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Ramona Falls: I Say Fever [Video]

ramona_falls

Brent Knopf has never failed to impress listeners with his Portland based group Menomena; cult followings happen for a reason. And fans are sure to follow Knopf as he embarks in his first solo efforts under the kooky moniker Ramona Falls. Hooking up with Sundance prize winning animation director Stefan Nadelman (who, by no coincidence is a former Menomena video director) on the video for his single “I Say Fever” was just another brilliant move this massively talented artist had to make. Read More »Ramona Falls: I Say Fever [Video]

Polka Dot Dot Dot: Syzygy [Album Review]

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Of all the timeless folk and folk-pop musicians that scour the earth, none are more true to the roots than those that possess the lo-fi nature of artists came before… long before. Polka Dot Dot Dot is one such band that follows this particular path, though their subject matter may not be that of an early Western era, nor may the harmonies and melodies. Yet they have a certain efficacious manner about them that bridges the then with the now. Read More »Polka Dot Dot Dot: Syzygy [Album Review]

A Retrospective Top 15: Best Albums Of 2002

The third installment of A Retrospective, this time the focus is on 2002. The year of rebuilding, so to speak. It was the year I discovered Cider Jack (and did so plentifully) at the local Pullman bar Rico’s, and we all would rehearse Bill Brasky skits (from the SNL spots, and made up on the spot) as twenty feet away the university jazz combo performed excellent renditions of Van Morrison’s “Moondance” and various Motown favorites. As we see every year, 2002 saw several real great releases. Here are my favorites.

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The Middle Ones: Young Explorer [mp3]

The Middle Ones

Lovely and light acoustic guitar with matching dual harmony vocals would be an adequate description for, say, a band like Kings of Convenience. Along the same folk-pop lines is The Middle Ones, though the similarities between the two bands are few. The Middle Ones, instead, creates in “Young Explorer” a sound that is so lo-fi and entirely acoustic that it finds a home somewhere between K and Bicycle Records. Definitely Olympia-based, a throwback to the acoustic-twee era with an injection of pop and, no surprise, total greatness. Read More »The Middle Ones: Young Explorer [mp3]

Jookabox: Dead Zone Boys [Album Review]

  • Gumshoe 

jookabox

I used to think Dirty Projectors were bombastic. I used to think Parenthetical Girls were epic. I used to think Battlehooch were chaotic.

I used to think these things, but it turned out I just hadn’t heard Jookabox yet. These guys really Man (Man) up. And those Anticon-esque moments are just-plain confusing. I’m really just using these signposts because I’m lost, though (and where would us reviewers be without our signposts, touchstones, dead ringers and red herrings?). Read More »Jookabox: Dead Zone Boys [Album Review]

Donerail: Destiny and Dishonor [Album Review]

donerail

Donerail is an intriguing group of fellas, no matter from what angle of the music world you decide to look at them. Their classic roots are embedded on their sophomore release Destiny and Dishonor. But all the indie brands and typecasting are clear and present enough for them to flourish in the night life of their home city of Portland, Oregon. In just one song, these blokes will go from spiritual, to rugged, to loving in only a couple minutes. And unlike many indie acts today, their songs are inspiring and much less destructive than what you might hear regularly. Read More »Donerail: Destiny and Dishonor [Album Review]

Ólafur Arnalds: Ljósið [Video]

olafur-arnalds

In “Ljósið”, Ólafur Arnalds takes classical music in a new direction, giving the song visual treatment – color that swirls like smoke. It moves in a representation between volume and composition. Part of Arnald’s Found Songs collection, in which the composer wrote and recorded one song per day for seven days, “Ljósið” is borderline transcendental; it has the capability to lift you up to a new plane of existence while soothing the mind and body. Arnalds has proved here that he is at the forefront of becoming one of the greatest modern composers, and his willingness to think outside the box with videos like that of “Ljósið” makes him more than worthy of the title. Read More »Ã“lafur Arnalds: Ljósið [Video]

Bend Sinister Gives Away 10 Free Tracks!

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In the new age of digital downloading and iTunes supremacy, many artists are turning to giving tracks away as a way to get their name out and about. Maybe it’s effort to get you to come out to your local pub, farmer’s market, or Tully’s to watch them give you the magic live and in person. Vancouver B.C.’s Bend Sinister has graciously joined the hopefuls by giving away 10 free tracks as downloads on their website. And by now we should know that just because it’s free, doesn’t mean it lacks quality. Read More »Bend Sinister Gives Away 10 Free Tracks!

Tramplini: Pärgäjiens [mp3]

tramplini

Opening track “Pärgäjiens” off Tramplini‘s new LP, Tumba Rumba sees the Latvian band combining the indie pop of their origins while channeling a sound somewhere along the lines of Sigur Rós minus the vast orchestration. It’s a sound that suits them well; their Latvian tongue is romantic and soft, and when backed by delicate percussion and faint synths everything just comes together. As found occasionally throughout Tumba Rumba, Tramplini features a brief trumpet as the song concludes, even going so far as to finish it with a mute. “Pärgäjiens” is an excellent track, worthy of praise from one of Latvia’s best pop bands. Read More »Tramplini: Pärgäjiens [mp3]

CJ Boyd

CJ Boyd: Aerial Roots [Album Review]

Three songs totaling three-quarter hours. That’s a scenario you’d expect from masterful instrumental acts like Godspeed You! Black Emperor or early electronic geniuses like Klaus Schulze. In a way, on Aerial Roots CJ Boyd channels both artists. He has the instrumental aspects of the former and the minimalist drone of the later. “Everytime I Don The Ski Mask” mixes various loops and, for the most part, maintains a delicate balance between complex minimalism and meditative consistency. Aerial Roots is an expansive aural state of being on par with the metaphysical experience.

Read More »CJ Boyd: Aerial Roots [Album Review]
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