funkier, Prince-like jam and feels forced. The guitar parts are turned way down, the bass drawn out more and Almqvist is taken out of his element altogether. Here he’s singing over some R&B instrumentation, not screaming over loud guitar parts. It is here where you notice just how limited the band’s range is. When I listen to this song, I picture each member of the Hives in the recording studio, dressed in matching black and white suits, collectively asking Williams if he was serious.

Sequentially, the next song up is “Return the Favour” and it is a return to form for the Hives – an all out rock and roll song. Fortunately, that song and is exactly what you expect from the Hives and they feel much more at home.

Actually, most of the record is an obvious Hives record. The first song is the lead single, “Tick Tick Boom” and it is as good as any of the band’s other singles from previous albums. It’s loud and rockin’ and clocks out after a very fast three minutes. It’s boastful and fun, all of the traits that made us Hives fans in the first place. The bridge slows down the tempo for a moment so the band and the listener can catch a breath, but Almqvist keeps shouting throughout. From the beginning, another break from the rock doesn’t come until the sixth track, “A Stroll Through Hive Manor Corridors”. It’s a circus-like instrumental with only an organ and drum track. Taken as a respite from the consistent, driving guitars, hard-hitting drums and Almqvist’s wailing, its inclusion makes sense and is appreciated.

Earlier I mentioned that the Hives reminded me of KISS and maybe the Ramones is a more apt (and fair) comparison. The Hives are at their best when they are rocking out, plain and simple. Their songs may sound similar but that is not a major concern with me because the Hives are one of the most energetic and entertaining bands (especially on stage) when they are at ease with the material. They are a rock band, period. And a very good one at that.

To quote the rock frontman Almqvist most resembles, “I know it’s only rock and roll, but I like it.”

The Hives are one of the most energetic and entertaining bands when they are at ease with the material. They are a rock band, period. And a very good one at that.

NME Chart for 10/16

Erik Gonzalez — Tue, 16 Oct 2007 17:42:08 +0000

So, even after noticing that the new Hives song "Tick Tick Boom" isn't entirely anything different from the band, it hasn't stopped it from being #1 on the NME charts. There are a couple new songs on the top 10, including

#8 "Terrafirma" by Young Knives - Sort of Gang of Four like post-post-post-punk. Not bad as such, just sort of generic Brit rock of today. The video is kind of fun, though.

#9 "Alcohol" by CSS - We all know and love CSS, so I post this mostly to amuse Betsy. And for the fact that the video is brilliant! (I'm not kidding ... its fabulous especially if you like rabbits drinking beer through funnels).

NME Singles: Finally tracked down

Erik Gonzalez — Tue, 02 Oct 2007 19:57:02 +0000

So for the last month or so, I've been trying to find the NME Singles Chart - it had disappeared from its weekly update on the NME website and no one would tell me why. Well, after poking around, I finally tracked it down on the MTV2 UK website. So, here is a little update on some of the songs on the chart this week ...

#1 Babyshambles - "Delivery": Ok, well, beyond the fact that I've always thought 'Babyshambles' was a terrible name for a band and I've never understood the head-over-heels love people have for Pete Doherty, "Delivery" is pretty uninteresting. Think Nirvana meets Clash but in an uninspired sort of way.

#2 Jack Penate - "Second, Minute or Hour": Another part of the "cute rock" revolution, but a big boring part. It pretty much sounds like throwback pop rock, sort of bouncy and dancy but lacking any substance - sort of like a male No Doubt. The video is kind of, er, cute.

In a perfect world, the Hives and the White Stripes are BFFs

imaginary liz — Tue, 14 Aug 2007 20:43:57 +0000

I was just looking over the awesome line-up of shows coming Seattle's way this fall and got daydreaming... wouldn't it be a killer bill to have the Hives and the White Stripes tour together?

The Hives go Vine Vicious Timbaland!

imaginary liz — Wed, 23 May 2007 18:50:11 +0000

Sure, the chorus reminds me a bit of some Justin Timberlake lines of late, but Howlin Pelle is so supa fly I can't take it.

Jack White and Pele Almqvist together, happily

imaginary liz — Tue, 01 May 2007 21:17:29 +0000

This just in from NME: The Raconteurs have collaborated with The Hives on their new album.

Tyrannosaurus Hives

imaginary stella — Thu, 12 Aug 2004 07:00:00 +0000

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B0002IQ1PS/wwwthreeimagi-20

Hives.jpg

The roaring Hives are back! The Swedish five-piece that stormed the revival of the garage rock movement like a ball of fire — claiming to be the most important of all the bands in that genre — have another album out, and thus another chance at proving their words to be good. So far they're doing well.

Their latest effort, Tyrannosaurus Hives — their first on a major label — is finely polished, but in a way that lets the band's raw edges shine through. They kick into high gear with the first track, unrelenting with their pace and intensity until the conclusion of the disc.

Tyrannosaurus Hives radiates one hit after the next. The band is 'on' all the time: perfectly tight, harmonized and mixed. Singer Howlin' Pelle Almqvist's scratchy shrieks, his voice cracking at least once on every song, are a natural fit to the crunchy garage rock. You can feel the energy coursing through the tracks — envision Pelle strutting around the stage almost as though you were at a live show rather than listening to a recorded album (see TIG's review of the most recent Seattle performance, below!). Tyrannosaurus Hives vaults The Hives to the top of their game, and the album could go on to be one of the best of 2004.

The band howls, thwacks, rallies through the disc. "Abra Cadaver" throttles up to open the album, followed by the impulsive jam of "Two-Timing Touch and Broken Bones" (though I could swear Pelle utters something about "monkey balls" in that one, the lyrics tell me differently). "Walk Idiot Walk," the first single off the record, has one of the catchiest riffs in years. It's a true Stones tribute, but there's never anything wrong with that. "A Little More For Little You" is danceable with a guitar treatment that Peter Frampton would love (or sue over — it's pretty darn close to the distinctive "Show Me the Way" line). "Diabolic Scheme" presents the only departure from the fast-tempo structure: it is a slow dirge in comparison with the pace of the others. Crazed strings and darkness permeate this track-the closest thing we'll probably ever hear to a ballad from The Hives.

There is much speculation as to just where The Hives originated. Are they a "formed band" or not? Is there truly a mystery guy who, a decade ago, sent each of the members a fateful letter, telling them to show up at a specific location and they would become the biggest punk band in the world? Or is this all a marketing ploy?

A little history: The band, Almqvist, Vigilante Carlstroem (guitar), Dr. Matt Destruction (bass), Chris Dangerous (drums) and Nicholaus Arson (guitar), was reportedly put together back in 1993 by Randy Fitzsimmons, a guru who helped create the look and sound that is The Hives. Let's call him "imaginary Randy." According to the band's bio, the summoned guys even had to learn instruments — after making it into the band. They are, if you will believe their press, a hipster version of the Backstreet Boys. Truth be told, they don't even write their own songs (imaginary Randy reportedly handles these duties, too).

The music aficionado in me — the one who is vocally against 'performers' who call themselves 'musicians' — screams mightily at this fact. But I cannot deny how incredibly good they are. When the music comes on, my tapping toes hardly care that someone else wrote the songs or that these five were handpicked from a prodigal lineup of aspiring rockers.

Which brings me, and I'm sure countless of other Hives fans, to wonder: is this story for real? Or is it part of the schtick? The Hives exude egotism — so much so that it seems improbable that they would stoop to the level of having someone else write their songs. At the same time, like most bands, wouldn't The Hives profess their brilliant songwriting ability if indeed they really penned the tunes? So what gives? (And an imaginary aside: so many bands are founded by two brothers. If The Hives were "formed," what are the odds that imaginary Randy would have selected both Pelle and bro Nicholaus Arson for the lineup? Not counting the Knight brothers from my middle-school crush NKOTB, I say the chances are slim.)

Whatever the case, The Hives have perfected the 1960s garage sound for the 21st century. And even if they do turn out to truly be a 'formed' band (gasp!) — they still rock.

"Walk Idiot Walk," the first single off the record, has one of the catchiest riffs in years.

Nulla Salus Sine The Hives!

three imaginary girls — Sun, 08 Aug 2004 07:00:00 +0000

30 Jul 2004

hives3aug04.jpg

"Collect the clues and connect the dots."

{With special thanks to Justin Dylan Renney for the amazing Hives and Sahara Hotnights photos!}

I was both excited and nervous about the Hives show. The last time I saw them, it was spectacular, the kind of spectacular that you feel when you are living in a small town — say, oh I don't know, Dover, Delaware — and a really inspiring band comes through and when you see them you have a life-changing revelation. The kind that changes your outlook on life forever. It inspires you to either quit your job, or to ask out that cute girl behind the counter... or to throwaway all of your khakis and fill your closet with plaid pants.

The morning after the last Hives show I saw, Dana and I compared notes on our previous evening. We both had stellar evenings out. She saw a great Long Winters show at the Crocodile. I saw the Hives and was talking a mile a minute about the flashy attire, the showmanship, and the unbridled energy. I was high on life and high on the Hives. Post Hives (PH), I ached and searched for something that I could believe in... something with passion... something imaginary.

So, I guess you could say I had a bit of performance anxiety — not for me, but for the Hives. This time, igDana was attending the show with me and most of what she knows of the Hives is what I have said in passing exclamations and proclamations.

I worried, "Will they still be inspiring?" in the same breath as I shouted, "Nulla Salus Sine The Hives!"

I was super excited to see both bands: the Hives, because I it had been two years since I missed them the last time they came to town, and Sahara Hotnights, because I've been a fan since the Imaginary Mad Professor introduced me to them with a birthday gift of C'mon, Let's Pretend many years ago, before the American indie-press knew how to say "TONÅRING."

The Sahara Hotnights fill the void in my life left by Elastica. The lead vocals are shrewd and seductive against a backdrop of rock that would make Brody Dalle jealous. The Maria Andersson, the hot lead singer, is dating the hot lead singer of one of my favorite boy bands (the HIVES). Together they fulfill the void for all girls who are boys, who like boys to be girls, who do boys like they’re girls, who do girls like they're boys. I have many other fascinating theories about the Hotnights/Hives and all things Swedish that I'm going to tell you all about soon...

Drummers look better behind the drum set, but not in this case. Josephine Forsman looks like she should star in a Prell® commercial, her long Swedish blonde hair thrashing as wildly as her sticks while she crashed and clobbered the driving rhythms that fueled each rock song from atop her riser platform.

They are Sweden's version of the Donnas — which is so unfair. They get the Sahara Hotnights and we get the Donna's!?

The Hotnights rocked through an enthusiastic set featuring tracks from all three of their stellar releases. "Quite a Feeling" has been a favorite tune of mine for years, so I was thrilled to hear it performed live. The crowd particularly came alive for "Hot Night Crash," the self-extolling anthem break-out single from their latest release Kiss and Tell.

It staggers me to think these girls sound like seasoned pros at the collective ripe old ages of "early 20s." They're incredible musicians and sounded amazing live, but I've gotta say, no opening band could match the onstage magic that was the Hives.

The Hives came ripping out onstage under a red neon scripted sign, as bold and righteously arrogant as the Hives were themselves. Frontman Howlin' Pelle Almqvist controlled the mic and he commanded the audience. The band moves around like they were on an amusement park teacups ride. They pranced around with syncopated mayhem, riling the crowd into mad whirling dervishes.

And those outfits! Uniformally dapper, the Hives came out in their trademark Tyrannosaurus Hives black and white matching suits. And what was it that they're wearing... what kinds of ties are those?

They're skinny ascots, I think. You know, like what the KFC Colonel wears. He dressed like the Colonel and he postured like Steven Tyler and Mick Jagger {which is who Steven Tyler learned to posture from}.

I sense a Leo in his chart. I feel a kinship with him. Definitely a Leo sun, possibly also a Leo rising, moon, and in his 8th house. That's how much he roars. Pelle is a true super *star* of celestial importance, who undeniably glows in the spotlight. He has IT, that quality that makes you jitter when he's on stage; it makes you stop whatever you are doing or gulping whenever they talk or perform. THAT something. He transcends the superpowers of even an unbridled Leo.

The Hives play high-class punk created by people who care what you think about them. Which is highly unpunk of them. They're against the institution only if they're not the institution. Pelle has the magic and mystique of a televangelist. I am ready to tithe 10% of my income to the Hives. I AM A BELIEVER!

For so long, the Hives been spouting off about their supremacy. Now, here they are, touring the US to sold out shows (again), and once again. The Hives really have become everyone's favorite band. For some, it has been that way all along. For others, this is their first revelation.

Regardless, we are all one nation, under the Hives. Where is my checkbook?

Yes, they have the ability to turn Seattle {a notoriously stoic group of aficionados} into a mass of giggly, goofy, dancing superfannies. I found myself spastically applauding every song... even the ones I didn't know!

My favorite moment was when he proclaimed from his stage pulpit with the ferocity of a Baptist, "Are you with the HIVES!?"

I am with the HIVES!

The Hives should be everywhere! And we all say, AMEN.

Yea, they should totally have their own Saturday morning cartoon. And breakfast cereal. This is like church. A church I believe in.

I have a theory. Sweden is the new UK is the new Seattle. Don't get me wrong. Seattle WILL ALWAYS be the Seattle and will always be THE PLACE to be to me. But, you can't deny the evidence:

The Hives are taking over the world in true rockstar style (a la Oasis, Nirvana).

The lead singer of the Hives {currently the biggest guy band out of Sweden} is dating the lead singer of the Sahara Hotnights {currently the biggest girl band out of Sweden} (a la Damon/Justine, Kurt/Courtney).

Currently, the richest guy in the world lives there {in some circles, Bill Gates reigns no longer}.

I'm a believer. Let us all climb another link on the music superstardom evolution ladder.

FÄGNA SIG! Good thing I brought my ATM card!

We were so hyped up Post-Hives, we were defenseless against the merch table. We pulled funds and emptied our wallets. Who needs money for cab fare or additional beverages? We need Hives t-shirts and Sahara Hotnights CDs!

I haven't purchased that much merch (two t-shirts, a sticker, a CD, and a free poster — score!) since I got to see Journey back in the late 1980s, when saved my babysitting money for weeks.

Imagine our adolescent-like excitement when, in our feverish search through our change purses, we saw all the the Sahara Hotnights come out to (wo)man their own merch booth! Way too amped on rock and roll and outta control merch-spending, we simply had to meet them and of course, document the moment in photos accordingly. Luckily Sonic Boom Nabil was nearby and had a steady hand to take a picture.

What I love so much about this photo is how well we blend. It's really hard to tell where the hot Swedish rockstars end, and the imaginary girls begin. That's what I think. Johanna and I laugh about all the time. She's such a crackup!

We all look so Swedish!

I hope we stay best friends forever.

The Hives and Sahara Hotnights at the Showbox!! We've been fans since before the American indie-press knew how to say "TONÅRING."

Imaginary '02 Recap!

three imaginary girls — Wed, 01 Jan 2003 08:00:00 +0000

{And yes, we have included shameless promotion links to our affliated Insound and Amazon affiliate programs, where you can listen or buy. So sue us. Or buy something, and help us support our excessive web page habits...}

Best Releases:

Ooh ooh! I know! Dana's favorite three releases of the year are:

Pretty Girls Make Graves Good Health

Carissa's Wierd Songs About Leaving

The Long Winters The Worst You Can Do is Harm

Hey! I didn't say that! How did you know that?

Anyone who has been in your car knows. Hell, anyone who has ever read the site knows.

Oh god, am I *that* predictable? {don't answer that}. Geesh. She's right though, of course.

How about you, Liz?

OK. My favorite 2002 local releases are:

Tullycraft Beat, Surf, Fun

Carissa's Wierd Songs About Leaving

tHe drop Iceland

And my favorite 2002 Brit releases are:

Clinic Walking with Thee

South From Here On In

ballboy Club Anthems

Ooh yeah, I second the Clinic and South (and further nominate Clinic for the distinguished "Shortest show of the year" award, coming in under 40 minutes at their I-Spy show back in March.) And Doves The Last Broadcast. Mmmm, Doves.

Right. Back to me. My favorite 2002 New Yorker releases are:

Mooney Suzuki Electric Sweat

The Walkmen Everyone Who Pretended to Like Me is Gone

The Liars They Threw Us All in a Trench and Stuck a Monument On To (ok, so it was released in 2001 but re-issued this year... )

...and my favorite 2002 Scandanavian releases are:

Sondre Lerche Faces Down

Division of Laura Lee Black City

Cato Salsa Experience A Good Tip for a Good Time

...and my favorite 2002 Welsh releases are:

mclusky mclusky do dallas

Super Furry Animals Rings Around the World

um... Cinerama "Torino"

- ok... they aren't Welsh, but the Lostprophets (who ARE Welsh) opened up for Cinerama when saw them in July

Oh! And my favorite 2002 Nebraskan releases are:

Bright Eyes Lifted or The Story is in the Soil, Keep Your Ear to the Ground

Desaparecidos Read Music/Speak Spanish

Bright Eyes A Christmas Album

You are out of control...

Most Extraordinary Live Shows:

My favorites...

Robyn Hitchcock Sunday night at the Croc followed by the omigod-fucken-amazing Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds at the Paramount Monday night. Hot damn. Back in April (pre-TIG)

Pretty Girls Make Graves CD Release Party (w/ 764-HERO) at Chop Suey 6.13.02 (also pre-TIG)

Peter Paker & Aveo / The Malinks & Tullycraft — all in the same day — all free — all at the EMP.

Hmmm... my favorite live performances... this is so hard... can I break it down to local and non-local? I'll say it really quickly before igDana has a chance to stop me... first... local:

Scottish Men of Science / The Malinks / Yeek Yak Airforce , 11.14.02 at the Sit 'n Spin.

Hypatia Lake 8.17.02 at the Sit 'n Spin

The Long Winters / Carissa's Wierd 6.15.02 at the Paradox Theatre

And my favorite 2002 non-seattle-ite band music moments are:

Hives / Mooney Suzuki show on 5.31.02

Idlewild at T in the Park on 7.13.02

Bright Eyes at the Capitol Theatre, Portland on 10.17.02

Most Imaginary Moments:

Imaginary in Tablet!
Opening Tablet newspaper and finding that local artist – no, amazing local artist – Randy Wood had immortalized us, in comic form. I think we collectively took an entire trees worth of newspapers to send home to our Moms.

Imaginary on the Radio:
So I returned from my Spain trip and was spending a week with my folks in Florida, when I got an email from Marlene, telling me she had just heard (the ever-awesome) Sean Nelson talking about Three Imaginary Girls with (the ever-cutie) Drew Victor during his Audioasis. Sigh and pitter patter. What a thrill (and what a great welcome back into the country!)

Death Cab for Snooty
As you might recall, one of our pre-Death Cab for Cutie Bumbershoot performance activities was to approach a couple of guys in the beer garden who we mistook for two members of DCFC. Two months later a co-worker mentioned that he saw my picture on his friend's website. He sent me the link and low and behold, there we were, with the caption: These girls approached me in the beer garden. They thought--no shit--that I was "Ben" from "Seattle Indie Legends" Death Cab for Cutie. I always suspected I looked like a rock star. See, I told you they were snooty!

Best Live Cover Song:

Goddamnit I love it when bands throw in a good live cover! I am sure that now, while I'm trying to recall my favorite, I am inadvertently overlooking some really, really good ones. But this is what I remember at this point, in no particular order...

Saeta covering the Magnetic Fields' "Grand Canyon"

The Malinks covering Bell Biv Divoe's "Poison"

Loveless covering Dramarama's "Anything, Anything"

Robyn Hitchcock covering the Psychdelic Furs' "The Ghost in You"

Beck covering the Flaming Lips' "Do You Realize?"

Carissa's Wierd covering Morrissey's "Suedehead"

Sleater Kinney covering The Doors "Hello I Love You"

OK, so I had a hard time sticking with the limit of three...

OK I choose...

Earlimart covering Wire's "Strange"

Ryan Adams covering Bryan Adams' "Summer of '69" {hee hee} - sidenote: that Ryan Adams is out of control. First he's picking a fight with Rhett Miller, now with Jack White (White Stripes). I don't like this Noel/Liam Gallagher thing he's doing one bit.

M. Ward covering David Bowie's "Let's Dance"

Best to watch for in 03

OK, so at the risk of sounding incredibly predictable (again), can I just insert my vote again for:

Hypatia Lake, please? Thank you.

And as ever, Drew Victor and Passing Friends

... and Visqueen.

And thanks to a special imaginary friend, I have a an advance copy of this amazing up-coming on Sub Pop release called Postal Service. It's Dntel (aka Jimmy Tamborello) and Death Cab cutie Ben Hibbard on vocals. electronica CD (due out on Sub Pop this spring). It's dreeaamy good. As our representative of the indie-elektro community, Imaginary Boy Jason explained, "Jimmy and Ben worked on a track on Dntel's last album ("Life is full of Possibilites") and it appears they got along well enough to write an album together."

There, that's three (and then some). Liz, the rest is on you.

I second those, and wish to add:

Terror Sheets (first full length due out on Sad Robot, coming soon!)

Also, I know they're already signed and released, but I'm looking forward to hearing more from Okkervil River. Their 2002 release was on my top 10 list (but I was only able to list three here... the horror)

And another signed and released group, LA's Earlimart (who just rocked my little world opening for Rhett Miller this month).

Best Already Released International Album To Be Released in the US (and Immediately Purchased) in 03:

Ahh, this is easy...

Idlewild The Remote Part

Hoggboy Or8

Beth Gibbons Out of Season

Right. What she said. As I always say, never take an Imaginary Liz recommendation lightly...

2002 Sensations that We Don't Get

You know how sometimes there can be a band and everyone just loves it and you listen and are just like... um. Hmm. Now the Girls don't usually like to complain... but I have just two words to say. Coldplay. Yes, Coldplay. I don't get it. I didn't like "Yellow" and I haven't really liked anything since. I don't hate them... I just don't get it. I must be missing an essential chromosome on my Britpop gene helix. Oh well.

This might earn me a whole buncha indie-wrath... but I'm going to have to fess up to Ugly Casanova. Don't like 'em. I know, I know. Next thing you know I will confess my dislike for Sleater-Kinney and then it will all be over.

Best Three New Things Around Seattle We Wouldn't Want to Enter '03 Without

How many ways do we love this great city? But a few noteworthy mentionables...

Wireless internet access at the newly reopened Green Cat Cafe and Top Pot donuts.

Chop Suey, for great shows in our hood (read as: no need to park downtown)

Randy Wood sponsored One Night Only.

For awesome arty original clothes, Damsel Collective and Dumb Clothing

Karaoke at the Comet and Twilight Exit with Steve

Half price after 11pm Wasabi Bistro sushi.

And of course and most importantly, all of the readers, supporters, and contributors to Three Imaginary Girls. Ya'll better stick around for 03; it's gonna be the year to be imaginary...

Hey kids! It's the end of '02, so welcome to the first ever Imaginary Recap. Hold onto your seats kids, it's gonna be a bumpy year-long ride of favorite, in triplicate. Because the best things always happen in threes (ho ho ho...)

{And yes, we have included shameless promotion links to our affliated Insound and Amazon affiliate programs, where you can listen or buy. So sue us. Or buy something, and help us support our excessive web page habits...}

T in the Park 2002

imaginary liz — Thu, 01 Aug 2002 07:00:00 +0000

16 Jul 2002

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When April (our San Francisco Imaginary Girl correspondent) and I bought our T in the Park tickets back in February, we had no idea who was going to be on the bill. It was like crap shoot — except what did we really have to lose? Even if the line-up was full of crappy bands, we would at least be in Scotland listening to crappy bands — which is still 400 times better than any week on a beach in Hawaii.

As time passed, more and more bands were added to the bill and our excitement level steadily grew. By the time we left the states for the show (which is just about the time we got our butts in gear to organize the minor details like, um, lodging), the bill was full of 10-hour flight-worthy bands. Here is a wee recap of the bands we saw over the course of the two-day festival:

The Top 3 Overall Performances:

Idlewild: Why will this Idlewild performance go down in my personal history book? Again, I will speak in triplicate: 1) They began their performance with the Scottish National Anthem. 2) The setlist (their new album rocks! their old stuff rocks! they rock!). 3) The crowd (its been a while since getting bruises all over my arms from complete strangers has been so fun).

The Hives: Three Imaginary Girl fans might question my objectivity in placing The Hives on this list after reading my review of their Seattle performance. But April, who had yet to see them live or spend time with any of their albums, substantiated this accolade. Once again, they proved themselves to be the rock icons they bluntly state they are and whipped the crowd of slightly less than 50,000 into a frenzy, in 5 minutes time. Is it the ties, the on-stage banter, the magnetic lead singer, the sultry guitarist, the... well, you know what I am getting at...

Green Day: Never would I have thought that April and I would have spent 5 minutes at the T in the Park Green Day performance, let alone add them to this list. Sure they played their perfect-pop-punk with proficiency and power (and other things alliterative). But, more notable was that they solidified our suspicions that they are actually nice guys in addition to being catchy-song-writing-masters. So get this: they picked three random superfans from the audience of thousands and taught them the guitar, bass and drum parts so that they played (very well might I add — someone find that drummer kid an agent!) while Billie Joe sang along. Then Billie Joe made everyone's heart leap with pure joy when he gave the ill-equipped nervous teen-age girl who played the guitar part that very guitar to keep, right then and there! Sure I've seen a couple other bands do this — the bring up an audience member to play along thing — but never the way the Green Day boys patiently and tenderly taught their pupils their part and never offering a guitar keepsake. For that they will forever remain in my good graces.

The 3 Performances that Inspired Me to Join The Fanclub:

Mull Historical Society: This guy's (the songs and band are basically the vision and labor of one guy: Colin MacIntyre) energy, performance and comfortably-filling song repertoire made me get over the fact that I was shit on twice by the only bird in the sky (literally, there were no birds in the sky) during the show. April put it best: "This guy is like Justin Timberlake if Justin Timberlake was talented." He also earned big bonus points for wearing a Heavy Soul t-shirt.

Kain: There we were, minding our own business, wandering through what most would consider "the tent least-likely to be rocked out in" — the T-Break Stage. Low and behold we find Kain, a Scottish band who played a solid 30 minutes of gut-bursting, retro-styled, ice-melting rock that married the Beach Boys and the Ramones with fluffy Strokes icing (boy do I feel self-conscious describing someone as being Stroke-influenced). One note to the band: Skip that song with the trumpet.

Groove Armada: If it were not for April's urging, I would never have made my way over to the Slam Tent to catch Groove Armada. Thank goodness my instincts were wrong on this one. Our time in this tent gave us priceless moments of raver-girl glory. The pinnacle of the GA set came with their universal dance anthem, "Superstylin," when the tent just exploded in Scottish grooving rapture, exclaiming "IBEETHA!!! IBEETHA !!! (gaelic for "Ibiza," another story)...

The 3 No-Brainer Music Staples — I had to see them:

Primal Scream: Bobby Gillespie. No way could I have missed a moment of this. Stellar as expected.

Black Rebel Motorcycle Club: It was a bit odd to see them in the middle of the day with it being light out and all. I didn't get too freaked out because I wasn't able to get totally immersed in the show. It was hot in the tent; there were so many people there that we were miles away from their dry-ice and minimally lit stage and the sound sucked. But I was glad we stopped by.

Badly Drawn Boy: It was great to see him in all his glory without the "I am an extremely British guy playing in America" thing looming overhead. The About A Boy tracks sounded great live.

The 3 Bands I Wish I Saw More Of:

Ian Brown: This was on the must-see list as rumor had it that he would play one of my Stone Roses favorites (aren't they all?): "Fool's Gold." April and I made it to the door and were able to stand in the jam packed tent for approximately 5 minutes before our self-preservation instinct kicked in and we had to evacuate. I still don't know if he played "Fool's Gold."

Soundtrack Of Our Lives: We saw the last three or four songs of the set — and by the end were able to finally latch on to the grandiose hippy feel to it.

Dandy Warhols: Seeing the "best Britpop band from Portland" perform never disappoints. Good thing we are able to comfort ourselves with the realistic hope of seeing them the next time they play in the hood. Thank goodness at least we caught "Minnesoter."

The 3 Bands I Am Thankful that I Didn't See More Of:

Oasis: Even though they are probably the world's best Beatles cover band, the fact remains that they are annoyingly arrogant, unimaginative and obnoxious. I challenged myself to sit through three songs and made it through one and a half. It was that darned self-preservation instinct again.

Biffy Clyro: Thank goodness someone finally made a mix tape comprised only of Bush and Tool songs. Oh wait, that's Biffy Clyro.

The Music: I bought one of their EPs on a whim after reading a kind review on some "e-tail" website. After 7 listens it still wasn't worth 3 minutes of my time. I really hoped that seeing them live would spark some level of enjoyment in their music. Alas, none. Just goes to show that you just can't trust music reviews you read on the web.

igLiz attends the Scottish indie-music festival T in the Park and offers her wee recap of the two-day festival.

The Worst You Can Do Is Miss the Long Winters Live

three imaginary girls — Tue, 04 Jun 2002 07:00:00 +0000

31 May 2002

First thing: if you weren't lucky enough to see The Long Winters live, DO NOT MISS IT NEXT TIME!!! And if you don't already own their debut CD, The Worst You Can Do Is Harm, then stop reading this column and run to go purchase it. Right now! Then please come back and continue reading.

The Long Winters remind me of tragically romantic boys who can't seem make a relationship work despite their best efforts... and they charmed the audience by playing every song off their debut release, The Worst You Can Do Is Harm, plus a couple of new tracks (!!).

Keyboardist/singer Sean Nelson (ex-Harvey Danger) was charming as ever, engaging the crowd as to whether, "Anyone had seen The Hives earlier before heading to the Crocodile?" Moderate but enthusiastic applause answered his query. Nelson didn't miss a beat: he deadpan replied, "Yeah, I missed it because I had to set up here. But I did go to Ikea earlier today and got a great bookshelf." He's funny, that Sean. All I know is, the Hives were interviewed on freeking THE END before their show — instead of lending their support to the decent independent music station (and we all know which one I mean). So pshaw to the Hives (with all due respects to Liz and her rockin' review of the show)!

Hey! The Hives played the show of the year!

I know, I know... and we will get to that! First I need to finish gossiping about the show! I'm sure our readers are dying to know that the always charming Ken "kissy-face" Stringfellow was in attendance, regaled in plaid blazer with conflicting plaid tie and cowboy boots — red ones, no less. What is it about the tall skinny boys, who can pull off any combination of clothing patterns and still look smashing? Per Ken, cowboy boots are the closest thing to a costume the Long Winters have. Guess he would know, since he left with them the following weekend for their west coast tour.

And while we're talking about cute boys, two lovely local artist, Matt "so squeezably cute!" Parker and Randy "teen heart-throb" Wood, also came to the show — and Randy was on a first date, no less! Rumor has it he got a little kiss goodnight. Rumor also has it he wasn't the only one...

"The Hives are Law: The Imaginary Girls are Crime!"

The Hives with Mooney Suzuki was undeniably the show of the year so far. Is it good or bad that I was expecting as such? Usually such assumptions leave me disappointed (i.e. like every New Years and 4th of July celebration since the beginning of time). Finally, my anticipatory exuberation was not only met — but raised.

The Mooney Suzuki were well worth me forcing my friend to leave his drink at the bar to run into the pit. You all know that story about the Mooney Suzuki, right? About how 2 or 3 members of the Strokes tried out to be in the Mooney Suzuki, but were rejected? They ended up forming the Strokes instead. Quite an ironic twist of fate —, but in the end, everyone made out well. The Strokes get all the Spin articles they could want and that one guy in the band is dating Drew Barrymore. The Mooney Suzuki, with the Strokes-fed heightened visibility of New York garage rock, get the critical attention they deserve and get to keep their cred in tact.

Oh — back to that drink-left-on-the-bar-worthy performance. The showmanship of the Mooney Suzuki is only rivaled by the Hives. When was the last time someone yelled "Hello Seattle" that you actually wanted to respond with an as-loud-as-you-can-retort with your arms in the air? Or when was the last time that a lead singer asked a nonsensical question to the audience, only to answer it with the first line of the next song sung? Ok, besides that last Barry Manilow show... When? Right. My point exactly.

Thank goodness there was a band in between the Mooney Suzuki and the Hives so that we could recover and relive the MS set with fellow audience members. 1 Man Army would have been a bit more noteworthy had they not been on stage during the line-up's necessary refractory period. This is what I did gather: 3 piece, guys from San Francisco. Rumored to have been discovered by Billie Joe Green Day.

Aye... the Hives. This band single-handedly whooped Seattle into a frenzy — a nearly impossible task. There was not a person in the room who did not leave flabbergasted at the showmanship of those fellows. Like a cult leader (except indisputably more believable), the lead singer had us chanting "The Hives" upon command by the middle of the show. Before I knew it, I found myself drawn to the pit in front of the stage, intoxicated by the energy of the crowd, the band, the drums, the guitar, the sweat. Jumping in unison with strangers-come-cohorts, basking in the moment of unadulterated beauty of the finest rock n roll show this town has seen for some time... the bruises procured were well worth it.

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"The Hives are Law: The Imaginary Girls are Crime!"