Author Archive
John Spalding Benefit Series Poster
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You can check out all the upcoming benefit shows in our Concert Calendar.
LB’s Favorite Non-NW Albums of 2008
I know we’ve all officially flipped the calendar into 2009, and we’ve already had several other lists, but here’s one more look back at this past year (that’s 2008, stoners), with some non-local favorites to complement my NW edition. I think year-end lists are cliché in lots of people’s eyes, but, in reality, it’s more of a personal record-keeping exercise for me, and I enjoy cataloging the year in music as my ears heard it. I’ll be able to look back at this in a few years and remember what was so great about 2008. Unless Al Gore blows up the internet.
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10. Crystal Castles - Crystal Castles (Last Gang)
You might ask yourself why I’m including an apparent creative crook in this list, but the truth of the matter is that, when it came to some early online demos, no real infringement ever took place. The Toronto duo, comprised of Ethan Kath and Alice Glass, has always been up front about their sampling, and they do a damn fine job of it. Their sonic creations gesticulate and gyrate as if you’ve taken a healthy snort of coke, bought a Gameboy, an Atari, and a Sega, miraculously fused them with a synthesizer and some other geeky tech-gear and somehow crafted music from it with an NES controller. And then your freaky, shrill girlfriend has stopped by to scream in your ear about it. It’s not as cacophonous as I’m suggesting, but it is ferocious, it is futuristic, and it is worth your time.
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9. Saint Dymphna - Gang Gang Dance (The Social Registry)
GGD’s 4th LP was a bit of a late addition to the list, but after repetitively listening to this record for the past 10 days—not to mention their entrancing live show—I’m convinced this New York outfit is doing something truly unique. Easily switching gears between psychedelic trance rock and Middle Eastern-tinged freak outs, the foursome’s perpetual, percussion laden neo-tribalism experiment easily hypnotizes (I’m actually under a spell right now). Vocalist Liz Bougatsos, who recalls either Bjork or a doped up Kate Bush depending on the song, uses her voice more as an instrument than as a vehicle for lyrics. “House Jam” is the best song on the record, and probably one you’ve heard before, but there are plenty other organic-electro jams here to kick your inner native into gear. [Live Show Review]
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8. Dig!!! Lazarus Dig!!! - Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds (Anti-)
Did we doubt Nick Cave’s transition from Goth piano balladry to lewd and lascivious garage rock? I didn’t, but that’s probably because I’ve only become a fan of Cave and his Bad Seeds in recent years. Truthfully, though, if you love Murder Ballads or Let Love In, I don’t see how you can’t be pleased with this modern day version of Cave’s distressed God, pussy, and murder mantra (see “Moonland” or “Jesus of the Moon” for the old Nick). One thing the man hasn’t lost is his ability to tell a story, though. Who can successfully re-imagine the resurrected Lazarus winding up in an American soup queue, or contemplate the world’s “deepening socio-economic divisions” while simultaneously quipping that he himself feels like “a vacuum cleaner, a complete sucker”? Why, Mr. Nick Cave can. [Live Show Review]
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7. Made In The Dark - Hot Chip (Astralwerks)
I’m surprised I haven’t heard a ton of people raving about this hard-and-soft-hitting dance record from Hot Chip. Personally, I think it’s dazzling. “Out At the Pictures” is a slow-building fist-pumper (as any British electro song can be) that might make you either peel out on those Goodyears or drunkenly shimmy barefooted across the dance floor, laughing like a hyena the whole way. “Hold On” has a funky, spy-caper beat and a ludicrous hook (”I’m only goin’ to heaven / if it feels like hell / I’m only goin’ to heaven / if it tastes like caramel!”). Of course, it wouldn’t be Hot Chip without the sappy white-boy R&B of the title track and “In the Privacy of Our Love”. Easily one of the best dance records of 2008.
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6. Antidotes - Foals (Sub Pop)
There are so many compelling aspects to this striking debut, but what sticks out most in my mind is its remarkable tempo. It never quite slows down, but it never feels too quick or overwhelming either, with the uber-talented Walter Gervers providing most of the propulsion with his bass. Most ears will immediately pick up the sounds-like-insects-by-design distinctiveness of Jimmy Smith and singer Yannis Philippakis’ guitars—and for good reason: it sounds amazing—but the pulsing freneticism elicited from each and every instrument makes this Oxford band a pure pleasure. Here’s to hoping they shed the Bloc Party comparisons rather quickly. [Live Show Review]
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Top 5 after the jump.
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LB’s Top NW Albums of 2008
Happy Winter Solstice, everyone. Here are my favorite local albums from 2008 (with summaries! and Honorable Mentions!) for you to peruse and/or scoff at. ‘Twas a banner year, IMHO, for the town’s best record label, Sub Pop, from Fleet Foxes, Sera Cahoone, the Helio Sequence, and Grand Archives to Wolf Parade, No Age, and Foals. Not surprisingly, a number of Portland bands also caught my ear this year—three in my top 5! Without further ado.
10. A Killer of Snakes - The Heavy Hearts (Selector Sound)
The members of the Heavy Hearts have paid their dues, playing in local hard-rock outfits for almost a decade and a half, yet the grunge-punk band with two bassists and a bombshell sound still manages to live below the proverbial radar. A Killer of Snakes is a distinctive, snotty, chugging, blistering, and defiant work of punk that never quite stops its bludgeoning tempo. “Attrition” is a fine example of their vicious dual attack and Brian Burnside’s almost-jangly guitar drives the melody while his wife and cohort, Denise Maupin, bridges the song with an exemplary solo. The militant, deftly scaled “Revolution” is an instance where Burnside’s inspiration from guitar heroes like Thurston Moore and J. Mascis are proudly put on display while the chorus echoes, “I know you know I know you want it!” If there’s one thing this band has gotten down pat, it’s the bratty, insistent vocal repetitions presented in most every song. Who can’t get behind that? [Full Album Review]
9. Mono in VCF - Mono in VCF (Stylomusic)
It’s difficult not to first notice vocalist Kim Miller when listening to Mono in VCF. She plays the stoic songbird passionately layering the jazz-inspired trip-hop emanating through her bandmates. But dig a little deeper and the low-velocity catalogue of loungy, psychedelic soul rock becomes just as clear to the listener as it does hazy. The newish Tacoma band has somehow managed to concoct an intimately grandiose sound, as evidenced by the Kinks-inspired pyschological urban escapade “Escape City Scrapers” or the dramatic musings of “Cinch Ring”. Led by guitarist/keyboardist Hunter Lea, the drums are jazzy and unobtrusive, the bass steady and chilling, and the keyboards emanating with a little drug-induced piano dust. [Live Show Review]
8. She’s the Dutchess, He’s the Duke - the Dutchess & the Duke (Hardly Art)
The Dutchess and the Duke seemed to wander in on the back end of Seattle’s bearded folk revival scene. But instead of the poppier alt-country tendencies of outfits like Band of Horses, Grand Archives, and Fleet Foxes, the D&D instead focused on true ramshackle folk-rock songs about supersonic jet planes, fuckin’ in the phone booth, carefree Armageddon love, and ships made of stone. The chemistry between Kim Morisson and Jesse Lortz is both amazing to listen to and fun to watch, and their off-kilter lovelorn harmonies and endearingly simplistic tunes set themselves apart with nimble guitar pickin’, sassy maraca shakin’, constant tambourine playin’, flighty flutes, and sparse drumming. You might as easily have your heart strings frighteningly tugged as be caught dancing barefooted in your kitchen. These are songs for both sunny days and troubled times, and most definitely anyone who cares to listen.
7. Only As The Day Is Long - Sera Cahoone (Sub Pop)
Simply put, listening to Sera Cahoone just makes me feel good. Her sultry, plainspoken voice, her lo-fi, homespun guitar, and her honest, humble attitude all worked together in creating one of the more touching and beautiful records to come out this year. And despite the feel-good aspect of her music, the tone and subjects of Only As The Day Is Long tend to the somber and lovelorn, much like the Nashville stars of yore. “Baker Lake”, a love song with foreboding overtones, “Shitty Hotel”, a steel-pedal driven heartfelt plea, and “The Colder the Air”, a grand tune with a steady Americana tempo, are my favorites. And while her friends do quite well in making her visions come true—in particular plucker Jeff Fielder and steel pedaler Jason Kardong—it’s Cahoone’s voice and relaxed persona that draws me in.
6. Strange Symmetry EP - Past Lives (Suicide Squeeze)
The band’s name, they have said, is about friends reincarnate, past experiences dovetailing into something unique and contemporary. As such, you will most likely be reminded of the now-defunct Blood Brothers, the band from which members now make up three quarters of this one. But the addition of guitarist Devin Welch (one of the more intriguing players in Seattle) created an entirely alternate mood that both contained and matured their previous sound. Dark, choppy, and fluid—like an angry sea (or any number of early 80s British bands)—is how Strange Symmetry flaunts itself. “Beyond Gone”, with its chilling guitar and synthetic steel drum backbone, introduces Jordan Blilie’s handsome croon and Mark Gajadhar’s clickity-clack drumbeat. Its sinister tone is quickly blasted away by the 5-song EP’s title track, detonated by a dual guitar chug and Blilie’s familiar urgent yelp. The final track, “Chrome Life” begins with a wonderfully cacophonous guitar squeal behind a wide snare beat. Henderson swells the song with a baritone guitar reminiscent of “Knight Rider” and it quickly escalates to something mysterious and volatile. Here’s to the future of Past Lives. [Full Album Review] [Live Show Review]
Top 5 after the jump.
Yule Benefit From Seeing Grand Archives
KEXP hosted it’s 6th Annual Yule Benefit this past weekend at Neumos, with Grand Archives headlining the Friday show after openers the Dutchess and the Duke and Austin band Shearwater entertained the frigid audience. This was the third time I’d seen the alt-country-slash-guitar-pop Seattle quintet, and not only have they become a more cohesive band in the past twelve months, but they’ve expanded upon their current catalogue (their slightly under-the-radar debut LP came out in February) with a bright menagerie of shimmering new songs. The Grand Archives, a refreshingly honest and rustic record, has seen significant time in my CD player this year, and hearing the band collectively belt out their touching tunes on this cold December night was awesomely awesome.
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Building upon his underground success with Carissa’s Wierd and the “mainstream” blow-up of the first Band of Horses record, it seems band leader and songwriter Mat Brooke (who also owns and operates the Redwood tavern) has taken his spirited and pastoral vision to a comfortable height of success. I’ve no doubt The Grand Archives will end up a 2008 favorite of many for its decidedly Pacific Northwest imagery (”Index Moon”, “Sleepdriving”), its offbeat and retrospective take on peculiar tales (”George Kaminski”, “Louis Riel”), its captivating and baroque group-effort harmonies (”Miniature Birds”, “A Setting Sun”) and its rowdy, sing-along pop illuminations (”The Crime Window”, “Torn Blue Foam Couch”). Brooke’s voice and pensive attitude even recall the late great Elliot Smith, which should pique any Pac NW music fan’s ears.
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Their set on this night included four new cuts, two bookending the performance and two mixed in between. All four, if I recall, were pretty upbeat. Every song from their record, minus the instrumental “Breezy No Breezy”, was played. Jenn Ghetto showed up to sing her duet part for the wistful splendor of “Swan Matches”. The band played confidently and loosely, returning for a 3-song encore that included Brooke alone on “Louis Riel”.
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I finally was able to see ramshackle duo the Dutchess and the Duke after months of missing their well-received shows, and they were a perfect fit for this night. Their Stones and Beatles-inspired 60s revivalist rock is stirring, sobering, saucy and sassy, with a palpable chemistry between Jesse Lortz and Kim Morrison. Of course, the band’s percussionist definitely has his look down. If you haven’t given their debut, She’s the Dutchess, He’s the Duke, a spin, consider this your recommendation.
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[A note on the second band, Shearwater. Honestly, I wasn't really into it. Technically, I suppose they were sound, and their drummer/DIY string artist looked like a hippie version of Dog the Bounty Hunter and went by the name of Thor. But aside from those "accolades", their overly-emo, intellectual orchestra rock didn't tune my senses. Jonathan Meiburg's quasi-Gaelic warble was just a touch too much.]
Listen To THIS: 25 Excellent Tracks From 2008 (Non-Local Edition)
Ok, so yesterday I posted my favorite local tracks from 2008 and subsequently promised my NON Northwest edition, and I rarely disappoint (despite what you may have heard). I really thought this Year of the Rat was an especially remarkable one music-wise. I felt as if at every corner I turned, I found or was exposed to an awesome new album or song. Partly it was bands I already favored (i.e. Wolf Parade, the Kills, CSS, TV on the Radio, Bloc Party, Gnarls Barkley, Tokyo Police Club, the Black Keys), but there were also many artists that grabbed my attention for the first time, such as Deerhunter, Santogold, Foals, MGMT, Lykke Li, Cut Copy, and Crystal Castles. Even bands that I’d previously given a pass on piqued my interest with some truly excellent albums (i.e. the Raveonettes, the Raconteurs, Hot Chip, Man Man). Let us all bask in their collective glory.
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In no particular order. (Audio Players bog down with slow connection speeds. Use the song links if you’re having troubles.)
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1. Wolf Parade - “California Dreamer“
2. Santogold - “You’ll Find A Way“
3. Cut Copy - “Hearts on Fire“
4. Lykke Li - “I’m Good, I’m Gone“
5. Deerhunter - “Nothing Ever Happened“
6. The Raconteurs - “Salute Your Solution“
7. Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds - “We Call Upon the Author“
8. The Raveonettes - “Aly Walk With Me“
9. RATATAT - “Shempi“
10. Foals - “Two Steps Twice“
11. Crystal Castles - “Courtship Dating“
12. The Kills - “Getting Down“
13. TV on the Radio - “DLZ“
14. CSS - “Give Up“
15. Hot Chip - “Out at the Pictures“
16. Man Man - “Hurly/Burly“
17. Gnarls Barkley - “Blind Mary“
18. MGMT - “Electric Feel“
19. Hercules & Love Affair - “Blind“
20. Tokyo Police Club - “Your English is Good“
21. Bloc Party - “One Month Off“
22. Ladytron - “The Lovers“
23. The Black Keys - “Same Old Thing”
24. The Breeders - “Night of Joy“
25. M83 - “Kim & Jessie“
Update: Oh man, how did I forget No Age? No. 26: “Ripped Knees“
Murder City Devils (Re)Unite!!
Big news, kids, regarding the legendary Murder City Devils. Shows scheduled all along the west coast, with the kick-off being at the Showbox February 11th and 12th. All I can say is “YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS.”
Here’s a couple classic MCD cuts for your listening pleasure:
“Dance Hall Music”
“Boom Swagger Boom”
Listen To THIS: 21 Excellent Tracks From 2008 (Local Edition)
And so the lists begin. Yes, it is that time of year, Music Nerds (that stands for Never Ending Radical Dudes, btw), where all your favorite on-line idiots tell you who and what they liked most in this wondrous year of 2008 (not counting Mr. Barry Obama). What made you dance? Who made you sing? What made you think? But, most importantly, what made you feeeeeeeeeel. And, if you’ve spent at least 1% of your leisure time reading this site, you’ll no doubt recognize some of the names below such as the Heavy Hearts, Sera Cahoone, Starfucker, Past Lives, Mono in VCF, Grand Archives, the Saturday Knights, Portugal. The Man, and many others who’ve graced these pages. I may have cheated and called Black Mountain ‘local’—whatever, I’m fine with that.
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Here today is the first edition of a two part series, where I’ve listed—along with the actual music (!)—my favorite listening tunes from our little hotbed of an enclave of a musical commune: the Pacific Northwest. Tomorrow I’ll give you my non-NW perspective. Most people know me as partial to albums over single tracks, but a little unconventionalism is always good for the soul. Chicken soup, if you will. Please remember that this isn’t necessarily intended to be a definitive “Top 10″ list where I snarkily snoot about the best of the best; it’s simply a thoughtful collection of all the rad shit I’ve been listening to these past 12 months. And why 21? Why the hell not 21?
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No particular order: (you can find audio players after the break)
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1. Sera Cahoone - “The Colder the Air”
2. The Heavy Hearts - “Attrition”
3. Grand Archives - “Sleepdriving“
4. The Helio Sequence - “The Captive Mind“
5. Fleet Foxes - “Mykonos“
6. Starfucker - “Isabella of Castile“
7. Past Lives - “Beyond Gone“
8. The Dutchess & the Duke - “Reservoir Park“
9. Mono in VCF - “Escape City Scrapers“
10. Portugal. The Man - “Colors“
11. Black Mountain - “Queens Will Play”
12. Natalie Portman’s Shaved Head - “L.A. Noir“
13. Head Like a Kite - “Daydream Vacation“
14. These Arms Are Snakes - “Lead Beater“
15. The Saturday Knights - “Nobody Beats Us“
16. Kinski - “Crybaby Blowout“ (This came out in 2007. I’m an idiot.)
17. Jaguar Love - “Antoine and Birdskull“
18. Man Plus - “Once In Awhile (Getting High Alone)“
19. Partman Parthorse - “I’m A Book“
20. Helms Alee - “Shhmna“
21. Venus Verse - “Dreaming Again“
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The Cops Organize Circus Before Going On Hiatus (I Guess That’s One Way To Do It)
I speak in jest, but I am truly dismayed by this announcement from one of this city’s most energetic and entertaining rock bands out there. Speaking from their home in Myspaceland, the gritty dance-punks in the Cops intimated: “After 4 1/2 years, 2 records, an EP, several tours and over 230 shows played, we’re taking a break for an undetermined amount of time. It’s bittersweet, but the time has come. 4 1/2 years of touring have been financially and personally taxing and some of the band members want to focus on other things in life.”
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Fans of the band—who I always thought resembled a black leather wearin’, back alley lurkin’, dirty American version of Franz Ferdinand—will undoubtedly be disappointed by this announcement, but, personally, I think it’s a good move. Free Electricity wasn’t exactly the splash the band was hoping for and there’s certainly no shortage of talent within their ranks. All four dudes operate their instruments insanely well. I for one will be mighty interested to see what “musical projects” Michael Jaworski has up his sleeve.
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Make sure you hit up this great lineup of local rockers, just in case the indefinite hiatus turns into a definite one. Cancer Rising, Kinski, the Whoremoans, the Fall of Troy, and Spiral Stairs are all solid bands, and what better venue than the Sunset? Jeezus H. Christ.
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Here’s “It’s Epidemic” from Free Electricity:
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Full message from Jaworski with show details after the jump.
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Neko Case’s New Album Due March 3rd, Ya’ll
Neko Case is local, right? I mean, she lived here for a time (although I read somewhere that she moved to Chicago because she felt Seattle didn’t support its local artists very well—gah!), and she’s notably embellished the records of Vancouver, B.C. power poppers the New Pornographers, not to mention her repeated appearances at Sasquatch. But who cares, really. You don’t have to local to be awesome (though it helps), and Ms. Case is certainly that. It’s been three long years since we had the luscious alt-country musings of Fox Confessor Brings the Flood (”Hold On, Hold On” still wafts through my brain on frequent occasion, pleading with my hands to place the goddam disc in the player, already!), and now there’s word that Anti- will be releasing her latest, the nominally severe Middle Cyclone, March 3rd, 2009. They’ve described it as “bold” and “elemental”. Uh, ok.
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I haven’t heard any of the tracks yet, but hopefully I’ll be able to come up with something better than that. I for sure won’t be able to come up with something better than that album cover she’s got goin’ on. Hell yeah, I wanna be the fearless, sword-wielding firehead atop the hood of a vintage cherry muscle car. Who says I can’t dream?
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“‘Middle Cyclone ‘was produced by Case with Darryl Neudorf and recorded in Tucson, Brooklyn, Toronto, and Vermont. It features Case backed by her core band - guitarist Paul Rigby, bassist Tom V. Ray, backing vocalist Kelly Hogan, multi-instrumentalist Jon Rauhouse, and drummer Barry Mirochnick - along with numerous guests including M. Ward, Garth Hudson, Sarah Harmer, and members of The New Pornographers, Los Lobos, Calexico, The Sadies, Visqueen, The Lilys, and Giant Sand, among others. In addition to twelve new songs written by Case, ‘Middle Cyclone’ includes covers of ‘Never Turn Your Back on Mother Earth’ by Sparks, and “Don’t Forget Me” by Harry Nilsson.”
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Middle Cyclone tracklisting:
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1. This Tornado Loves You
2. The Next Time You Say Forever
3. People Got A Lotta Nerve
4. Polar Nettles
5. Vengeance Is Sleeping
6. Never Turn Your Back On Mother Earth
7. Middle Cyclone
8. Fever
9. Magpie To The Morning
10. I’m An Animal
11. Prison Girls
12. Don’t Forget Me
13. The Pharaohs
14. Red Tide
15. Marais La Nuit
Progressive Disappointment: Portugal. The Man @ El Corazon
[It warrants a mention that I don't necessarily consider my posts here "reviews" or "critiques" so much; mostly I just write about shit that I like. If I don't like it--which happens frequently--you don't hear about it. I apologize if our four regulars find it annoying to always read the overtly "positive perspective". But here, today, I'm disappointed. Thus, you hear about it.]
So, something weird happened to me this past weekend. I was really excited for a show from a band whose latest album I’ve had on repeat the past few months. You might even say I love it. But since I’d only heard this most recent release, and hadn’t previously seen the band live, I figured the show would be mostly excellent and essentially emulate the record. THAT, my friends, was a stupid assumption.
On Censored Colors, Portland via Alaska progressive proprietors Portugal. The Man hop from one style to the next with ease. One minute they’re reeling from experimental-cum-classic guitars and perfect percussion, while the next sees the band soberly balladeering the touching subjects of life and death. Reggae and jazz influences are utilized but not exploited, acoustic folk is affecting without being cliché, lyrics are heartfelt without being tacky, and heavy metal is a force rather than a farce.
Unfortunately, amid a ridiculous amount of smoke and a flock of all-agers, the band chucked all that out the window and decided to morph every song into an exasperatingly bombastic prog-rock explosion with overt reggae jam sessions and type-cast, over-abused drumming. What the hell? Where was the restraint? Where was the charm? Where was the diversity? But mostly, where was the band that recorded Censored Colors? I’m no dummy: half the fun of live shows is experiencing the differences from a band’s recordings. But this was just lame. This was exhausting. This was disappointing.
I suppose I enjoyed a few of the songs off Colors that they managed to play (older songs made up at least half of the set list), but mostly I was just waiting for the show to end. I kinda felt like I was invited over to my best buddy’s house for an awesome, massive party, and when I got there all that was going on was him wrestling his dogs for a scant audience of elderly people in a tiny living room sprayed with empty cans of Red Bull. Hardly what I was expecting.
In Case You’re into Music and Crafts and Buyin’ Stuff
Remember to support your local merchants this holiday season.
Links:
Update On The Beautiful Truth
Hopefully, you’ve seen the news about our good friend John Spalding (here and many other places). He passed away from cancer this week, just after finishing his magnum opus, The Beautiful Truth. He was able to put the finishing touches on the album before he died, but was unable to properly package and distribute it for consumption. Well, in light of the massive medical bills facing his wife Jody, John joked that this album was “her life insurance”.
Fortunately, his friend and producer Matt Bayles, who spent time in Minus the Bear before branching out to focus solely on record production, has stepped up to the plate to help get the album to the masses. Bayles released the following statement:
Hey everyone,
As many of you know, John’s record, “The Beautiful Truth,” has been finished for a few weeks now. John spent so much time over the last couple of years finishing it, and we want to make sure it gets it into stores. Our goal is to raise money to get a first pressing made. Because John meant so much to so many, I am hoping that no single person will have to donate more than $50 to make this happen. If $20 is all you can afford, that still is a tremendous help.
I am in the process of opening a separate trust account dedicated to the release of “The Beautiful Truth.” Of course 100% of any money made from sales of the record, as well as any excess money left in the CD release fund, will be sent to the medical trust fund. As soon as I have opened the account I will let everyone know what the exact name of the fund is so they can donate.
Plans are also in the works for a digital release as soon as possible. Our goal is to get the CD in local stores by Christmas.
Please forward this information to anyone else who may want to contribute.
Thank you,
Matt
So, look for more information on how to contribute and [eyes closed, fingers crossing] for the album to be nicely placed on record store shelves by Xmas. I’d assume the digital release will be within the next week or so. Thanks to Line Out for the information, whose post had a comment attached with an upcoming benefit show. Given the pedigree of John’s friends’ bands, I’m sure whoever volunteers will be well worth the price of admission.
The 1st confirmed date is:
Saturday January 3 at the Comet tavern, show TBD
HT: Line Out
