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The Ascetic Junkies To Release Free EP @ Backspace

ascetic_junkies

Matt, Kali & the infamous crew known simply as The Ascetic Junkies are back with a brand new bag! Yes, Portland’s favorite folk/pop and sort of punk group are bringing some new material to their anxiously awaiting fans – it’s been over a year since the gang put out one of the best albums of 2008, One Shoe Over The Cuckoo’s Nest. As groundbreaking and delightful as the album was, you could always tell there could have been more. And on December 11th at Backspace, the City of Roses will be fortunate enough to hear the AJ’s return to their bluegrass roots, and bring home the joy absolutely free. Read More »The Ascetic Junkies To Release Free EP @ Backspace

The Rest: The Lady Vanishes [Video]

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Toronto’s favorite group of indie rockers The Rest have always shown a certain flare for making tunes that generate wild imagery in one’s mind. Now they have brought a new flavor of obscurity to the moving pictures (a.k.a. music videos, google “MTV in the 80’s”). Yes, they are showing off again, but they have branched off into a new zone of creativity by providing an updated soundtrack to Alfred Hitchcock’s cult classic film “The Lady Vanishes” with their stellar track of the same name. Read More »The Rest: The Lady Vanishes [Video]

Dead Leaf Echo: Half-Truth [mp3]

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Dreamy shoegaze pop never sounded so sexy as it does on Dead Leaf Echo‘s “Half-Truth”. That consistent machine gun snare and those sleepy seductive vocals mesh almost too perfectly with the atmospheric guitar, which at times even borders an angular Smiths-like jangle. It’s as if The Smiths and The Dears formed an unlikely union and the resulting brainchild was Dead Leaf Echo. You can also hear traces of select collaborators like Ulrich Schnass and Depeche Mode. “Half-Truth” is one of those songs that wears its influences on its sleeve, but still contains the ability to impress. Well done. Read More »Dead Leaf Echo: Half-Truth [mp3]

Dragon Turtle: Almanac [Album Review]

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Opening track “Casualty” off Dragon Turtle‘s Almanac begins with a soft acoustic guitar and a set of soft backing instruments, from deep drums (tympani perhaps?) and what could even be a clarinet. The strum is prominent, while the rest maintain an ever-present drone. Basking in an immense reverb, the vocals enter just as quietly, echoing across the drone-created plateau. And then it happens: the song nears the midpoint (about 3:40 in) and feedback begins to take over – an incriminating dominatrix, ready to make your wildest and most bizarre fantasies come true. Read More »Dragon Turtle: Almanac [Album Review]

Little Big Adventure: Happiest Times [Video]

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Here’s an amazing little video by Sweden’s Little Big Adventure. True to the band’s name, “Happiest Times” features a man on a journey in the more unconventional of senses. What makes this a good video is the near eerie way it progresses, with time sped up and a good concept: the character moves forward on his stomach with flowers and a briefcase, a wanderer roaming the countryside. Read More »Little Big Adventure: Happiest Times [Video]

Laura Brino: How We Survived [Album Review]

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There are a lot of female singer/songwriters out there who are obviously influence by the likes of Ani DiFranco or Joni Mitchell. Sadly, most of them become are poor representations of their elders. But, Laura Brino can proudly look beyond such satire. Her sophomore album How We Survived is reminiscent, but less reflective, of her elders. She has a power and grace that is obviously all her own. Her songs are the warm coffee on a rainy day. Or the oh-so-sought-after light at the end of the tunnel in the world of folk music. Read More »Laura Brino: How We Survived [Album Review]

Here’s a First: Salmon Thrasher Live!

salmon thrasher

Seattle is known for a few things. Fish is one, salmon in particular. Grunge in another. And then there’s rain. Salmon Thrasher, the latest (literally) garage band from The Emerald City, is a moniker that fulfills two out of three of those items. Apt title. So this news has is twofold: an introduction to the newest Seattle band, and the announcement of their first ever show. Read More »Here’s a First: Salmon Thrasher Live!

A Retrospective Top 20: Best Albums Of 2004

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What a decade it’s been. 2004 was my first year in the so-called Real World; jobs, car payments, instability everywhere. Things weren’t all happy and seemingly upbeat like the mid 90s. After eight months in Seattle, I found myself unemployed and decided it was time for more education. I moved to the greater Portland area and began prep to enter a Masters in Business Administration program, taking night classes at WSU Vancouver and making a frequent trip out to Pullman, where I’d soon attend graduate school. The overall instability and open-your-eyes wake-up calls of 2004 seemed to extend beyond me. Two of the most honest and disturbing albums I’ve ever heard were released this year – another strong one in music overall.

Read More »A Retrospective Top 20: Best Albums Of 2004
Oh No Ono Band

Oh No Ono: Swim [Video]

Danish experimental psychedelic pop group Oh No Ono recently signed to Friendly Fire Recordings for their upcoming release Eggs. The first single is “Swim” and its accompanying video is one part disturbing and another inspirational. Featuring a young boy (what an eerie resemblance to the boy in The Shining!) who acts as the observer of all things within the hospital in which his mother works, he blurs reality with fantasy. Life, death, sex; they all happen in this somewhat risque video by Adam Hashemi.

Read More »Oh No Ono: Swim [Video]

Hunters, Run!: EP2 [Album Review]

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Hunters, Run! blend an interesting combo of post-punk and power pop that’s super infectious. “If I Had Half A Chance” is filled with power chords and it even highlights some emotive vocal harmony shouts. When the instrumentation drops out during the bridge, leaving little other than the “ohhh ohhh” vocals pattern, the band transcends standards for something on an entirely different plane. Read More »Hunters, Run!: EP2 [Album Review]

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