Turn My Headphones Up!!!!! Tumbling Tumbleweed Edition

Did you know there's a ghost town right here in Portland? Well, technically Oregon City, but close enough for a haunting. Almost feels like a ghost town in this blog. Let's fix that!

  ANTON SWORD- "Here Comes The Hurricane" Between his frickin' sweet name and evil-mirror-universe-goatee, I am entirely convinced that Anton Sword is some sort of old-school supervillain. His music even reflects that. Very slick and accessible. Not like that hack Dr. Steel, who is essentially a douche in a labcoat yelling about dolls and shit. My one qualm is that Sword's bio (which should be read in its glorious entirety) is almost like a how-to on how-not-to describe what genre you are. Or aren't. Here Comes The Hurricane comes out May 1st. Recommended.


  RURAL GHOSTS- eponymous EP

While not exactly reinventing the wheel, the literally-minded "other Portland" group Rural Ghosts put out great sparse spooky folk. And they're selling their EP on Etsy! How cute! You know my pet peeves, though, loyal readers. TAKE THIRTY SECONDS AND NAME YOUR DAMN EP.

  TRACERS- "Alphajerk"

Per the TRACERS bio: "attempts to soundtrack a Portland city stroll while on LSD at midnight, or a drive thru the redwoods at dawn. Heavily influenced by psychedelia, rainy days, the St. Vista Bridge, cross-country drives, and the passage of time. Artistic influences include: Kenneth Noland, Mark Rothko, Ravel, Kurt Vonnegut, War on Drugs, Panda Bear, and Hoxie, Kansas." What? As much as this made me want to not like them, the Alphajerk EP is a trippy swirly mess is probably the best Sonic Youth release we're going to get now that SY is just a Fender ad.


  THESE CURIOUS THOUGHTS- "Let's See What 2moro Brings" Now, you probably know that I have a weakness for long-distance musical affairs. Finneyerkes, Charlotte & Magon, Coeur Machant... it's just a great idea. These Curious Thoughts certainly fulfill the promise of that idea. They have a good sound which is compared to REM, but I feel veers in a darker, more psychedelic direction. Great execution, and I hope their new status as an actual factual live band doesn't cut short the mystery. Oh, and PS: Spell out "tomorrow" in the title, assholes.


  GHOST TOY CASTLE- "String the Clouds"

Now, intolerant jackass that I am, I was going to pitch this submission because the title of the email made a pune or play on words with "crap." Which I specifically warned everyone not to do, yes? Then GTC won me back over with their proclamation that they were "probably one of the top 20, or even 30, ghost-related bands in Portland." They almost lost me again with their mention of Flaming Lips and Smashing Pumpkins in their influences, but GTC's general positive attitude led me to actually listen to their music, and that turned out to be a good thing.


  ONSLAUGHT SIX- "Termina"

Why not. Hearkening back to a good ol' Fear Factory industrial metal sound, Onslaught Six proclaims that their new album contains “Twelve punches to the face—for real this time.” Oh shit! Apparently they're giant nerds, too, as the album drew inspiration from the Ben Drowned meme and Neon Genesis Evangelion. Heh, alright.













  AKONABABONA- "my friends it gets dark"

These are the facts as we know them: Jake is 18. He lives in Salem. He named his band as a joke. He records music in his bedroom on shit equipment. Now for some speculation: Jake feels that he is alone in the world, and that his ideas come from some dark unique place of originality. Well, you're not alone, and you're not unique. What you are, Okanabanana, is pretty damn good at what you do, and there is absotutely nothing wrong with that. Best of luck, sir.

 That's it for today. I'll be cutting a swath through ye olde slushe pile and putting up some more reviews soon. Don't forget to support the Patron Haint indiegogo campaign, in its last day of funding! With all this talk of ghosts, you know you want to help me make a haunted album!!!

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TURN MY HEADPHONES UP... "Run and tell that" edition

Crikeys, I've been so busy interviewing fancy people that I've forgotten all about my portion of submissions that are slipped under the crack in the door in the wee hours of the morning.  So as is my wont, I'm going to start working backwards and letting you know what's up. Unfortunately, since I'm in a really bad mood I'm going to be super critical of everyone.  You know, I only pick on you because I love you.

RAW MOJO- "Submission"

From left: Herp, Derp, Hurr

First dip in, already Raw Mojo have pissed me off.  They submitted music and didn't give it any sort of title.  I mean, seriously... everything I do ends up with an epic title even if it's just a bass groove I lay down for future musical cannibalism.  It takes like two seconds to click on a random wikipedia article and name your goddamned ep.  They also gave me a "sounds like" description that truly boggles the mind:

Sounds like: The band is still new but has drawn comparisons with the likes of The Breeders, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, EARLY Motley Crue, Joan Jett, Nirvana, The White Stripes, Rush, Metallica, Hole, Ozzy, The Donnas, Robert Johnson, Diamond Head, and Girlschool 

See what I mean?  Bonus points for throwing Diamond Head in there, but Robert Johnson?  News flash, kids.  YOU DON'T SOUND LIKE ROBERT JOHNSON.  You sound like, oh, I don't know... Dead Moon.  Or something.  What is my honest take on their music?  It's so okay.  Good enough, but I have the feeling their heart is really not into it.  Look at the guy in the blue shirt's face.  He really would rather be anywhere else.  Word to the wise: if you're going for oldschool RAWK, then you had better fucking mean it.

FUEL BOX- "I"

Christ, why is everybody on the right always smoking?

Fuel Box are, as I am told by their very professional press kit, a Dutch soul act.  Now, despite their shiny exterior, they also committed the cardinal sin of presenting some interesting hypothetical sounds like:

Our music style? Kind of a dark blend of dub(Lee Perry), hip-hop(Madlib), soul(Bill Withers/Prince) and pop(eeeh...Maroon5)

They are right on with that last comparison.  I know Maroon 5 is the last thing most people would admit to liking, but I've always thought that some of their stuff was good for what it was.  And those songs of Fuel Box's that sound similar are decent.  It's when they cut loose a bit with the crazy delays that Fuel Box starts to shine.  Deeper in the depths of their press kit is revealed that "they generate a sound that is best described as if a 60s soul singer and a latter day hip-hop producer cut an album together in 70s Jamaica."  Well, no, not really.  It sounds as if a 2000s soul singer and a former indie rocker cut an album together in a modern studio.  Which turns out to not be half bad.  I enjoyed Fuel Box, and I think as they get out on the road and shake off some of their pop sheen they will be a band to watch.

BARRY ADAMSON- "Destination" single

Oh hell yeah.  Looks like my boy Barry is coming out with a new live album soon.  Our dear friends at Central Control dropped this tantalizing taste with us, and it finds Adamson in more of a rock mode than some of his most recent efforts, which is just fine.  Remember, this is the guy who kept (for a few albums at least) Nick Cave's music from completely sucking.  Shit, that's like pushing on a wall and slowing the rotation of the earth.  Yay Barry!

ODDEPOXY- "forthcoming album"

We've got rust ass jeans, son, don't you know?

Well, I have to say that I hate this band's name but love their music.  And they are fucking geniuses.  They're about to write their next album, and starting November 3rd we are going to get to watch the process live on justin.tv. Now that shit is creative.  Having written and recorded an album in the month of November, I will say that it's hard enough to just do, but to let every troll out there watch you do it is brave.  Bravo, sirs.  Oddepoxy's kickstarter can be found here, go help 'em out!

TENDER FOREVER- "Where Are We From" EP

TENDER FOREVER LOVES THE SHIT OUT OF YOU. YOU JUST DON'T KNOW IT YET.

From our friends at K Records comes French artist Tender Forever, who also has a kickstarter that I think is paying for her to stay in the USA.  Why, back in my day, if you wanted to come from Brittany to the US to rock, you had to pay your own way!  Now get off my lawn.

Anyway, I really like Tender Forever, very sweet and personal seeming.  In the spirit of me being critical, the youtube videos of Tender Forever at the TBA festival are really fucking annoying.  STOP TALKING AND PLAY MUSIC.  And you, down in the front row, stop giggling.  Fuck.

Have a listen to Tender Forever and help her out!
---

Okay, that's it for now.  I've got plenty more music to review in the next couple of days, and I wouldn't dream of leaving you out, dear reader.  So until then, hide your kids, hide your wife.

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Album Review - The Typing Pool : Let This Be Your Lesson

I was intrigued to listen to East Tennessee’s “The Typing Pool”, a three piece composed of members Melissa Bright, Don Wilson, and Watson, mainly because I think their band name is adorable. However, I wasn’t at all disappointed – their music is lovely, too.
“Let This Be Your Lesson” is gentle, liquid and atmospheric. Musically, the beats are laid back, slightly shuffly; quiet, reverb drenched guitars interwoven with piano, strings, organ, and synth, always topped off by Bright’s smooth clear voice.
The whole album has a very unified sound, with just enough variety. “Carnival Ride” is one of the most upbeat ; “The Noise” and “Alter Altar” feature a deep, almost-bluesy piano riffs; “Wire” reminds me of a hip-hop track gone gentle, with melodic vocals on top. “Mandolin”, the only instrumental track, features a playful exchange of melody between the guitar and piano.
“Let This Be Your Lesson” is a great antidote to a bad day at work or being stuck in rush hour traffic. Every time I put this on, the world seems just a little bit nicer.

(photo of Wilson and Bright stolen from the band's Facebook page. Hopefully they don't mind.)

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FensePost Review "Thom Yorke: The Man can do no wrong"

Thom Yorke: Feeling Pulled Apart By Horses (12" Single Review)
By Fense* at FensePost.com
October 30th 2009

The Man can do no wrong. Capital M: He deserves it. Thom Yorke’s latest project finds him slipping further into experimentation; the avant garde. As if we haven’t seen this coming since 2000’s Kid A, easily one of the most prolific albums of the decade. “Feeling Pulled Apart By Horses” and b-side “The Hollow Earth” are a play on the hypnotic. Both leave the listener with a true experience. click here to read full review

***WE LOVE YOU FENSIE!***

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TURN MY HEADPHONES UP!!! Volume 3. LOCAL EDITION

Sometimes I forget that Crappy Indie Music not only has bloody Portland roots, but also a local focus. Hey, since I live here and love it here it might as well be time to celebrate.

XUOSOUX- "Under Sun" EP

You know, it's almost a family theme tonight. Almost. Xuosoux is a metal trio, and their bassist/vocalist/mastermind Bob Azevedo is the little brother of a high school girlfriend. "Under Sun" is a pretty straightforward hearken back to those mythical '90s that I periodically wax nostalgic for, and of course comparisons to Fugazi or Freemasonry on a set of songs like these are inevitable. The thing that is troubling about Xuosoux's entry is that it is a bit underwhelming for me soundwise. It's very tape-y, as befitting the decade it would fit in thematically, and has a real basement vibe, which is surprising given how studio-focused and driven I know Bob to be. So perhaps it's an aesthetic choice. Check it out yourself.

CONGRATULATIONS, LAKE, OLD BELIEVERS, RED RIVER- "Brave Recs Sampler"

So, family. Brave Recordings is the record label my little bro helped start, and this sampler- a double 7" with a song from each band kicks it off in style. Now, I have to say this for the thing- it's a fucking great package. Golden vinyl, each band gets a full surface of art, and there's a sweet faux little league card inside with the download code. All the songs are top-notch. Lake, from Oly, throws in an upbeat pop tune reminiscent of the Juno soundtrack only without any hint of cloying shittiness like that film or its music. The Old Believers represent very mellow, but in this track, as well as in their live performance, dude singer Nelson seems to be going for some '70s soul frontman jive that doesn't really convince. With as powerful a chick singer as Keely in house, why ever step up with less than full game? But that's just me. Congratulations' "Juice And Syrup" is probably the strongest track here, but this band used to be named Eskimo & Sons, and I guess I don't have to say much more. Overall, though, based on their song here and a truly solid live performance, I would overall say that Red River is the band to watch out of this group of talented musicians. My one worry, though. With a fab release and epic tour out of the way, follow-up is the name of the game, and Brave Recs seems to be all but invisible on the web front. Avoid the sophomore slump, y'all.

SPAZZTIC BLURR- "Befo Da Awbum"So yeah. In high school I found one of the most badest-assest compilations ever, GRINDCRUSHER. On said compilation, amidst all the grindcore and death metal and such, was a particularly goofy but nevertheless blistering speed metal song called "He Not A Home(Me Marko)". Due to a reference to buying a tape at Second Avenue, I was convinced that this was a Portland band, and in those pre-internet days I didn't have any way to check. Of course, the internet is our god and our magic wand and our milk-laden breast these days, so I managed to not only confirm that Spazztic Blurr are from Rip City, but managed to get hold of their only album. It's more of the same- and a surprisingly good album. They predated John Zorn's experimental blastbeat eclectica in Naked City by a number of years, and are not only faster but considerably funnier and more listenable. My only problem is that as with any metal of this bpm, the vocals become ridiculous when attempting to keep up, and Tito's vocals were already pretty much ridiculous to start. A hell of a lot of fun nevertheless.

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Extra Golden- "Thank You Very Quickly": You're Goddam Welcome

I have to just put it out there: I'm sorry, Phil. I don't like Vampire Weekend.



I didn't like them when they were the Clash, either. I know you said that since I liked Peter Gabriel, I would like the VW, but I just don't hear it. I hear more of PG in the intro to that "Wannabe" song by the band whose name I won't mention, because they don't deserve a moniker so cool. It isn't just that I'm disappointed by how little I like the band after such a glowing recommendation, but that I began seeing so many trite descriptions of how Vampire Weekend fused indie rock with world music. Like it's never been fucking done before! Come on, people.



And then part of it is mindfulness of my own tendency to Exoticism, which I've discussed before. So, with that in mind, I had a bit of trouble readying myself to listen to Extra Golden's forthcoming album, which promised to be... yes, you guessed it, a fusion of rock and world music.



Only, not. It's the real deal. Now, if you read me enough, you know that I hate redundancy. There's an excellent article on Extra Golden here. The basic bio about them you need to know, though, is that they're not some hipster kid bedroom project concocted after listening to "Security." It's a couple of American musician/ethnologists and a couple of dudes from Kenya. Read the NPR article.



Musically, they rip it up, very elementally. It's not the angular stuff you'd expect from this modern era, either. My first impression was... The Doors, post-Morrison, hooking up with Fela Kuti and being revitalized instead of trailing into slick mediocrity. After a repeated listen, the hyperactive percussion flourishes made me think of The Police at their jammiest. Now, I think these are apt comparisons, but Extra Golden has a highly cohesive group sound, that lacks the musical tension or singular personalities that arose from those groups. They're never going to have a hit single, not in our western world. I think, though, that their musical tension, and artistic success, arises in part from their tenuous existence as an entity.



This is a little bit of why Vampire Weekend doesn't seem so authentic to me. Sure, even people in good situations can fuel their art with internal conflict, but I just don't see it as having the same gravity, as Adorno has suggested. Extra Golden is always wondering when they'll be able to get together again, and if some of their member will have been shot in the head in the meantime. You might think my Doors comparison breaks down there too, but I think it's the same. The sixties were a different time. Manzarek and the boys never really could sleep well wondering when Jim was going to munch down a bag of acid, whip out his wiener, and then everyone gets the nightstick. It's a recipe for urgency, for immediacy, and in the case of Extra Golden, a feeling of musical rejoicing that's immediatly apparent. Put this record on at a party- it's music to share.



"Thank You Very Quickly" is out March 10th.

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Music Review: M. Ward - Hold Time

M. Ward - Hold Time Merge Records Feb. 2009

Hold Time is music from an alternate history where Chet Atkins started taking psychedelics with Tom Waits on a farm in the middle of the desert and cutting records. These are the radio broadcasts from a parallel universe where AM radio is king and vacuum tubes are driving the information revolution. It is hand crafted, natural and deeply poetic music. "One Hundred Million Years" is Ward in classic form, riding the steam train of Americana between the easy flow of the West Coast and the stomp of the Mississippi shores. This is one more in a series of fantastic albums from M. Ward and includes an appearance from Lucinda Williams on "Oh Lonesome Me", a Don Gibson Cover that showcases his ability to update a classic tune without missing the soul of a song. The album ends with an aching and heartbroken instrumental composition of starlight and lonely highway signs stretching out into the horizon, begging you to just start it all over again.

Samples available at Merge

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The Best Bands You Didn't See at COTR

Last Saturday, the 5th, was the first day of the Children of the Revolution festival at Audiocinema. Although I find warehouse-type spaces to be aesthetically unappealing, one big plus is that there was plenty of room for all kinds of things to be going on. Unfortunately, when I arrived just before 5:30, almost nobody was there.
Yes Portland, I know, we think nothing's happening before 10:30 at least. And yeah, it did cost a whole twelve dollars. But that's twelve dollars for a whole lot of awesome. And sometimes, shows save the best for first. Reviews tend to focus on the big-name bands or those that closed out the night - but here's what I liked best.
There was art everywhere. Some of it I liked, some of it I didn't. And that's about as much as I know about art, and this is a music blog anyway. There was a bar and cafe, but I only partook in one drink, because that gin and ginger cost me a whopping five dollars and was (fortunately or unfortunately?) way too stiff.
The festival opened promptly at 5:30 with a set by Chrome Wings. If you haven't heard the sounds of these three handsome young Portland fellows, you're missing out. Jon Jurow and Matt Spencer play guitar and keyboards, respectively, and several gadgets and pedals. Their music is primarily instrumental, and manages to be both catchy and experimental, moving between melodic and atmospheric, but always held together with a beat provided by Jason Nickle. There's plenty of loud and feedbacky, without sacrificing musicality. (photo to your left)
Second, on the small stage, was Death Songs, about whom, unfortunately, I can find no information. (If you know about it, please let me know.) Lots of drums, guitaring, folksy singing.
Thirdly, and most delightful, was Starfucker. I'll be completely honest and admit that I went a long time hearing their name and not listening to them because I thought "Starfucker? What a silly name, they're probably not good." Boy, was I making a mistake. These guys are one of the best bands to come out of Portland, and honestly, I can't understand why they're not completely famous all over everywhere. Catchy songs, musically sound, lots of wonderful keyboard noises, good vocal arrangements, and every song is danceable. Plus, they're nice to look at, too. --> (proof)
Support local music, kids, and have a great weekend!
<3 Amber Dawn

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10 Indie Music Review SItes

Are you looking for some new music? Maybe even music that isn't on a label?

Or are you looking for places to get reviewed?

Here is a list of 10 sites to help you find what you are looking for:

Fensepost.com

Pitchfork Reviews

Junk Media

Tiny Mix Tapes

Treble

Veritas Lux Mea

Sound As Language

Delusions of Adequecy

Ultra Indie Album Reveiws

Palebear

Helpful hint?: IF you like what you read on any of these or just want to stay in their loop then subscribe to their feeds (i use google reader to read the feeds i subscribe to)... anytime they update you will be notified of it without having to go directly to their site to find it!

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