Steam Genius

Favorite Albums 2011 (Metal)

2011-12-19T15:05:00.000-08:00

1) Blut Aus Nord - 777: The Desanctification

2) Yob - Atma

3) Red Fang - Murder the Mountains

4) Skeletonwitch - Forever Abomination

5) Absu - Abzu

6) Helms Alee - Weatherhead

7) Revocation - Chaos of Forms

8) Norska - Norska

9) Disma - Towards the Megalith

10) Smooth Sailing - xoxo

Favorite Albums 2011

2011-12-12T14:47:00.000-08:00

1) Fleet Foxes - Helplessness Blues

2) Kurt Vile - Smoke Ring For My Halo

3) Girls - Father, Son, and Holy Ghost

4) Waters - Out in the Light

5) Bon Iver - Bon Iver

6) Blitzen Trapper - American Goldwing

7) Davila 666 - Tan Bajo

8) Radiohead - The King of Limbs

9) The Mountain Goats - All Eternals Deck

10) Mister Heavenly - Out of Love

Favorite Songs

Atlas Sound - "Te Amo"

Fleet Foxes - "Sim Sala Bim"

Kurt Vile - "Baby's Arms"

Mister Heavenly - "Bronx Sniper"

Waters - "O Holy Break of Day"

Foster the People - "Pumped up Kicks"

Davila 666 - "Ese Nena Nunca Regreso"

Tom Waits - "Bad as Me"

Southern Lord Subscription 2010

2011-07-16T17:27:00.000-07:00

I wasn't sure about buying into this subscription, but was pleasantly surprised by all the releases. I was most excited about the Yob release which is an amazing album and the vinyl comes with some exclusive bonus tracks. Considering the album is only 5 tracks long, 2 bonus tracks is a huge addition. I also enjoyed the Pelican and Twilight albums. The surprise 7th album was a live Sunn 0))) double record. All the records in the series got exclusive colors and were limited to 550.

Black Cobra - Chronomega (bonus track; blood splatter color)

Ascend - Ample Fire Within (two bonus tracks; clear color)

Pelican - What We All Come to Need (three bonus tracks; red, silver splatter color)

Trap Them - Filth Rations (vinyl only; grey/black splatter)

Yob - The Great Cessation (two bonus tracks; clear vinyl)

Twilight - Monument to Time End (red vinyl)

Sunn 0))) - Agharthi Live 09-10 (black/grey splatter vinyl)

Top 5 Records

2011-05-26T19:08:00.000-07:00

I feel like this list needed to be done for the record. No particular order. It started at 5 but I wussed out. Interesting contrast to the last time I made a list like this.

Pink Floyd - Meddle

Queens of the Stone Age - Queens of the Stone Age

Blitzen Trapper - Furr

The Mars Volta - De-Loused in the Comatorium

The Thermals - The Body, The Blood, The Machine

Metallica - ...And Justice For All

Modest Mouse - The Moon & Antarctica

The Shins - Wincing the Night Away

Neil Young - Live Rust

Quasi - Field Studies

Moondoggies Elkfest Warm Up

2011-05-25T08:09:00.000-07:00

So the Moondoggies are supposedly playing in Spokane this Friday. They've been scheduled at the Empyrean for many months, but it has been closed for at least a couple months also. The Elkfest page claims they are playing an Elkfest warm up show. The Inlander seems to think this will take place at the Elk. Either way their should be some new songs like the one seen below.

Elkfest 2011 Lineup

2011-05-23T09:52:00.000-07:00

Elkfest is now 2 weeks away and the lineup has been set. The Globes were previously booked but had to drop out because they are heading out on tour to support their new Barsuk records album.

Friday, June 3rd

The Camaros

Folk Inception

Blood Hot Beat

Shim

Saturday, June 4th

Mon Chéri

Crickets of Cascadia

Flying Spiders

Real Life Rockaz

Strength

Sunday, June 5th

Old Bear Mountain

La Cha-Cha

Whiskey Dick Mountain

Koontz and the Bullies

Sallie Ford and the Sound Outside

Red Fang - Spokane, WA 5/12/2011

2011-05-18T08:32:00.000-07:00

Red Fang made a stop in Spokane on Thursday to start of a very long tour for their new album Murder the Mountains. There were three openers at the A Club downtown so Red Fang didn't go on until 10:45. Despite the late start, these guys put on a great show. I was able to pick up the old and new album after the show. Check out their new video for "Wires" and their old video for "Prehistoric Dog". You can tell these guys like to have a good time.

The Thermals - "Never Listen to Me" / "Separate"

2011-01-25T08:41:00.000-08:00

New Thermals video plus an older song from a record store day split.

Random New Year Notes

2011-01-20T09:21:00.000-08:00

Albums I forgot about/just listened to that should have been on my 2010 list:

Maserati - Pyramid of the Sun

Phantogram - Eyelid Movies

Local Natives - Gorilla Manor

My favorite song right now:

My winter Soundtrack:

Agalloch is from Portland, but I imagine them writing songs in a cabin on a wintry fjord. Pretty much everything song they write is about winter.

Favorite Metal Albums 2010

2010-12-28T12:58:00.000-08:00

1) Black Breath - Heavy Breathing
2) Holy Grail - Crisis in Utopia
3) Agalloch - Marrow of the Spirit
4) Ihsahn - After
5) Enslaved - Axioma Ethica Odini
6) Melvins - The Bride Screamed Murder
7) White Wizzard - Over the Top
8) Withered - Dualitas
9) Twilight - Monument to Time End
10) Iron Maiden - The Final Frontier

Favorite Albums 2010

2010-12-21T08:26:00.000-08:00

1) The Moondoggies - Tidelands

2) Fitz & the Tantrums - Pickin' Up the Pieces

3) Blitzen Trapper - Destroyer of the Void

4) Wavves - King of the Beach

5) The Budos Band - The Budos Band III

6) The Black Keys - Brothers

7) The Thermals - Personal Life

8) No Age - Everything In Between

9) Tame Impala - Innerspeaker

10) Arcade Fire - The Suburbs

Elks Blood

2010-07-30T08:31:00.001-07:00

Elks Blood sound like a promising metal band from Seattle. Their website says they have a demo. Check out "Dune" on their myspace.

The Maldives - "Go Back to Virginia"

2010-07-30T08:21:00.000-07:00

Since I heard Jason play this song back in March, I've been looking for a recording of it. Not great quality, but I love this song.

Elkfest 2010 - Spokane, WA (6/4-6/6/2010)

2010-07-01T08:26:00.000-07:00

The Booze Fighters

Finn Riggins

La Cha-Cha

The White Buffalo

Mt. St. Helens Vietnam Band

Blitzen Trapper - Spokane, WA (6/2/2010)

2010-06-06T10:40:00.000-07:00

Both the Moondoggies and Blitzen Trapper were selling their new releases at this show. Blitzen Trapper played a lot of songs from that new album. Setlist was a little different than the one above.

The Moondoggies

Blitzen Trapper

Last.fm

Setlist:

1. Black River Killer

2. Laughing Lover

3. Fire & Fast Bullets

4. God & Suicide

5. Love and Hate

6. Destroyer of the Void

7. Evening Star

8. Heaven and Earth

9. Below the Hurricane

10. Lady on the Water

11. The Tree

12. The Man Who Would Speak True

13. Not Your Lover

14. Furr

15. Sleepytime in the Western World

16. Dragon's Song

17. Sadie

18. Wild Mountain Nation

Encore:

19. Jericho

20. Blackbird

Tracks 2, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 11, 12, 16, 17 from Destroyer of the Void

Tracks 1, 3, 4, 10, 13, 14, 15 from Furr

Track 18 from Wild Mountain Nation

Track 19 from Cool Love #1

Track 20 from Black River Killer

Metal Genres Explained

2010-05-24T09:43:00.000-07:00

This is a pretty well done video. Too bad he stopped at ten.

Elkfest 2010 Lineup

2010-05-21T10:12:00.000-07:00

Elkfest 2010

Friday, June 4th
The Booze Fighters
Finn Riggins
SHIM

Saturday, June 5th
Blood Hot Beat
La Cha Cha
Real Life Rockaz
Son Dulce

Sunday, June 6th
Whiskey Dick Mountain
The White Buffalo
Space Opera 77
Mt St Helens Vietnam Band
James Pants

Elkfest 2009 Pics

Blitzen Doggies

2010-05-20T08:42:00.000-07:00

Blitzen Trapper and the Moondoggies both have new songs and new albums coming out. Blitzen Trapper will be releasing Destroyer of the Void, their fifth full length on June 8th. The Moondoggies are releasing an EP, You'll Find No Answers Here, on the same day. Both bands will be at the Knitting Factory on June 2nd.

Blitzen Trapper - "Heaven & Earth"

The Moondoggies - "Fly Mama Fly"

EDIT: Another new Moondoggies song performed live. Full length album called Tidelands.

The Moondoggies "It's a Shame, It's a Pity" from Yours Truly on Vimeo.

The Booze Fighters - Spokane, WA (5/14/2010)

2010-05-18T10:55:00.000-07:00

The Booze Fighters played at the MAC on Friday for BeGin at the MAC. They are also playing at Elkfest this year.

Cosmic Panther Land Band

2010-03-23T10:11:00.000-07:00

I would use the term supergroup to describe Cosmic Panther Land Band. From their myspace:

"Founded in 2009 to meet the ever-growing need for the development of quality musical entertainment, the Cosmic Panther Land Band has quickly skyrocketed to becoming one of Seattle's largest and most alluring bands. Comprised of three parts Maldives, equal parts Moondoggies, Widower, Shim, Pica Beats, and one part intergalactic freakazoid, CPLB defends the summertime universe with their own brand of Mungo music, hot Jerry jams, and Canned country rhythms. Get in the van, man!"

Jason Dodson of the Maldives played a song he wrote for the band with Kevin Murphy of the Moondoggies at the Empyrean last month. No songs yet on their myspace and the band hasn't figured out when they are going to release anything according to Jason. The Maldives and the Moondoggies are both playing at the Birds on a Wire festival in Pullman this weekend (at the same time), so maybe we'll hear more about the band.

Birds on a Wire Festival 2010

2010-02-26T08:32:00.000-08:00

Pullman, I know you can't believe. Pullman, you have a folk festival. It's a pretty good one too. The first annual Birds on a Wire festival takes place on the streets of downtown Pullman March 26 and 27. They were able to get a nice group of NW folk and alternative acts, including the Maldives and the Moondoggies. They also grabbed a couple Spokane acts like Joel Smith and Karli Fairbanks.

In Spokane, tickets can be bought at the Empyrean. Also at the Empyrean tonight, Jason Dodson from the Maldives will be playing a solo show with Kasey Anderson and Matthew Ryan.

Lineup:

Justin Townes Earle
Damien Jurado
Joe Pug
Rocky Votolato
Horse Feathers
Sera Cahoone
Frontier Ruckus
The Maldives
The Moondoggies
Cataldo
Laura Gibson
Al James (Dolorean)
Final Spins
Stephen Ray Leslie & the Crooked Mile
Super XX Man
Avians Alright (Jenna Conrad)
Goldfinch
Karli Fairbanks
Pablo Trucker
Mike Kelly
Joel Smith
Hueco
Samuel Dickison
Tony Kevin Jr.
Low-Fi

Joel Smith - Spokane, WA (2/13/2010)

2010-02-23T09:01:00.000-08:00

Joel Smith put on another great show. Rauelsson, a Spanish folk artist, was a pleasant surprise. I was excited to see Nick Jaina again since I last saw him 2 years ago.

Rauelsson

Nick Jaina

Joel Smith and the Hands of Plenty

Flickr, Last.fm

Mon Chéri - Spokane, WA (1/16/2010)

2010-02-23T08:51:00.000-08:00

Who knew that the Sunset Junction had concerts? They might have started having concerts after the trouble with the Swamp. Whatever the reason, the Sunset Junction has been having pretty good concerts every weekend since January.

Le Train Train Quotidien

Lower Lights Burning

Mon Chéri

Flickr, Last.fm

Metal As Art Tour - Spokane, WA (1/27/2010)

2010-02-09T14:22:00.000-08:00

Despite many bumps in the road, the Metal as Art tour made it to the Cretin Hop in Spokane, WA. After a dinner of hot pockets and ketchup, the bands took the stage.

Local openers were Odyssey. They played 3 or 4 of their spacey prog-metal jams. A very solid set with surprisingly good sound for such a small venue.

The Binary Code from New Jersey was next. They brought a fast tempo with technical riffing. The riffs were the spotlight mixed in with a couple slow pieces off their Metal Sucks sponsored album.

The highlight of the show was Boston's Revocation. Last year's album, Existence is Futile (stream), should probably be on my year end lis t. They play an aggressive form of thrash metal that bludgeons you without getting monotonous. Quick time changes and unique leads keep you enthralled. They do not shy away from humor either, with song titles like "None Shall Be Spared (All Shall Be Speared)" and "Exhumed Identity". The guys from the Binary Code matched their onstage energy, getting up front in the tiny space to support their tour mates.

Headliners Hypno5e from France were the Art in the tour. They mixed their riffs and growled vocals with spoken word samples. The Binary Code once again provided support for their tour mates when others seemed confused about what to do.

Revocation - "Dismantle the Dictator" (MP3)

Vultures 2012

2010-01-13T10:31:00.000-08:00

Vultures 2012 is a new sludge metal/stoner rock group from Seattle. Check them out if you like High on Fire, Doomriders or Kyuss.

I first heard them on the new KEXP metal show "Seek & Destroy". Host Hannah Levin had a write-up on them at the Seattle Weekly website. They will be playing live on KEXP on January 30th at 8 PM. Their 4-song demo is a free download at Last.fm.

"Burn All Your Own" (MP3)

"Hang Up Your Guns" (MP3)

"With Heavy Hearts We Dig Our Holes" (MP3)

"Cast Your Shadows Long" (MP3)

Speaking of High on Fire; Stereogum has the premiere of their new song.

2009's Best Music (Metal Edition)

2009-12-31T11:13:00.000-08:00

1) Skeletonwitch - Breathing the Fire
2) Doomriders - Darkness Come Alive
3) Baroness - Blue Record
4) Kylesa - Static Tensions ("Said and Done")
5) Mastodon - Crack the Skye
6) Agoraphobic Nosebleed - Agorapocalypse Now (stream)
7) Slayer - World Painted Blood

2009's Best Music

2009-12-31T11:09:00.000-08:00

1) The Maldives - Listen to the Thunder (stream)
2) Port O'Brien - Threadbare ("My Will Is Good")
3) The Decemberists - Hazards of Love
4) Joel Smith - The Filibuster
5) The Thermals - Now We Can See
6) David Bazan - Curse Your Branches
7) Andrew Bird - Noble Beast
8) Them Crooked Vultures - Them Crooked Vultures
9) Animal Collective - Merriweather Post Pavilion
10) Grizzly Bear - Veckatimest

The Maldives - "Cold November"

2009-11-23T15:15:00.000-08:00

Another Capitol Hill Block Party video since it happens to be a cold November day.

Kevin Murphy - "Undertaker"

2009-11-23T14:57:00.000-08:00

Kevin Murphy from the Moondoggies playing solo and acoustic at the Capitol Hill Block Party last summer.

Pictures from Elkfest 2009

Baroness Live

2009-11-20T08:32:00.000-08:00

Baroness and John Baizley have just begun a tour in support of the Blue Record. Here are some great live clips from Metal Injection. "The Sweetest Curse" is my favorite song off this album, and this is a great live clip.

Modest Mouse - Spokane, WA (9/5/2009)

2009-10-08T09:31:00.000-07:00

Modest Mouse stopped in Spokane before heading to Bumbershoot. They played an interesting mix of old and new songs.

The Night Marchers

Modest Mouse

Flickr, Last.fm

Setlist

1. 3rd Planet
2. Black Cadillacs
3. We've Got Everything
4. King Rat
5. Dramamine
6. Missed the Boat
7. Gravity Rides Everything
8. Breakthrough
9. Education
10. Wild Pack of Family Dogs
11. Parting of the Sensory
12. Talking Shit About a Pretty Sunset
13. The View
14. Baby Blue Sedan
15. Satin in a Coffin
16. Whale Song
17. Doin' the Cockroach/The Good Times Are Killing Me
-setlist.fm

Tracks 5, 8, 12 from This Is a Long Drive for Someone With Nothing to Think About
Track 17 from The Lonesome Crowded West
Tracks 1, 7, 10 from The Moon & Antarctica
Tracks 2, 13, 15, 17 from Good News for People Who Love Bad News
Tracks 3, 6, 9, 11 from We Were Dead Before the Shipe Even Sank
Tracks 4, 16 from No One's First, and You're Next
Track 14 from Building Nothing Out of Something

Here's the new video for "Whale Song" with snails (can't embed) and the video for "King Rat" with whales (directed by Heath Ledger).

"Whale Song" for Modest Mouse from Bent Image Lab on Vimeo.

Modest Mouse - King Rat

Joel Smith - Spokane, WA (8/11/2009)

2009-09-28T13:27:00.000-07:00

Joel Smith brought together a host of Spokane musicians in the Spokane Masonic Temple to celebrate the release of his latest CD, The Filibuster. Complete with a Master-of-Ceremonies, this was an intimate showcase for Joel's new CD and the Spokane music scene.

Karli Fairbanks
Joel Smith Flickr, Last.fm

Artwork by Baizley

2009-09-08T15:01:00.000-07:00

I haven't posted in a while, so I thought I'd take this chance to talk about something different. I'll probably have some pictures from Joel Smith and Modest Mouse when I get around to it. This post is about artwork by John Dyer Baizley. Baizley does awesome cover artwork for some pretty cool metal bands, including the band in which he is lead singer/guitarist, Baroness.

Baroness's new album comes out this october. The Blue Record artwork can be seen below. Baroness has two preview tracks from this album up on their MySpace.

(clockwise from upper left)

Baroness - Red Album
Baroness - Blue Record
Skeletonwitch - Beyond the Permafrost
Flight of the Conchords - I Told You I Was Freaky (out in October)
Torche - In Return
Kylesa - Static Tensions

Blitzen Trapper - Kennewick, WA (7/25/2009)

2009-08-11T11:00:00.000-07:00

Alex and I drove down to the Tri-Cities to see Blitzen Trapper a couple of weeks ago. Great show in an intimate venue. The guys were really nice after the show. They even played a couple new songs. There is a great live recording of BT at the Picador in Iowa City a few days before this show. The setlist is pretty similar to the one we saw.

Tonight I'm going to Joel Smith's CD release show at Spokane's Masonic Temple. Check it out if you're in Spokane.

Flickr, Last.fm

Setlist:

1. Sleepytime in the Western World
2. Saturday Nite
3. God & Suicide
4. Fire & Fast Bullets
5. Stolen Shoes & a Rifle
6. Big Black Bird
7. Canyon's Edge
8. Furr
9. Country Rain
10. The Man Who Would Speak True
11. Not Your Lover
12. Black River Killer
13. Lady on the Water
14. Gold for Bread
15. Jericho
16. Love U
17. Echo
18. Wild Mountain Nation

Encore

19. Country Caravan

Tracks 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 8, 11, 12, 13, 14, 16, 17 from Furr
Tracks 18, 19 from Wild Mountain Nation
Track 9 from Field Rexx
Track 15 from Cool Love #1 EP
Track 6 from Black River Killer EP
Tracks 7, 10 are unreleased

Here's video of Marty and rest of the guys performing "Canyon's Edge" at the Pabst Theater in Milwaukee.

Blitzen Trapper : Blue Ribbon Vision #11 from Pabst Theater on Vimeo.

Sonic Youth - Spokane, WA (7/24/2009)

2009-08-03T10:46:00.000-07:00

Sonic Youth stopped in Spokane between Boise and the Capitol Hill Block Party. The played many songs from their latest release The Eternal. I didn't get a lot of good pictures but here are a few.

Awesome Color

Sonic Youth

Flickr, Last.fm

Setlist:

1. No Way
2. Sacred Trickster
3. Calming the Snake
4. Hey Joni
5. Malibu Gas Station
6. Anti-Orgasm
7. Poison Arrow
8. Walkin Blue
9. (I Got A) Catholic Block
10. Antenna
11. Leaky Lifeboat (For Gregory Corso)
12. Massage the History
13. Silver Rocket

Encore

14. Shadow of a Doubt
15. Schizophrenia

Encore

16. What We Know
17. Expressway To Yr. Skull
-setlist.fm

Tracks 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 7, 8, 10, 11, 12, 16 from The Eternal
Tracks 4, 13 from Daydream Nation
Tracks 9, 15 from Sister
Tracks 14, 17 from EVOL

Blitzen Trapper at Pitchfork

2009-07-31T09:06:00.000-07:00

At the risk of beating a dead horse, I'll say it. Blitzen Trapper is good.

Plus Hutch from the Thermals interviewing Blitzen Trapper at Pitchfork.

EDIT: video links dead

The Decemberists - Troutdale, OR (7/19/2009)

2009-07-28T15:06:00.000-07:00

The third show of the weekend and the second by the Decemberists. This one had about half the people of the first show. They still played Hazards of Love and a few different ones during the finale. They even played their cover of "Crazy on You" again. I know they have to appease fans who weren't there the night before, but I would have liked a little more effort.

Blind Pilot

Andrew Bird

The Decemberists

Flickr, Last.fm

Setlist:

1-17. The Hazards of Love (album)

Encore

18. Here I Dreamt I Was an Architect
19. The Bachelor and the Bride
20. We Both Go Down Together
21. Sleepless
22. Dracula's Daughter
23. O Valencia!
24. Crazy On You

Encore

25. I Was Meant for the Stage
-setlist.fm

Tracks 18 from Castaways and Cutouts
Track 19, 25 from Her Majesty
Track 20 from Picaresque
Tracks 23 from The Crane Wife
Track 22 from Colin Meloy album Colin Meloy Sings Live!
Track 21 from charity compilation Dark Was the Night
Track 24 a Heart cover from Dreamboat Annie

Marty Marquis (Blitzen Trapper) - "NCh'i-wana's Revenge"

2009-07-27T08:43:00.000-07:00

Here's a video posted on the Trapper board a couple of days ago. It features Marty Marquis of Blitzen Trapper during his solo performance at the Ace Hotel for a PDX Pop Now! benefit. "NCh'i-wana's Revenge" is an unreleased track written by Marty. He supposedly has a whole bunch of solo tunes that may be released as an album someday. PDX Pop Now! was this past weekend at Rotture.

Speaking of Blitzen Trapper, they put on a great show at a small venue down in Kennewick, WA this weekend. It's been a busy concert week so I've fallen behind on pictures. Expect more pictures from the D ecemberists, Sonic Youth, and Blitzen Trapper.

Marty Marquis from Asher Sandberg-Lewis on Vimeo.

The Decemberists - Troutdale, OR (7/18/2009)

2009-07-24T08:29:00.000-07:00

The first of two Decemberists concerts at Edgefield last weekend. Would they play the Hazards of Love twice in two nights? The answer is yes, but they did change their encore setlist. The noise limitations at Edgefield made their set a bit shorter than their set in Missoula.

Blind Pilot

The Decemberists

Flickr, Last.fm

Setlist:

1-17. The Hazards of Love (album)

Encore

18. Oceanside
19. July, July!
20. Billy Liar
21. The Engine Driver
22. Dracula's Daughter
23. O Valencia!
24. Crazy On You

Encore

25. Sons & Daughters
-setlist.fm

Tracks 19 from Castaways and Cutouts
Track 20 from Her Majesty
Track 21 from Picaresque
Tracks 23, 25 from The Crane Wife
Track 22 from Colin Meloy album Colin Meloy Sings Live!
Track 18 from 5 Songs
Track 24 a Heart cover from Dreamboat Annie

Death Cab for Cutie - Troutdale, OR (7/17/2009)

2009-07-22T09:30:00.000-07:00

This was the first of three concerts at Edgefield Manor last weekend. Death Cab started off with three songs from Plans and followed them with their typical selection of new and old favorites. The setlist ended up being very similar to the last time I saw them in Spokane. They always put on a good show, but everyone one in my group felt they were not as into it as they could have been.

Last.fm, Flickr

Setlist:

1. Marching Bands of Manhattan
2. Your Heart is an Empty Room
3. Crooked Teeth
4. President of What?
5. No Sunlight
6. My Mirror Speaks
7. Title Track
8. Grapevine Fires
9. I Will Possess Your Heart
10. Little Bribes
11. Cath...
12. A Movie Script Ending
13. Soul Meets Body
14. The New Year
15. The Sound of Settling

Encore:

16. I Will Follow You into the Dark
17. Title and Registration
18. Transatlanticism
-setlist.fm

Track 4 from Something About Airplanes
Track 7 from We Have the Facts and We're Voting Yes
Track 12 from The Photo Album
Tracks 14, 15, 17, 18 from Transatlanticism
Tracks 1, 2, 3, 13, 16 from Plans
Tracks 5, 8, 9, 11 from Narrow Stairs
Tracks 6, 10 from The Open Door EP

PDX Pop Now!

2009-07-14T10:50:00.000-07:00

Seattle may get Bumbershoot and the Capitol Hill Block Party, but Portland has been quietly developing their own summer festival lineup, plus the beer is better.

PDX Pop Now! (July 24th-26th)

This event is designed to showcase up and coming Portland bands. These Portland bands take over the Rotture for 3 days at the end of July. The fundraising events feature artists dedicated to Portland music like James Mercer of The Shins, Brandon Summers of The Helio Sequence, and Marty Marquis of Blitzen Trapper playing at the Ace Hotel. This Thursday the 16th YACHT, Point Juncture, WA, and Y La Bamba are playing outside Portland City Hall.

Bands:

Thrones, Menomena, Grouper, Laura Gibson, Explode into Colors, Dirty Mittens, Au, Red Fang, The Minus 5, The Shaky Hands

last.fm

Pickathon (July 31st - August 2nd)

Pickathon takes place out on Pendarvis Farm in Happy Valley, OR ( a 15 minute drive from my old high school). This festival features some of the best indie bands playing folk and alternative country music.

Bands:

Blitzen Trapper, Dr. Dog, Vetiver, Thao with the Get Down Stay Down, Justin Townes Earle, Elliott Brood, Horse Feathers, Alela Diane

Last.fm

Musicfest NW (September 16th - 19th)

This one isn't so much a festival since it takes place in multiple venues across Portland, but it definitely has a festival atmosphere and it brings a lot of great bands to town. Last year's was a lot of fun.

Bands:

Girl Talk, Explosions in the Sky, Monotonix, Bad Brains, Sunny Day Real Estate, Portugal. The Man, The Get Up Kids, Modest Mouse, Love as Laughter, more TBA

Last.fm

Blitzen Trapper was at the Crystal Ballroom for last year's Musicfest NW. Speaking of BT, they have a 4th live session up at Daytrotter. I've added the link to the other Daytrotter links.

Blitzen Trapper - "Black River Killer" (Official Video)

2009-07-08T15:06:00.000-07:00

Next month, Blitzen Trapper is releasing their Black River Killer EP. This EP contains six songs only available previously on a tour-only EP and on some live recordings for Daytrotter. The title song appeared on last year's Furr. In accordance with this new release, they have released a video for "Black River Killer". They recruited Portland fans for filming at Portland's Artist Repertory Theater. The video is followed by a short making of, and here is a write-up of the shoot from Portlandesque.

Joel Smith and the Hands of Plenty - Spokane, WA (6/19/2009)

2009-06-24T14:16:00.000-07:00

Joel Smith and the Hands of Plenty were opening for Ten Mile Tide at The Swamp last Friday. I first got to see them at Elkfest. We got to see Joel Smith before the thunderstorm drove us back in from the patio. Ten Mile Tide was beginning to setup inside when we left, but were no where near ready to play. The Swamp's patio is a nice place to listen to music when there isn't a downpour.

Skeletonwitch - Spokane, WA (6/12/2009)

2009-06-19T13:22:00.000-07:00

I first heard about Skeletonwitch when they were added to the lineup of the Scion Rock Fest in February. Skeletonwitch play fun, straightforward blackened thrash metal. I say fun not to diminish the heaviness of their music. The riffs are punishing, and frontman Chance Garnette commands the stage with his black metal inspired growls. You can't take yourself too seriously in the world of metal or you are doomed to become a joke trying too hard to be hard. I fall firmly on the side of GWAR and Iron Maiden on the metal theatrics argument.

These guys were nice to talk to, and you could tell they had a blast playing. Before playing one song, Chance told the crowd, "This one's about Sataaaaaaaan!" before guitarists Nate and Scott launched into a twin axe attack as smoke billowed out from the back of the stage. That is what metal is about.

Skeletonwitch has Beyond the Permafrost out on Prosthetic Records which I picked up at the show. They are working on their new album and recording in Seattle. Here's a live video of them in Brooklyn to give you idea of their live show though the sound isn't too great.

Elkfest 2009 - Spokane, WA (5/29-31/2009)

2009-06-05T08:00:00.000-07:00

Elkfest was hot and fun this year. The Elk installed water misters in their tented area which were quite refreshing. All of the bands were pleasantly surprising. I was already looking forward to seeing the Moondoggies and I wasn't disappointed. I caught the very end of Shim's set on Saturday night. I'll definitely have to check them out in the future. I was able to grab CD's from the Moondoggies and Joel Smith.

The Booze Fighters

Silian Rail

Joel Smith and the Hands of Plenty

The Maldives

Pickwick

David Dondero

The Moondoggies

Flickr, Last.fm

The Decemberists - Missoula, MT (5/24/2009)

2009-06-04T13:36:00.000-07:00

We made a short trip over to Missoula to see the Decemberists they day after their Sasquatch performance. It was a homecoming of sorts for Colin Meloy who was born in Montana and started the band Tarkio there. They played The Hazards of Love in it's entirety followed by a varied collection of Colin Meloy/Tarkio/Decemberists tunes. The Hazards of Love takes on new life on the stage and the Decemberists played for almost 3 hours.

Blind Pilot

The Decemberists

Flickr, Last.fm

Setlist:

1-17. The Hazards of Love (album)

Encore

18. Apology Song
19. July, July!
20. We Both Go Down Together
21. Sleepless
22. Yankee Bayonet (I Will Be Home Then)
23. (Country Western) If I Could Only
24. Dracula's Daughter
25. O Valencia!
26. The Chimbley Sweep
27. Sons & Daughters

Encore

28. Save Yourself
29. A Cautionary Song
-livejournal

Tracks 19, 29 from Castaways and Cutouts
Track 26 from Her Majesty
Track 20 from Picaresque
Tracks 22, 25, 27 from The Crane Wife
Track 21 from charity compilation Dark Was the Night
Track 28 from Tarkio album I Guess I Was Hoping for Something More
Track 24 from Colin Meloy album Colin Meloy Sings Live!
Track 18 from 5 Songs
Track 23 Emmylou Harris cover?

Review: The Thermals - Now We Can See

2009-05-27T13:03:00.000-07:00

I've had this review sitting on the shelf for a while. After the Thermals pottery class, I thought I would bring it out. This album has been out for over a month and I've been digesting it since then. The Thermals last album The Body, The Blood, The Machine is probably one my favorite albums to come out in the last ten years. It's catchy, anthemic, and makes you want to drive with the top down. Now We Can See is equally anthemic and catchy. The move from Sub Pop to Kill Rock Stars hasn't changed their sound. The addition of a new drummer and a new producer hasn't either. This record is pure Thermals garage rock.

That's it. Nothing else needs to be said. This is both a good and bad thing. The record stands on its own, both simplistic and powerful, but it doesn't aspire to much greater heights. The title track has already grown to be commonplace for me. The production and the "oh we oh" chorus seems forced. I don't want to be one those fans who is like, "I like them better when they had that raw sound on their demos", but it is partially true. "I Let It Go" was the song that got me excited for this album when I saw a clip of them performing it on a short documentary about Portland music. They were in a basement, with no drummer, just playing.

This is a good album. Hutch and Kathy are great songwriters. My expectations were high, probably too high. I'm already excited for the next album and for when I finally get to see them live.

Highs: "I Let It Go", "Liquid In, Liquid Out"
Lows: "Now We Can See"

Mp3: "Now We Can See", "I Was Afraid (Demo)"

Rating: 7.7

Thermals Pottery Class

2009-05-26T15:17:00.000-07:00

IFC decided to have the Thermals make some stuff out of clay. They talk a little about their audience and their concert "faces". Not much information about their music other than clips in the background, but if gives you some insight into their personalities. Possibly NSFW when Hutch discusses and demonstrates French eroticism.

Elkfest 2009 Lineup

2009-05-26T08:34:00.000-07:00

Elkfest is taking over Cannon St. again for 3 days of music, sun, and beer. Elkfest runs Friday through Sunday, May 29th through May 31st. Artfest is also taking place down the street at Coeur d'Alene Park. Here's the Elkfest Lineup, check out the Elkfest page for artist links.

Friday May 29th

4 PM - The Booze Fighters

6:30 PM - Silian Rail

9:15 PM - The Globes

Saturday May 30th

2 PM - Kaylee Cole w/ Adam David, Dane Ueland, and Kevin Long

3:30 PM - Joel Smith & the Hands of Plenty

5 PM - Whiskey Dick Mountain

6:15 PM - La Cha-Cha

8 PM - The Maldives

9:15 PM - Shim

Sunday May 31st

3 PM - Pickwick

4:15 PM - David Dondero

5:30 PM - The Moondoggies ("Changing" MP3)

7 PM - James Pants & the Royal Zodiac

8:15 PM - Velella Velella ("Do Not Fold/Do Not Bend" MP3)

Vinyl Spotlight: The Valley - The Valley

2009-05-21T12:48:00.000-07:00

The Valley - The Valley

I picked up this copy of their "Purple Octopus" EP at The Valley's show last Friday at The Swamp. This is a 10" purple with black splatter record. Their CD was self-released, but this vinyl version was put out by RxEVOLUTION Recordings.

The Valley - Spokane, WA (5/15/2009)

2009-05-20T10:13:00.000-07:00

The Valley made the trek over from Seattle to play at the Swamp Tavern. The played songs from their full length, their EP, and one new song. Hopefully we'll get more new material from these guys soon.

The Kitten Killers

Layla's Drink

The Valley

Flickr, Last.fm

State of the Trapper

2009-05-19T09:53:00.000-07:00

It's no secret that Blitzen Trapper has quickly become one of my favorite bands. I really enjoyed last year's album Furr and enjoyed seeing them live at Bumbershoot, Musicfest NW, and Coachella. Guitarist Marty Marquis posted yesterday on the Blitzen Trapper forum about the "State of the Trapper". It is a very nicely written piece that thanks the fans and let's you know their status on recording and touring. Also check out their performance and interview in Juan's Basement for Pitchfork.

Death Cab for Cutie - Spokane, WA (4/24/2009)

2009-05-16T22:46:00.000-07:00

GSBA was kind enough to convince Death Cab for Cutie to make one more tour stop in Spokane. Ra Ra Riot and Cold War Kids were the openers.

Ra Ra Riot

Cold War Kids
Death Cab for Cutie Flickr, Last.fm

Setlist:

1. Marching Bands of Manhattan
2. The New Year
3. We Laugh Indoors
4. Crooked Teeth
5. My Mirror Speaks
6. Company Calls
7. Company Calls Epilogue
8. Photobooth
9. No Sunlight
10. Grapevine Fires
11. I Will Possess Your Heart
12. I Will Follow You into the Dark
13. Title and Registration
14. Cath...
15. Long Division
16. A Movie Script Ending
17. Sound of Settling

Encore:

18. A Diamond and a Tether
19. Soul Meets Body
20. Transatlanticism
-setlist.fm

Tracks 6, 7 from We Have the Facts and We're Voting Yes
Tracks 3, 16 from The Photo Album
Tracks 2, 13, 17, 20 from Transatlanticism
Tracks 1, 4, 12, 19 from Plans
Tracks 9, 10, 11, 14, 15 from Narrow Stairs
Tracks 5, 18 from The Open Door EP
Track 8 from The Forbidden Love EP

The Shins in 2009

2009-05-14T12:18:00.000-07:00

The Shins are back with a new lineup and new songs. Drummer Jesse Sandoval has moved on to the mobile food service industry apparently. New album not expected until 2010.

The English Beat - Spokane, WA (4/1/2009)

2009-05-12T11:07:00.000-07:00

The English Beat came to the Knitting Factory in Spokane on April Fool's Day. I was really excited to hear "Save It for Later". They ended up playing it pretty early in the set since they shuffled the setlist shown here.

Flickr, Last.fm

Setlist

1. Rough Rider
2. I Confess
3. Whine & Grine/Stand Down Margaret
4. Hands Off... She's Mine
5. Best Friend
6. Ackee 1-2-3
7. Doors of Your Heart
8. Tears of a Clown
9. Twist & Crawl
10. Can't Get Used to Losing You
11. Two Swords
12. I'll Take You There
13. Never You Done That
14. Tenderness
15. Ranking Full Stop
16. Mirror in the Bathroom
17. Click Click
18. Never Die
19. Save It for Later
20. End of the Party
21. Jackpot

Tracks 1, 3, 4, 5, 8, 9, 10, 11, 15, 16, 17, 21 from I Just Can't Stop It
Track 7 from Wha'appen?
Tracks 2, 6, 19, 20 from Special Beat Service
Track 13, 14 from All The Rage by General Public
Track 12 from Threesome Soundtrack by General Public
Track 18 from ?

4 Bands, 4 Videos

2009-05-12T10:57:00.000-07:00

The whole setup on this one reminds me of their "Pillar of Salt" video.

The Thermals - "Now We Can See"

Here come a couple of weird ones.

Department of Eagles - "No One Does It Like You"

Torche - "Across the Shields"

Here comes the thrash.

Toxic Holocaust - "Nuke the Cross"

Coachella 2009 - Indio, CA (4/18/2009)

2009-04-30T12:48:00.000-07:00

We pretty much stuck to our plan when we got to Coachella. We skipped the end of Dr. Dog and Henry Rollins to hang out in the beer tent and listen to Michael Franti & Spearhead. We took care of Record Store Day before got there and didn't look at the Coachella RSD tent.

Joss Stone
Blitzen Trapper

Fleet Foxes
MIA
The Killers
Last.fm, Flickr

Setlist

Human
Somebody Told Me
For Reasons Unknown
This Is Your Life
Joy Ride
Bling (Confession of a King)
Shadowplay (Joy Division Cover)
Smile Like You Mean It
Spaceman
A Dustland Fairytale
Sam's Town (Abbey Road Version)
Read My Mind
Mr. Brightside
All These Things That I've Done

Encore:

Bones
Jenny Was a Friend of Mine
When You Were Young

-setlist.fm

Tracks 2, 8, 13, 14, 16 from Hot Fuss
Tracks 3, 6, 12, 15, 17 from Sam's Town
Tracks 1, 4, 5, 9, 10 from Day & Age
Tracks 7, 11 from Sawdust

Record Store Day 2009 - The Haul

2009-04-26T19:35:00.000-07:00

Record Store Day festivities at Rhino Records on the way to Coachella. Links updated as I find them.

Bad Religion 7"
Blitzen Trapper "War Is Placebo" 7"
Dead Weather 7"
The Decemberists "The Rake's Song" 7"
Fat Possum Records Sampler 7"
Flaming Lips / Black Keys "Borderline / Her Eyes Are a Blue Million Miles" 7"
El Grupo Nuevo de Omar Rodriguez Lopez "Cryptomnesia" full-length LP
Flight of the Conchords "Pencils in the Wind" 7"
Gaslight Anthem "Live at 10"
Grizzly Bear "Live at KCRW" 7"
Heaven & Hell "Bible Black" 7"
Iron & Wine "Norfolk 06/20/05" CD
Jane's Addiction "Mountain Song" 7"
Jay Reatard & Sonic Youth split 7"
MC5 "Kick Out the Jams" 7"
Misfits "Walk Among Us" LP
My Morning Jacket "Celebracion de la Ciudad Natal" CD & double 10" w/CD
New Order "Temptation" 7"
Obits "I Can't Lose" 7"
Record Store Day Sampler LP
Silversun Pickups "Pikul" 12"
Slayer "Psychopathy Red" 7"
Sonic Youth & Beck split 7"
Sublime "Superstar Punani" 7"
Thermals/Thao Split 7"
These Arms Are Snakes & Russian Circles clear vinyl 12"
Vetiver "Wishing Well" 7"
Tom Waits "Live from the Glitter Dome" 7"
Whiskeytown "San Antone" 7"

EDIT: 6/25 more links

Until the Light Takes Us

2009-04-22T12:30:00.000-07:00

If you didn't know already, I am fascinated by Black Metal. It is one of the most interesting musical subcultures out there. Its music is strongly DIY, but is also surrounded by controversy. Like any good subculture it has its own fashion sense. This is the reason I'm excited for a new documentary exploring the depths of this extreme metal subgenre.

Until the Light Takes Us has some limited showings in Portland and Seattle this May.

Coachella 2009 - The Plan

2009-04-15T08:56:00.000-07:00

10:00 AM to 11:00 AM - Rhino Records (Record Store Day)

11:00 AM to 1:00 PM - Driving

1:30 PM to 2:10 PM - Cloud Cult

2:40 PM to 3:30 PM - Joss Stone

3:45 PM to 4:35 PM - Blitzen Trapper

4:35 PM to 4:55 PM - Dr. Dog

5:05 PM to 5:50 PM - Henry Rollins

6:25 PM to 7:15 PM - TV on the Radio

7:25 PM to 8:15 PM - Fleet Foxes

8:40 PM to 9:30 PM - Band of Horses

10:25 PM - The Killers

11:05 PM - Mastodon

Coachooser

The English Beat - "Save It for Later"

2009-04-01T09:24:00.000-07:00

The English Beat (known as the Beat in England) are playing tonight at the Knitting Factory. In honor of this, here is the righteous video for "Save It for Later".

Record Store Day 2009 - The Plan

2009-04-01T08:14:00.000-07:00

As I previously posted, Record Store Day takes place on April 18th this year. Now this year, Becca and I will be attending Coachella on that very same day. Not to worry, there is still hope. Coachella is very aware of the importance of Record Store Day and will have their very own record store day market at the festival. Also, just in case, I have located participating stores in Palm Desert and Claremont.

Also with regards to my previous post, the number of record store day exclusive releases has grown exponentially. I mentioned a couple last time, but the list has grown quite large. I hoping to hit a couple of the stores I mentioned because you can't find all of the exclusives everywhere. The complete list can be found here. Some notable additions are singles by Blitzen Trapper, the Decemberists, Flight of the Conchords, Modest Mouse, Heaven & Hell, Slayer, and Grizzly Bear.

Review: The Decemberists - The Hazards of Love

2009-03-23T08:30:00.000-07:00

Much to my surprise, I arrived home on Wednesday to find a package from the Decemberists' Shop. It seems my pre-ordered copy of The Hazards of Love had arrived a week before the scheduled release date (no autograph though). Thanks to this album being put out by Capitol, there was no MP3 download code so I set about recording and absorbing this rock opera.

They weren't kidding about this album being a rock opera. All the necessary components are there. The album ebbs and flows, there are classical characters, and musical themes are repeated throughout the album. After listening to this album, I felt the need to listen to Tommy, The Who's 1969 rock opera. There were many similarities. The biggest similarity being the repeated musical themes to show the entrance of characters. The lecherous Uncle Ernie receives a lilting oom-pa-pa style intro, while the the Acid Queen has her seductive rocker. All the while, Tommy's voice is shown through the quieter sections, until Tommy himself changes and the music follows suit.

In The Hazards of Love, Tommy is replaced by our hero William. He can be heard pleading with his mother, the horrible Forest Queen, through "The Wanting Comes in Waves". The back and forth is shown dynamically with the Queen's rebuke being backed with squealing electric guitars. The Decemberists even brought in guest singers to make these characters real. Lavender Diamond's Becky Stark plays our hero's naive love interest Margaret. My Brightest Diamonds's Sharon Vorden plays the Forest Queen. Colin Meloy sings for both the protagonist and the antagonist of William and the Rake.

The album is great as a whole, but loses something in its parts. The album opens with the organ and bass heavy "Prelude" leading into the standout "Hazards of Love 1", a straightforward but rewarding Decemberists tune. The album goes throught the story from song to song to using lyrical pieces and instrumental ones. The second half (after the interlude, of course), begins with "The Rake's Song", a heavy rocker that tells the sordid tale the the Rake's past. From there, the album builds to its climax following the kidnapping of Margaret by the Rake and his confrontation with William. A great finish to the album complete with a children's choir of the Rake's spectral children. I had high hopes for this album and it nearly delivers completely on them.

This album grabs you early, but loses the thread soon after. It comes back, though, with a roaring finish. It has the opportunity to become a classic album if it can hold up through repeated listenings. An ambitious album to say the least with lush instrumentation and well orchestrated by all involved. The album simply fails to take off completely. It stands on the edge of prog-rock ecstasy. It will be interesting to see how this piece translates live. I have plans right now to see the Decemberists three total times in the coming months, so I should have my chance.

Highs: "Hazards of Love 1 (The Prettiest Whistles Won't Wrestle the Thistles Undone)", "Won't Want for Love (Margaret in the Taiga)", "Annan Water", "The Hazards of Love 3 (Revenge!)",

Lows: ""A Bower Scene", "The Hazards of Love 4 (The Drowned)"

Rating: 8.1

Vinyl Spotlight: Wolves in the Throne Room - Malevolent Grain

2009-03-15T14:57:00.000-07:00

Wolves in the Throne Room - Malevolent Grain

This EP was released last month by the Olympia black metal outfit on Southern Lord Records. This release features two operatic songs each over 10 minutes long. When mailordered directly from Southern Lord, this album is pressed on forest green vinyl out of a 1000 copies. The forest green edition is probably one of the best looking pieces of colored vinyl I have seen. The cover also features a gold foil stamped logo. Fresh off their performance in the Scion Rock Fest, the Wolves have a full length due out at that end of the month.

Pre-Orders

2009-03-04T09:28:00.000-08:00

Those anticipated albums are getting closer than ever, some of them even coming this month. That means pre-orders and pre-orders mean enticing add-ons.

Now We Can See 7" (white vinyl) - First week of March

The Hazards of Love CD (first 750 signed) - March 24

The Hazards of Love LP (first 250 signed) - March 24

Now We Can See CD (autographed postcard; button & sticker) - April 7

Now We Can See LP (autographed poster; button & sticker) - April 7

Veckatimest LP - May 26

KEXP Documentaries

2009-02-26T15:04:00.000-08:00

If you ever have some time on your hands, I highly recommend the KEXP documentary series. Each series has a handful of episodes on a topic. Each episode is 5 to 10 minutes long. My favorites are Punk Evolution, Death, Drugs and Rock n' Roll, Portraits of Post Punk, and Pop Goes Electronic.

David Byrne - Spokane, WA (2/19/2009)

2009-02-23T14:37:00.000-08:00

Talking Heads frontman David Byrne came to the Fox Theater in Spokane last Thursday. He primarily played songs from his recent collaboration with Brian Eno. The show included matching white outfits, choreographed dancing, props, and even tutus. His voice was as good as ever and the show did not disappoint.

"Burning Down the House"

Flickr, Last.fm

Setlist

1. Strange Overtones
2. I Zimbra
3. One Fine Day
4. Help Me Somebody
5. Houses in Motion
6. My Big Nurse
7. My Big Hands (Fall Through the Cracks)
8. Heaven
9. Never Thought
10. Poor Boy
11. Crosseyed & Painless
12. Life is Long
13. Once in a Lifetime
14. Life During Wartime
15. I Feel My Stuff

Encores

16. Take Me to the River
17. The Great Curve
18. Air
19. Burning Down the House
20. Everything That Happens
-davidbyrne.com

Tracks 1, 3, 6, 9 (deluxe edition), 10, 12, 15, 20 - from Everything That Happens Will Happen Today (Brian Eno & David Byrne)
Track 4 - from My Life in the Bush of Ghosts (Brian Eno & David Byrne)
Tracks 2, 8, 14, 18 - from Fear of Music (Talking Heads)
Tracks 5, 11, 13, 17 - from Remain in Light (Talking Heads)
Track 7 - from The Catherine Wheel (David Byrne)
Track 16 - from More Songs About Buildings and Food (Talking Heads)
Track 19 - from Speaking in Tongues (Talking Heads)

Albums That Need To Come Out Now (Update)

2009-02-10T12:57:00.000-08:00

So how are those spring albums coming along.

The Thermals - Now We Can See

The Thermals will be releasing a split 7" with Thao with the Get Down Stay Down for Record Store Day. The split will feature demos of two songs from the album. According to the Kill Rock Stars store, they will start a pre-order for their new 7" on white vinyl next week.

Release Date: April 7

Songs: "Now We Can See", "I Was Afraid (Demo)"

Tracklist:

1 "When I Died"
2 "We Were Sick"
3 "I Let It Go"
4 "Now We Can See"
5 "At the Bottom of the Sea"
6 "When We Were Alive"
7 "I Called Out Your Name"
8 "When I Was Afraid"
9 "Liquid In, Liquid Out"
10 "How We Fade"
11 "You Dissolve"

Grizzly Bear - Veckatimest

The Grizzly Bear album has a title and a couple more songs. They are slated to bring their act to some of the usual summer festivals.

Release Date: May 26

Songs: "Two Weeks", "While You Wait For the Others", "Cheerleader", "Fine for Now"

Tracklist:

1 "Southern Point"
2 "Two Weeks"
3 "All We Ask"
4 "Fine for Now"
5 "Cheerleader"
6 "Dory"
7 "Ready, Able"
8 "About Face"
9 "Hold Still"
10 "While You Wait for the Others"
11 "I Live With You"
12 "Foreground"

The Decemberists - The Hazards of Love

The Decemberists will play their new album in its entirety at this year's SXSW festival in Austin. Their closest Spokane stop on tour will be Missoula in May.

Release Date: March 24

Songs: "The Rake's Song"

Tracklist:

1 "Prelude"
2 "Hazards Of Love 1 (The Prettiest Whistles Won't Wrestle the Thistles Undone)"
3 "A Bower Scene"
4 "Won't Want For Love (Margaret In The Taiga)"
5 "Hazards Of Love 2 (Wager All)"
6 "The Queen's Approach"
7 "Isn't It A Lovely Night?"
8 "The Wanting Comes In Waves / Repaid"
9 "An Interlude"
10 "The Rake's Song"
11 "The Abduction Of Margaret"
12 "The Queen's Rebuke / The Crossing"
13 "Annan Water"
14 "Margaret In Captivity"
15 "Hazards Of Love 3 (Revenge!)"
16 "The Wanting Comes In Waves" (Reprise)
17 "The Hazards Of Love 4 (The Drowned)"

EDIT: Added Veckatimest info (3/4/09)

Fleet Foxes - "Mykonos" (Official Video)

2009-02-05T09:35:00.001-08:00

Fleet Foxes are moving backwards. Their next single will be the song "Mykonos" off Their Sun Giant EP that was originally released before their self-titled debut. The B-side to the single will be a song from Robin Pecknold's solo moniker White Antelope.

Critics Vs. Fans

2009-02-04T12:48:00.000-08:00

If you read enough about music, you will most certainly come across the inevitable best/all-time/top album list. Music critics love to make lists. Everyone has one. If you read enough of them you start to see patterns. Lots of artists have that keystone album that have to be mentioned. It's always interesting to me one that album turns out to be the band's least commercially successful or unheard of by mainstream fans. Here are some that I've come across. These are based purely on my experience with top album lists. I've compared their sales ranking versus their other studio albums and their Rolling Stone Top 500 Albums ranking.

Beastie Boys - Paul's Boutique

The Beastie Boy's second album is what got me thinking about this list. This could be the least recognizable Beastie Boys album by the general populace, but if a critical list includes a Beastie Boys album it is more often than not this one. This album recently reached it's 20th anniversary. The Beasties remastered it and rereleased it in multiple formats to mark the event.

Sales Rank: 5/7 (Licensed to Ill 1/7)
Rolling Stone Rank: 156/500 (Licensed to Ill 217/500)

The Beatles - Revolver

The Beatles have so many hits to their credit it's ridiculous. Most top album lists have multiple Beatles albums on them. Then there's Revolver. This album came out right between Rubber Soul and Sgt. Pepper's. What's the hit song on this? "Eleanor Rigby". That's it. You could make an argument for "Yellow Submarine" or "Good Day Sunshine" but come on. "Tomorrow Never Knows" is considered a masterpiece but hardly a hit. To be fair, Sgt. Pepper's is #1 on Rolling Stone's list, but Revolver is #3 despite only selling more than Let It Be of The Beatles' major albums.

Sales Rank: 6/7 (Abbey Road 2/7)
Rolling Stone Rank: 3/500 (Abbey Road 14/500)

The Rolling Stones - Exile on Main St.

The king of all critic's darlings. The Rolling Stones' 1972 double album. Somebody name a hit off this album. "Happy"? "Tumbling Dice"? I wouldn't put either of those songs in the top 10 of Rolling Stones big hits. There are two discs of songs here. This album is also a favorite "influence" for hundreds of artists. It also has probably the most parodied album title ever.

Sales Rank: 8 (Sticky Fingers 3 or 4)
Rolling Stone Rank: 7/500 (Sticky Fingers 63/500)

Festivals 2009

2009-02-03T10:33:00.000-08:00

The festival season is almost here. Here's what we have to look forward to (not full lineups):

SXSW (Austin, TX March 13 - March 22)

The Decemberists, Devo, Annuals, Beach House, Andrew Bird, The Black Angels, Black Lips, Deer Tick, Delta Spirit, Dredg, Explosions in the Sky, Grand Archives, Grizzly Bear, Handsome Furs, The Hold Steady, Justin Townes Earle, Mika Miko, Monotonix, Passion Pit, Peter Bjorn and John, The Raveonettes, The Shackeltons, Telekinesis!, These Arms Are Snakes

The Decemberists will play The Hazards of Love in its entirety (with live stream on NPR).

The Hold Steady to play Rachel Ray SXSW party.

Coachella (Indio, CA April 17 - April 19)

Brian Jonestown Massacre, Beirut, Band of Horses, The Black Keys, Blitzen Trapper, Calexico, Cloud Cult, The Cure, Drive-By Truckers, Fleet Foxes, Franz Ferdinand, Fucked Up, The Hold Steady, The Killers, Mastodon, M. Ward, Morrissey, My Bloody Valentine, No Age, Okkervil River, Paul McCartney, Peter Bjorn and John, Silversun Pickups, Throbbing Gristle, TV on the Radio

Throbbing Gristle Play Coachella & first ever NYC show

Bonnaroo (Manchester, TN June 11 - June 14)

Bruce Springsteen, Phish (2 shows), Beastie Boys, Nine Inch Nails, David Byrne, Wilco, Snoop Dogg, Elvis Costello, The Mars Volta, TV on the Radio, MGMT, The Decemberists, Bon Iver, Animal Collective, Neko Case, Grizzly Bear, Yeasayer

Bruce Springsteen and reunited Phish play Bonnaroo

Up next Sasquatch, PDX Pop Now!, Bumbershoot, Musicfest NW

Record Store Day 2009

2009-02-02T15:12:00.000-08:00

It's that time of year again! Of course, I'm talking about National Record Store Day. The day that we come together to celebrate independent record shops across the country. I first heard my favorite song of last year, "Furr ", on a free Sub Pop compilation I received at last year's event.

This year Matador is releasing three exclusives records only for participating shops. Artists involved include Beck, Sonic Youth, Jay Reatard, and Pavement.

EDIT: The Thermals and Thao with Get Down Stay Down are releasing an exclusive split as well.

Local participating stores:

Spokane - Unified Groove Merchants, 4000 Holes

Portland - Everyday Music, Jackpot Records, Music Millenium

Soundtrack of My Life

2009-02-02T09:13:00.000-08:00

Part of liking music is making pointless lists about music. Here are two recent music lists I made:

Soundtrack of Your Life

Reeling Back the Years

My Collection

2009-01-22T09:35:00.000-08:00

I have now added a widget that links to my collection at discogs.com. I'm still in the process of adding all my records to the list.

Attention! Spokane fans of Avenged Sevenfold, Papa Roach, and Buckcherry

2009-01-21T10:42:00.000-08:00

Don't Worry

Review: Animal Collective - Merriweather Post Pavilion

2009-01-17T12:58:00.000-08:00

2009 just got here, and the biggest record of the year may have already arrived. Merriweather Post Pavilion is the latest outing from Baltimore wierdos Animal Collective. It's already getting rave reviews from the major outlets. The album doesn't officially come out until January 20th. The vinyl version was made available last week. Is it all hype? If you want to decide for yourself, you can stream the entire album online now.

The album opens with the lush "In the Flowers" which gives way to "My Girls". "My Girls" is a sparse electronic piece that draws you in with its vocal harmonies and pounding drum beats. It's my favorite song off the album. "Summertime Clothes" is a rollicking, bouncy summertime song as the title suggests. "Guys Eyes" is a big song in every sense of the word. The album closer is the first song to be released from the album. "Brother Sport" is an even bigger song and a great way to close the album. Are there bad songs on the album? Not really. There are songs that don't grab me like the others, but I could grow to love them just as much as the others. "Daily Routine" and "No More Runnin" just didn't grab me.

The one thing I've found to be true of all the Animal Collective albums I've heard, is that it takes more than one listen. The songs can seem simple, but on the fiftieth listen you may hear something you never heard before. Even after that, you either love them or hate them and couple more listens can change that. Is this album really as good as everyone seems to think it is? Maybe, but I probably won't know until 6 months from now when it clicks together. I could write a review then and give a completely different score.

Highs: "My Girls", "Summertime Clothes", "Guys Eyes"
Lows: "Daily Routine", "No More Runnin"

Rating: 8.0

New Decemberists' Song!

2009-01-15T10:40:00.000-08:00

The first song from Hazards of Love is out. I have to say I really like the song. "The Rake's Song" is much heavier than the normal Decemberists fare. If this the direction their rock opera is going, I can see why their single series didn't quite fit in. Click here to get the MP3 from Decemberists.com. The album is out 3/24.

Neko Case's Song for Charity

2009-01-15T10:30:00.000-08:00

Neko Case is making available the first song off her upcoming album Middle Cyclone (due in March). Her label, Anti-, will donate money to Best Friends Animal Society for every blog who posts it, so here you go. Sweet album cover and the song's alright too.

Neko Case - "People Got a Lotta Nerve"

Vinyl Spotlight: The Muslims - The Muslims

2009-01-12T08:55:00.000-08:00

The Muslims - The Muslims

This San Diego garage band put out two singles and this album before changing their name for obvious reasons. This is a 7 song 45 RPM album that includes a CD of the album plus 3 bonus songs. The inserts are supposedly hand-typed and the jacket was shot by an actual New York City police officer. As far as I know, this album is no longer available.

Scion Rock Fest

2009-01-12T08:24:00.000-08:00

It's hard to find good metal festivals. Usually you have to put up with a fair amount of sub-par bands. The Scion Rock Fest on Feb. 28th is the exception. Too bad it is in Atlanta. 2 of the 4 bands from my best metal albums of 2008 will be there.

Full band list (my picks in bold):

Mastodon, Neurosis, High on Fire, Converge, Boris, 1349, Cryptopsy, Torche, Nachtmystium, Wolves in the Throne Room, Baroness, Harvey Milk, Kylesa, Zordaster, Withered, Krallice, Toxic Holocaust, Skeletonwitch, Rwake, A Storm of Light, Warbringer, Salome, Suidakra, Tyr, Alestorm, Eyehategod, SuidAkrA, Septic Flesh, Soilent Green, Trash Talk, U.S. Christmas, Apocalyptic Visions

If only Gojira and The Sword were going to be there. Speaking of Gojira, here is their new video for the song "All the Tears" from The Way of All Flesh. It's not my favorite song off the album, but it has a pretty trippy video.

All The Tears

EDIT: 4/16 Added final lineup

Thermals' Album Cover

2009-01-10T09:48:00.000-08:00

Last year, the Thermals began working on their new album and signed with Kill Rock Stars to release it. Now, they have the cover art for their new album

Happy Birthday David Bowie

2009-01-08T11:47:00.000-08:00

Thanks to KEXP

Blitzen Trapper - "Furr" (Official Video)

2009-01-07T10:35:00.000-08:00

Blitzen Trapper have an official video for the song "Furr" from my favorite album of the year.

Thanks to Muzzle of Bees.

RIP Ron Asheton

2009-01-06T19:10:00.000-08:00

Guitarist Ron Asheton was found dead today in his Ann Arbor, Michigan home. Ron and his brother were founding members of The Stooges. He was 60.

Here is a video of Ron performing with The Stooges just last year.

After their first two records, the stooges took a hiatus. Frontman Iggy Pop got a record deal and told the rest of the band that he was going off to England to make a record with David Bowie. Iggy eventually hired the brothers back into their own band when no suitable replacements were found, but this time Ron had to play bass. He was just excited to be apart of it. Ron avoided most of the drug problems that plagued his bandmates and went on to play in bands such as The New Order and Destroy All Monsters. In his own words, Ron discusses his life-changing experience of seeing The Who in England:

"I was afraid. For me it wasn't fun, but it was mesmerizing. It was like, 'the plane's burning, the ship's sinking, so let's crush each other.' Never had I seen people driven so nuts - that music could drive people to such dangerous extremes. That's when I realized, this is definitely what I wanna do."

-Please Kill Me, Legs McNeil and Gillian McCain, 41-42

2008's Best Music (Metal Edition)

2009-01-06T10:52:00.000-08:00

Since I discovered most of these albums through other year end lists, this is a little late. These are the metal albums I enjoyed that were released in 2008. It's harder to find good metal albums, and I'm sure I missed a few this year.

1) The Sword - Gods of the Earth (Stream)
2) Nachtmystium - Assassins: Black Meddle Pt. 1 (Stream)
3) Torche - Meanderthal ("Healer" MP3)
4) Gojira - The Way of All Flesh

Top 90.3 Albums of 2008

2008-12-31T10:33:00.000-08:00

KEXP is counting down their top 90.3 albums of 2008 from 10 AM to 6 PM today. You can listen here or watch the list here.

EDIT: Fleet Foxes took the top spot.

Awesome Chart

2008-12-29T10:19:00.001-08:00

Thanks to Metal Sucks

Fleet Foxes on TV

2008-12-17T13:37:00.000-08:00

Fleet Foxes performed "English House" on Conan on Tuesday. Fleet Foxes also have the 2nd best song of the year according to Pitchfork.

Here are they are performing "Blue Ridge Mountains" on Letterman in August.

Hell's Belles - Spokane, WA (12/12/2008)

2008-12-14T09:58:00.000-08:00

Seattle's Hell's Belles and Spokane's Lucid played a rockin' Friday night show in Spokane. The show was a Toys for Tots benefit.

Lucid

Hell's Belles

Flickr, Last.fm

Setlist

1. Rock n' Roll Ain't Noise Pollution
2. Back in Black
3. Get It Hot
4. Hells Bells
5. Thunderstruck
6. Bad Boy Boogie
7. Walk All Over You
8. Night Prowler
9. Riff Raff
10. Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap
11. You Shook Me All Night Long
12. Beating Around the Bush
13. For Those About to Rock (We Salute You)
14. Highway to Hell
15. If You Want Blood, You Got It

Track 1o - from Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap
Track 6, 9 - from Let There Be Rock
Tracks 3, 7, 8, 12, 14, 15 - from Highway to Hell
Tracks 1, 2, 4, 11 - from Back in Black
Track 13 - from For Those About to Rock (We Salute You)
Track 5 - from The Razors Edge

Still Lost

2008-12-08T14:58:00.001-08:00

Coldplay is under fire from all sides. This time Joe Satriani has filed an official lawsuit claiming that Coldplay's song "Viva La Vida" rips off his 2004 song "If I Could Fly".

Blitzen Trapper Christmas Song

2008-12-03T08:21:00.000-08:00

I don't normally like Christmas songs, but I do like them when they are free and by Blitzen Trapper. Amazon is giving away "Christmas Is Coming Soon" off of the recently released Christmas Compilation I'll Stay 'Til After Christmas for a limited time. The album has some Christmas tracks from other NW bands like Au and Arthur & Yu. Merry Christams!

The Dandy Warhols - Mis Amigos Remix

2008-12-01T22:22:00.001-08:00

Vinyl Spotlight: The Decemberists - Always the Bridesmaid Single Series

2008-11-30T14:45:00.000-08:00

Vol. 1: Valerie Plame
Vol. 2: Days of Elaine
Vol. 3: Record Year for Rainfall

12" singles released in monthly installments. Limited edition on colored vinyl. Composed of songs the band thought would not fit on their new album. You can still purchase the set from Jealous Butcher or from the Decemberists' Shop.

The Decemberists' New Album Is a Rock Opera

2008-11-19T09:25:00.001-08:00

Rock & Roll Daily calls Hazards of Love "the Decemberists' full-on classic-rock move." Colin Meloy says "Everyone's going to call it a rock opera."

read more | digg story

2008's Best Music

2008-11-19T08:23:00.000-08:00

Thanksgiving is also the time of the end of the year list. Largehearted Boy has page full of end of the year lists if anyone has the time to scour through them. Stereogum has started the voting on their annual Gummy Awards. My votes for top albums? These shouldn't be a surprise.

1) Blitzen Trapper - Furr (Review)
2) Fleet Foxes - Fleet Foxes
3) The Black Angels - Directions To See A Ghost (Review)

Blitzen Trapper on Conan

2008-11-18T08:24:00.000-08:00

Blitzen Trapper brought the title track of their September Sub Pop release Furr to Conan last night. Eric has been posting lyrics to "Furr" and "Black River Killer" in chunks at his Myspace blog. My earlier guess at the "Black River Killer" lyrics was partially incorrect.

GWAR - Spokane, WA (11/15/2008)

2008-11-16T12:54:00.000-08:00

GWAR brought their brutal stage show to the Knitting Factory in Spokane on the Electile Dysfunction tour. There were gallons of fake blood and many celebrity decapitations. Toxic Holocaust and Kingdom of Sorrow were the openers.

Toxic Holocaust

Kingdom of Sorrow

GWAR

The Aftermath

Flickr, Last.fm

Setlist

1. Battle Lust
2. The Salamanizer
3. Go To Hell!
4. Bring Back the Bomb
5. Bonesnapper (The Faces of the Slain)
6. Murderer's Muse
7. Crack in the Egg
8. A Short History of the End of the World (Part VII(The Final Chapter(abbr.)))
9. Crush Kill Destroy
10. Ham on the Bone
11. Krosstika
12. War Is All We Know
13. JCSS
14. Destructo Song
15. U Ain't Shit
16. Rock & Roll Never Felt So Good
17. Eighth Lock
18. Slaughterama
19. Sick of You

Tracks 2, 18, 19 - from Scumdogs of the Universe
Track 15 - from Hell-O
Tracks 7, 10, 16 - from America Must Be Destroyed
Track 9 - from RagNaRok
Tracks 4, 5, 11 from War Party
Tracks 3, 6, 12, 17 - from Beyond Hell
Track 8 - from We Kill Everything
Track 1 - from Violence Has Arrived
Tracks 13, 14 - ?

The Thermals Sign With Kill Rock Stars

2008-11-14T15:11:00.000-08:00

The Thermals have officially signed with Olympia-born Kill Rock Stars to release their aforementioned album Now We Can See. In an interview with Pitchfork, Hutch Harris also revealed the release date for the album and its first single. The first single will be released on March 10th. The album will be released April 7th.

RIP Mitch Mitchell

2008-11-12T14:50:00.000-08:00

Mitch Mitchell, drummer for The Jimi Hendrix Experience, was found dead today at the Benson Hotel in Portland, OR. He had just finished touring with the "Experience Hendrix" tribute tour. He was just in Spokane a couple of weeks ago for the tour.

Happy Birthday Neil

2008-11-12T10:10:00.000-08:00

Neil Young is 63 today. To celebrate here is a video of him performing "No Hidden Path" last October when I saw him in Spokane.