I’ve been searching for a “perfect for a fall day” sound for a while now and with Loch Lomond I just might have found it.
Based in Portland, OR, a music Mecca that seems to be brimming with promising artists these days, Loch Lomond’s songs are swept with some-what Scottish lilted melodies and covered in strings and chimes; their music flows with a capacity for a sound that is breezy and grounded, clean and complex.
Read More »Loch Lomond [Feature]
Portland’s Hosannas are many things. They’re the two person offspring of the former local favorite band Church. They’re a (now) duo with a broadening array of styles that move way beyond basic experimental rock. They’re a band that pushes the barriers between indie rock and alternative hip hop further and further apart with each prolific beat they create. But, despite all these qualities, they’re a band that is certainly one thing – magnificent! Read More »Hosannas [Feature]
Ever wondered where you might find pop-folk heaven? Well, one thing is certain; you probably have to hike to the top of Séance Hill. Here you might find the likes of Loudon Wainwright and Kimya Dawson passing a joint amongst the more youthful versions of themselves. Jointly, their successors would be known as The Winebirds. While kicking away all the glitz and indie glamour of their Portland hometown, this vocal swapping band has created something so soothing and downright cute you might find yourself hugging random puppies, and then you’ll tip-toe through the tulips growing in the indie rock prairie you once thought you fully understood. Read More »The Winebirds: Séance Hill [Album Review]
It’s hard to think of Menomena topping Friend And Foe. After all, that album made #3 on my Retrospective Top Albums of 2007. But they make a fair attempt with Mines. There’s plenty of solidity here, from opener “Queen Black Acid” to the final track, “Intil”. I guess only time will tell. Read More »Menomena: Mines [Album Review]
The stars aligned, and the patio was full. It was another beautiful cigarette burned night in the great city of Portland. And gracing the stage on this weekend’s eve night was none other than one of the finest gaggle of neanderthals to grab a few instruments, as well as a few dozen pints, and put on a display of some of the most exciting world music you could ever hear. The Fenbi International Superstars were out in full force to celebrate Hop & Vine’s 2nd anniversary as an establishment! Mike, Todd, Orion, Riley, and Kris are a group of ill-mannered and well-tempered gentlemen that you’ve probably only read in books about the origin of counter culture. All that estranged and diluted history of the age old Beats, comes back to life through these powerfully talented band of new age merry pranksters. Read More »The Fenbi International Superstars: Live At The Hop & Vine [08.05.10]
Up until earlier this year, you may have heard Sam Smith, a.k.a. SSS, as the percussionist for the once amazing, no debunked, Portland based group No Go Know — A band that defied all acts of normalcy, and created some of the finest spaced out garage rock ever made. But, as is the fate of so many brilliant acts in history, they are done. Fortunately for us, Smith’s solo project is a brand spanking new reminder of the group that rattled our ear drums and hearts at the same time. This and Not That, SSS’s latest album, is a nice batch of experimental goodness. Read More »SSS: This and Not That [Album Review]
So I haven’t posted about these guys in a while, and I stumbled across this video for a song I hadn’t heard. The song is “White Walls” and Portland, OR’s Archaeology takes a slightly different direction from their EP Change of Address. The song isn’t nearly as bouncy as some of that earlier stuff, but it maintains plenty of indie pop sensibilities that will keep old fans happy and, from the sound of it, attract a sizable new audience. Read More »Archaeology: White Walls [Video]
So, after over two years (active, that is) of entertaining the local Portland scene with their own brand of worldly/drunken entertainment, The Fenbi International Superstars have finally released their first record. For fans of their extravagant live performances, this is your chance to have the good times right in your ear bud via the group’s self titled EP. For new fans, this where you will soon fall in love with the vibrant sounds of one of the most widely diverse indie rock/punk/world bands you have ever heard. Read More »The Fenbi International Superstars: The Fenbi International Superstars EP [Album Review]
To be entirely frank, The Harvey Girls is pretty high on my list of bands I should have checked out a few years back. They sent me an album on a CD-R but it was misplaced at some time, likely during one of my many moves over the past four years. Finding a little note in my inbox has sparked my memory and it has drawn me to their new video for “The Body Without Any Eyes”. The Harvey Girls create a unique blend of trippy folk, rock and pop. Their song “The Body Without Any Eyes” and subsequent video for it are cowboy and country inspired. And both, too, are borderline eerie but oh so good! Read More »The Harvey Girls: The Body Without Any Eyes [Video]
Marco Mahler makes dreamy minimalist folk-pop out of Portland. His sophomore release, Laptop Campfire Speed, is the sort of album you’d expect from someone who is brilliantly skilled yet mired by late night insomnia. Soft and introspective, the album has the script of a perfectionist and the quietude of the bedroom. Now I have no clue if Mahler lives in a house with others or an apartment complex or whatnot, but I can visualize him tinkering away at the deepest hours of night, recording a bit here, adjusting levels there, painfully pulling out as much volume as possible while simultaneously ensuring the levels were set just low enough as to not wake the roommates/neighbors, and imbibing a strong bit of coffee in between. Read More »Marco Mahler: Laptop Campfire Speed [Album Review]
