Karl Blau is a bit of a mad genius, like many of the folks creating music in Anacortes and it’s bigger brother Olympia. The music is grounded in genre influences like pop and folk, but it’s also a bit out there. It always has been. And you know, with artists as unique as Blau, I wouldn’t have it any other way. Golden Chariot is Blau’s latest offering and it comes in the form of a Dub Narcotic Disco Plate courtesy K Records, who will also release it as a 12″ EP.

“Golden Chariot” blends lo-fi folk with non-traditional folk instruments like saxophone and non-traditional folk sub-genre offerings like R&B. It makes for a sound that’s borderline nerdy, but has an indubitably cool factor to it, kinda like Bill Haverchuck. There’s an unquestionable nerd element present, but it’s also invariably awesome. Then “Dub Chariot” takes the original and hashes it into an unrecognizable experimental haze. So when it comes down to it, it’s pretty much what you’d expect from someone like Blau. And that, too, is just how I like it.

The Golden Chariot 12″ single MAX hits May 10.

Listen: “Golden Chariot” by Karl Blau

K Records [7" Single, 2011]

1. Golden Chariot
2. Dub Chariot

So this is it, the first FensePost Podcast. A few weeks ago I sat down and compiled a mix of various songs; some new, some old, most finding some relation to garage rock or garage pop. Hence the title, From The Garage. The theme is loose, so some bands fit and some don’t. There are sixteen songs total here, stemming from local Seattle and Portland acts on across the world. New Zealand, Sweden, Canada… you get the picture. Enough banter — listen to the FenseCast already.

Download: FenseCast Volume #1 Issue #1: From The Garage

1. “Bad Bands” by Capgun Coup from Maudlin
2. “Unfaithful” by Charles Leo Gebhardt IV from Unfaithful
3. “Mysterious” by The Splinters from Kick
4. “Johans Val” by The Hartmans from Sportman Demo
5. “Strolling Past The Old Graveyard (featuring Karl Blau)” by Gigi from Maintenant
6. “Face Inside The Sun” by The Bats from Don’t You Rise 7″ Single
7. “When The Sun Falls Down” by Double Dan from At Dawn
8. “Paper Airplanes” by The Glasses from Story Problems
9. “Baked Brown” by The Golden Hours from Spooky EP
10. “The Girl Who’s Above Us” by Tullycraft from Songs From The Bigtop
11. “In Sunless Seas” by Vells from Vells EP
12. “Safe At Home” by Eternal Summers from beko_16
13. “Sisters Are Forever” by Sexy Kids from Sisters Are Forever 7″ Single
14. “Apple Disaster” by Wet Confetti from This Is (So Illegal)
15. “Growing” by Jeff The Brotherhood from Heavy Days
16. “Breaking The Ice” by Jeremy Jay from Breaking The Ice 7″ Single

As I’m new to the whole podcast thing, if any songs are being used in a manner deemed not appropriate, please contact me and I will rectify the situation as soon as possible.

Madeline Adams from Orange Twin Records stopped by Department Of Safety in Anacortes during the summer of 2008. With some local artists and a few well-known names, she recorded with them what would become Tour EP, a collection of six songs previously available only via a CD-R sold while on the road. It now gets proper release via Orange Twin on vinyl 7″. The songs feature Clyde Peterson from Your Heart Breaks and Karl Blau. Other staples dropped by to lend expertise, including Mount Eerie/Microphones master Phil Elverum and Gus Franklin of Architecture In Helsinki.

What’s surprising about Tour EP is how amazing the songs are, from opening track “Boy You Love To Make Me Cry” to the orchestral romp “I Waited All Day”. Tour EP blends the lo-fi genius of K Records with the post-Elephant 6 brilliance that populates Orange Twin. “I Waited All Day” leads into the exceptional slow duet “Unbind These Roots” featuring Your Heart Breaks. The EP concludes with the haunting “Post To Wire”, performed by Madeline and Blau.

You don’t typically see a collection of tunes as powerful as these on a mere tour EP, which is likely why Orange Twin is giving it a full release on March 4.

Madeline: I Waited All Day [mp3]

Orange Twin Records [7" EP, 2010]

1. Boy You Love To Watch Me Cry by Madeline
2. Holding On by Your Heart Breaks
3. I Waited All Day by Madeline
4. Unbind These Roots by Your Heart Breaks
5. You’ll Never Know by Madeline
6. Post To Wire by Richmond Fontaine performed by Madeline and Karl Blau

Toward the end of his set, Karl Blau announced that there was a questionable stench stemming from his attire, which had been stashed in his shed for an unknown quantity of years. A local Anacortes favorite, Blau’s bizarre folk absolutely warrants the preceding freak – a term that common folk might attach to a musician performing while dressed as a fireman. Though, with LAKE as his backup, it sounded (and looked) almost too natural.

True to the evening, even with full instrumentation accompanying Blau, his music radiated a minimalism far below the swanky beats of his recent LP, Zebra. Gone were the horns, the disco beats, the woodwind instruments; but added were some excellent synth lines and choppy percussion. And also true to the evening, all were welcome to sing along.

I’ll let the pictures do the rest of the talking. Here’s “Dark Sedan” from Zebra (K Records) for some audible accompaniment.

All photos by Andrew Fenstermaker.

Karl Blau: Dark Sedan [mp3]

Here’s a video Ola Hungerford (Dandelion Gold, Cock & Swan) took of Blau’s performance:

Karl Blau with LAKE 01/30/10 from Ola (Dandelion Gold) on Vimeo.

This is it, the last call. The last show. And yet it’s a first for me; my first time visiting the Department Of Safety in Anacortes. The evening began with a brief drive along dark highways to the town known most, perhaps, for its ferry system connecting mainland Washington with the San Juan Islands. Eight years before, in 2002, the Department Of Safety opened with a show featuring performances from Karl Blau, P:Ano, and, among others, Microphones. This night would be quite similar, though also on the bill was LAKE and Arrington de Dionyso (of Old Time Relijun).

It was a sad ending. As Microphones’ Phil Elverum put it, Now where are we going to play shows in Anacortes!? But at the same time, there was plenty to be happy about. Department of Safety noted on their website that the project wasn’t meant to last forever. And it sure did have a good run. Besides, who could be sad about seeing Elverum perform as Microphones again? The bill, packed with a stunning array of artists, made everything all the more perfect.

As I stood waiting for the show to begin, I caught glimpse of Johnny Goss and Ola Hungerford of Dandelion Gold and Cock & Swan, who informed me of a new LP in production. But the evening was all about Department of Safety, and giving it a fond goodbye.

Over the next few days I’ll give each artist a good review; they all deserve it. But for now here are some of my favorite photos from the show. Pictured above: Microphones. Below, in order of appearance: P:Ano, Arrington de Dionyso, Karl Blau, and LAKE. All photos by Andrew Fenstermaker.

LAKE’s Live Review
Karl Blau’s Live Reveiw
Arrington de Dionyso’s Live Review

Anonymous Monk is a small but growing collective of musicians based out of Washington and led by musician Ben Kamen. Earlier this year they gave us For Cedar by Eleanor Murray and now they’ve gone and done something else amazing: the first, to my knowledge, compilation calendar, featuring one song per month.

The compilation is titled Spring Calendar & Compilation 2009-2010 and includes a collective of month-related titles, like “March” and “April” and “Month #9″. Included in a thin, beautifully artistic sleeve and wrapped in a large, artistic newsprint calendar with an additional 8 and 1/2 by 11 inch silk-screened sheet, Anonymous Monk has given us a unique collection of artifacts, from the music to the physical items from whence they came.

The music, like the art, is a beautiful collection of lo-fi folk and pop, eclectic at times but always honest and from the heart. Eleanor Murray sings “November” while Kamen himself contributes with “April”. Additional names of note, recognizable to those beyond Washington’s lo-fi folk click, include Paleo “Month #9 (Shining The Moon)”, Karl Blau with “Arco Iris Alredador De La Luna”, Twig Palace with “December” and Eli Moore with “February”.

These tunes are in the vein of similar Washington labels. While K is the most recognized, it holds only subtle similarities. There is also Bicycle, which tends to focus on CD-R releases. And we cannot forget the small, similar collective Dandelion Gold. These three, combined with Anonymous Monk, are the future of lo-fi folk from the Pacific Northwest and should be noted as time-worthy.

Think of the first time you heard The Halo Benders or Microphones. My bet is that you’ll find an artist here that, while maybe not holding as much sway as those aforementioned two, have a special something that will at least remind you of what makes this style music amazing.

Karl Blau: Arco Iris Alredador De La Luna [mp3]

Twig Palace: December [mp3]

Anonymous Monk [CD, 2009]

1. Viking Moses: March
2. Ben Kamen: April
3. Spenking: Mayday
4. Golden Ghost: June
5. Ashley Eriksson: Juli
6. Karl Blau: Arco Iris Arledadore de la Luna
7. Paleo: Month #9 (Shining the Moon)
8. Ruth Allison: Apples Pies & Apple Juice
9. Eleanor Murray: November
10. Twig Palace: December
11. Karrie Hopper: New Days
12. Eli Moore: February