TURN MY HEADPHONES UP, XMAS EDITION

I totally swear that none of these entries will really have anything to do Christmas.  HAVEN'T I GIVEN YOU ENOUGH ALREADY!?!??!?

GHOST THROWER

ALL WORK EP

Ghost Thrower has the coolest fucking name ever.  It's like a combination of Bolt Thrower and a Patrick Swayze movie.  You know I love band names/album titles that have the word "ghost" in them!  What to expect? Not what I expected when I saw the band described as punk/emo.  Ghost Thrower harken back to that beautiful 90s period when everything was great in the world. Quoth singer Travis Alexander: "I wouldn't want to have a pissing contest over depression with people."  There's a snappy epitaph if I ever heard one! Official comparison: Weezer and Jawbreaker. To my ears, a combo of Jesus Lizard and Freemasonry.  Worth a listen!

LEGACY

MAGICAL VIDEO

So, I suppose I should have saved this for the next installment of Bat Country, but there's something special about Legacy.  This may be a first- he loves our blog so much that he has CIMTB as his internet home page.  I think that says something about the good work Kid Tyger has done educating the youth about the state of Portland hiphop.  What's the music like?  Maybe this will date me, and maybe it's too obscure, but I was reminded of Me Phi Me.  Very positive.  And the video... the video kicks ass.  See for yourself, but I'm going to find out more about this mystery rapper and report back.



ELIZABETH MITCHELL

BLUE CLOUDS

You may recall how pissed I was when I found out that musician Elizabeth Mitchell was not actress Elizabeth Mitchell, who punched a nuclear bomb with a rock in  LOST and totally did it with Angelina Jolie in Gia.  Maybe I'm a jerk for posting a NSFW link in a review of a kids' record, but... hey, wait a minute!  Since when did youtube allow boobage to be shown?

I digress.  The august institution Smithsonian Folkways sent me a copy of  Blue Clouds, which maybe they wouldn't have done if they read my novel which features some pretty crazy shenanigans in the Natural History museum.  Regardless, they did, and I am glad.  This album is very chill.  Mitchell is that special kind of children's music artist who knows that you don't have to be all wacky and silly to make fun music for kids.  She has also taken an interesting path- her daughter and husband are part of her band on the recording this album.  I think that's great.  I've always believed in letting your kids record crazy shit, and this blog has witnessed a few of my daughter Amelia's weird music.  She recently turned 4, and offered to play glockenspiel in our doom metal band.  Long story.  Blue Clouds is a solid album, in equal measures peppy and tranquil, and Mitchell also covers one of my all time favorite kids' songs- "Kooks" by David Bowie.  Other artists covered are Hendrix and The Allman Brothers.

I've also just heard that she has been nominated for a Grammy for her other recent release, Little Seed.  That's awesome!  Let's wish Elizabeth Mitchell luck!


So what have we learned today?  Don't get in a pissing contest about depression, stay positive, and play music with your family.  I don't think it gets any better than that!

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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! Friendly Neighborhood Edition

Hi everybody, it's time to clear out the ol' inbox again?  HAhAHAHAHA, just kidding, the inbox will never get clear.  That's just the nature of the beast.  But what isn't beastly is that I do get to listen to a lot of awesome new music, and make fun of a lot of really bad music.  It's all in the spirit of the thing, so put on your anti-douche belt and come along with me.


NICOLE LEXI DAVIS- "no title given"

Now, one of the best ways to get featured on this blog is to ask nicely, and not make some really uninspired joke about how your music is Crappy enough.  We've heard that one, seriously.  We really have.  So it is fortunate that SoCal singer-songwriter Nicole Lexi Davis is polite.  Or, at least her PR people are.  On Davis's website, her bio suggests that she is a "throwback" to good ol' 70s female balladeering.  I like the intellectual honesty of describing yourself as a throwback.  Much like the way Peter Gabriel unashamedly describes his own sampling as "stealing".  As far as music goes, Davis does indeed show much of the wide-open lush sounds that I personally have come to associate with "Blue"/"Hissing"-era Joni, and also with being 5, reading "Just So Stories" on a cold morning with some hot Cream o' Rice.  A strong showing- only lacking in tracks like "Popsicle" that sound- honestly- like someone trying to nail down their tempo with a drum machine for the first time.  But so it goes.  Keep up the good work Nicole!


BRITCHES- "Demonstration"

Hi, Britches!  I didn't realize CopShootCop had gotten back together!  As much I was initially pleased to hear a resurrection of that sound, somehow it just didn't gel for me.  I don't think it's so much that I'm old, as I will still cheerfully crank up "Ask Questions Later", but to hear this from a new release just doesn't seem to fit into the weltanschaung, if you'll pardon my french.  Now, there is absolutely nothing wrong with Britches' music, and I'm sure there is an indie circus troupe out there just waiting for their soundtrack, but for the moment I just don't see it rotating on my personal playlist any time soon.  Note: their upcoming album project is entitled "The Reptal Centiguiner", and I'm not sure how much more awesome that could be, so keep an eye on Britches.

BORON OXYKITTEN- "The Streets Were Paved With Circuit Boards"

Well, the Field Hymns label has been sending me some stuff about their artist Boron for a while now, and there has been such a self-indulgent air of cleverness about the whole thing that I have really been struggling to give half a rusty tinker's fuck.  Portland doesn't need any bad musical mystery figures- we have a good one.  The world doesn't need a musique concrete versions of Jandek- the real thing is poking around somewhere ruining someone's day.  The funny thing is, when I went to the Field Hymns site (I had to, there were no music samples, and I definitely don't give a shit about his guest players or the release date of his on-again-off-again titled-not-titled new album) I suddenly found myself interested in their releases, because that, children, is the power of description.

Normally I cringe when artists or artists' reps go from beige to purple in their descriptive mode, but who can resist the description of Oxykitten's new album:  the sound of John Carpenter making hip-hop instrumentals for long, sweaty nights - a sound from the era when a man had a better chance of getting knifed in Times Square than finding Gelato....drum machines and old synths barrel down alleys thick with grime and groove, where police and disco lights beat in tandem and the dirty beats sluggishly refuse to die..

I know, right?  Holy shit.  Who wouldn't want to listen to that?  Well, after going to Oxykitten's site, I found that their music (as played on an emulated old school tape peripheral) didn't have much going for it: vintage computer game samples, meandering uninspired synths, and a lot of garagey noise.  And speaking of cassettes- Field Hymns mostly puts out their new releases on cassettes.  Why?  Fucking why?  And another thing- if your website is going to have a mock TRS-80 as the primary interface, then the motherfucking BREAK button had better do something.  Like stop the music

You see, zeerust is only effective as a prominent part of the image until a hipster shits on it.  We've seen lounge come and go, letting people listen to it now unironically.  Which is for the best.  I'd really like to see the late-70s/early-80s big glasses and too-short-shirt thing go away now.  You motherfuckers had best step back from my Venture Bros.  And stop tempting me with your websites that promise creative, spacey goodness, and supply only half-hearted pastiche!  That's all I want.  My birthday is coming up.  Surprise me.

THE I.D- "Age Anti Age"

Oh, thank goodness.  After that last one, if it had to be intense, I wouldn't have made it.  The I.D didn't have much to say about their music, and that was just fine.  "Age Anti Age" reminds me of a certain band back when they were good and when their singer could keep the damn sunglasses off his face.  Here is a retro sound that is completely without pretense, and I can get behind that.  There's also a pleasant thickness to the sound, a rolling off of the top end that fits quite well.  Good job, kids!

Ra Far- "FFN"

Um.  So, I should have seen the writing on the wall with this one.  Or, rather, the writing in the email.  Look- maybe it sounds harsh, but we don't really have many specific requirements on the submissions we get.  It shouldn't have to be spelled out that if you're going to communicate to someone in a professional capacity, you should actually, I don't know... communicate.  Crappy Indie Music may not be Rolling Stone, but we're also not your stoned texting buddy.  So if you want to know anything about Ra Far, here is what he/it has to say:

bio- Ra Far is a revolutionary artist he makes all his own artwork and music. Ra Far grew up in Woodstock, GA with a lot of music influences from acoustic rock to hip hop, through the years he has found a new type sound that has been said to be like a combination of Christofer Drew and Tyler, the Creator. A weird combination, but its refreshing. His mixtape (FFN) is coming out on 11/11/11 for free at OtherOr.org

genre- Experimental

Once again, you might feel that I'm being too harsh, so perhaps I'll let the music- the watered down, flat, boring rap- speak for itself.  Seriously, I thought I had problems with flow.


Strange Mangers- "Strange Mangers"

Well, I always like to end things with a digestif.  What better way to clear out the taste of objectionable rap with some brilliant postpunk?  UK-based Strange Mangers may not reinvent the wheel, following very closely on the heels of their own cited influences like Tortoise, Don Caballero, etc., but going with that, they shine.  It's always nice to see bands just going with it, and doing well.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to go rock.  Good night everyone!

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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!
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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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TURN MY HEADPHONES UP!!! Volume 5

My headphones have been all out of whack. Sorry about that. There are some good things on the way, though, and hopefully you will like them too.

THE NEW EVILS- "Piece of Tomorrow"














As I may have mentioned before, there are many benefits to being a music critic, not least of which is inflicting your opinions on a captive audience. The more socially positive benefits include things like swag and guests lists and whatnot, and if you want to get really serious about the wonderful things that can happen to you when you join the ranks of the semi-professional douche, then look no further to my burgeoning acquaintance with Crappy Indie Music's new friend Mike Kirkland.

He got the interview treatment back in December, and the shadowy figure of my teenage fandom of course turns out to be a very cool and erudite dude all around. He sent the promo version of the new The New Evils disc not long before he sent the full release and I am glad to be able to review them here. I only hinted at the nature of the Evils before in my interview, and the easiest way to hint at what's going on here is to share the fact that my first impressions of this disc were also repeated by other listeners scattered far and wide. Cramps- Iggy- Lou Reed. I would go so far as to say that this is almost the Stooges reunion disc that we should have gotten. One of the reasons I say that is that Denny Morrison's truly sleazy and wonderful vocals, along with Mike's clear, dark production really anchor this disc. You can easily see these tracks ending up on scary indie movie soundtracks. The only spots that lag, and this is more of a general principle than any specific qualm, are when brother Steve Morrison and Aldine Strychine (ex-Poison Idea) take turns at the mic. Neither of them inspire the same killer-on-the-road frisson that Denny does, so those songs, while perfectly competent, just seem like bar rockers in comparison with the rest of the album. Which begs the question: why is there no trace of known good vocalist Mike Kirkland, who sticks to guitar and drums? Maybe it would have been too evil. Regardless, pick this album up, okay? I have insisted that they come here on tour, and seeing that drummer Leif Nyrberg lives here, I'm sure it will happen. We'll be there.

DR. LOOMIS- random Myspace shenanigans















Nostalgia time. My little brother- the one of first-concert-being-Clutch fame, not running-Brave-Recs fame, announced at Mother's Day dinner that he was going to his "first thrash concert." How could I not be intrigued? I didn't go so far as to say "Pics or it didn't happen," or "Get off my lawn," but I believe it was something along the lines of "According to who?" Well, according to local band of high schoolers Dr. Loomis. Now, I must admit to not having much knowledge of the Portland (or Vantucky) underground metal scene. But I do know that the definition of 'thrash' is pretty loose. When you turn a grip of high-schoolers loose on some old school metal, the result will be somewhere between grindcore and crust and who knows, especially when you have a girly-girl on pig squeal vocals. Not that there is anything wrong or even exceptional about having a girl on metal vocals or otherwise. Jo Bench refuses to even talk about it. I suppose it is the age thing that makes it cute more than anything, and their death metal stylings about the Lament Configuration and the Mad Arab's book are much cooler than my own 13-year-old doom grind and reggae songs about Cthulhu. Dr. Loomis is playing May 11th at the Hawthorne.

JOHN HORNAK- "A Needle, A Feather, And A Rope"













Man, is my memory slipping? I keep thinking that one of us has already reviewed this album. Yes, I know, I am an old fart who is not in touch with the times. Or my own synapses. Anyhoo, Hornak sent us his stuff in April despite my deja vu or jamais vu or whatever my poor beleaguered brain is undergoing, and it's time to share. John Hornak seems to have globetrotted both in real and imaginary worlds for some sweet and bitter lowkey dubstep adventures. To be perfectly honest this music challenging me- I don't know that I like the 'exotic' aspect of it, which might be have a little too much clever artifice, but the music itself is deep, complex, and spot on. Well worth taking a look- it's available on itunes download-wise, but there are plenty of streaming outlets too.

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TURN MY HEADPHONES UP!!! Volume 4

I'm reviewing four albums in this installment because it's Volume 4. And because I fucking feel like it! Okay?

VOIVOD- "Infini"

If you refer to David Bowie as a 'musical chameleon' you should be punched in the dick. Not because it isn't true, but because it's cliche. Try referring to someone else as that for once. How about Voivod? They started NWOBHM, went hardcore thrash, then straight metal, and for a few golden albums were an undescribably unique flavor of prog. There were a few dunderheaded albums with a replacement singer that are best not spoken of, but once founding member Snake returned to vocals and bass duties were taken over Metallica's Jason Newsted for their eponymous tenth album, they had gone to yet another style. They've maintained this minimal, punky style since, and it's been well-received. Only, there's a twist. Before their last two albums, founding guitarist Piggy (who is still in the band) died. Yes, died. Apparently, in the hospital, he handed his laptop to drummer Away and mentioned that there were a few albums worth of guitar licks on there and to just go ahead and use them. The idea of a posthumous band member is problematic, and I won't really go into in great detail. Let's just say that it works. It's hard to imagine another band being as tight-knit as to be able to pull it off, but Voivod has always been a cut above. While "Infini", like "Katorz" and "Voivod" before it, may not have the psychedelic watershed quality of "Nothingface," it certainly is a fitting capstone to the career of a band that is also a family. Plus it rocks out.


MORRISSEY- "Swords"
Now Morrissey has put out plenty of collections, but I don't think he's ever done anything like this. If you're a Morrissey obsessive, then you have all of these songs on bootleg or b-side and you should leave on your own and go home and cry and want to die. If you're a reasonably interested Morrissey fan like myself, then this collection of rarities is like that checklist you made while reading Rogan's book, of songs that were not included on any of the albums you had. The funny thing is, usually collections of off tracks sound just like that. I've read some other reviews of "Swords" that said the same thing. I must heartily disagree. Not only is this disc packed to the gills, but almost every track is a standout, from the bizarre "Ganglord" to the obvious Smiths fuck-you of "If You Don't Like Me, Don't Look At Me." The one drawback is that of course, this is the same consistently great shtuff that he's been doing since Miles Davis was Inches Davis. In a recent discussion over fried mushrooms, genius blogger Eriq Nelson suggested that perhaps the kick in the pants that Morrissey needs to go to the next level would be to work with an underground hip-hop producer. Hell yeah!

Original Link : Celebrity Jeopardy 1 Swords Uploaded by: bryantchoung

SLAYER- "World Painted Blood"
If, as I have said elsewhere, that Morrissey is the 'Slayer of Brit-pop,' then Slayer is the... well, I don't know. James Brown of Slayer? Actually, I would have said that until recently. Slayer has made a career, perhaps in counterpoint to Voivod, of a steady gradual upward slope in musical brutality. Where most bands tend to slide downwards into velvety soft mediocrity, they have just become more and more brutal, stepping on toes with both music and lyric. Their last album, "Christ Illusion," brought original drummer Dave Lombardo back into the fold for a more classic thrash sound than previous drummer Paul Bostaph had. It seemed an unnecessary change to some, including myself, but the resulting album was just fine. Now, with the announcement of a new album, also came the most startling announcement of all: Slayer will be calling it quits. Unfortunately, I could not find a direct quote, but it seems that Satan's sons believe metal to be a young man's game and want to bow out gracefully. What the fuck? After listening to "World Painted Blood," I am highly disappointed. Perhaps the foreknowledge of the end has sapped Slayer of their drive to crush and dismember, or perhaps the brief spate of energy from reuniting with Lombardo is gone, but this new album is not the way I want to remember them. Can you say "Reign In Blood?" On repeat?



MESHELL NDEGEOCELLO- "Devil's Halo"
If you haven't been living in a cave or in some country where they block this blog's IP, then you know that I just interviewed Meshell for the blog. It went pretty well, considering the fact that my interview questions kind of got eaten by the music industry. But that's immaterial. "Devil's Halo," tired metaphor aside, is a strong album by an artist who has taken great pains to remain free of any particular constraints, artistically. I understand that it was made with as few digital aids as possible, and the more organic feel shows. It definitely has more of a rock feel than some of her earlier efforts, and as Meshell discussed with me, the flow of the music definitely seems paramount, so the lyrics have a dreamlike quality to their delivery even when there is a pointed message. I may be repeating myself, but it is overall very fierce and well worth a listen.

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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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TURN MY HEADPHONES UP! Volume 2

Welcome to the next installment of my mini music reviews. I was very excited because two of my fave bands came out with new stuff recently and I thought I'd give them a listen, as well as some tunes that were sent our way from Thrill Jockey. You guys never disappoint!

CLUTCH- Strange Cousins From The West

Clutch is a band that while amazing, are known for being just a little inconsistent. Their flirtation with big labels has resulted in both the classic Elephant Riders and overly slick Pure Rock Fury, and their last label apparently split in the middle of the night leaving only a boarded-up office and some bad distribution strategy. That's rock and roll! Now the boys from Maryland have gone all modern and are putting out albums under their own power, which is commendable. Unfortunately, Strange Cousins doesn't have much to say for itself. Clutch are a bunch of road dogs, constantly touring, and it seems like they need to take some time off. Frontman Neil Fallon has always been known for pouring out his redneck soul into quirky, esoteric lyrics that rank up there with the best, but that isn't so much in evidence here. The band is tight, but the songs don't stand apart. Remember- this is a group that wrote "Muchas Veces," the most rockin' broken heart song ever, where the hapless narrator gets fucked- literally and figuratively- as he follows his gender- and time-shifting ex across the world. Alongside a trombone solo by Delfeayo Marsalis. So, we expect nothing but the best, and perhaps it's time for Clutch to step back from such a rigorous touring schedule and recapture the intensity and high weirdness that ignited their earlier albums.

LIVING COLOUR- The Chair In The Doorway

"Oh, the Living Colour comeback. Right..." Those words were actually uttered about 16 years ago by my then girlfriend when Stain came out, and I'm not sure print really does the sarcasm justice. While it might have seemed unlikely then, with departure of bassist Muzz Skillings after their watershed album Time's Up, it probably seemed even more unlikely a decade later when Collideoscope dropped, with the band having been broken up and all but forgotten by average Joe. In the meantime the members had all pursued various side and solo projects- Vernon Reid's I mentioned in the last TMHU, and Corey Glover made an absolutely spectacular turn as Judas in "Jesus Christ Superstar." Just to mention a couple. The past six years have been kind to Living Colour, and they've been continuing to do those same projects, as well as jumping up further in the public consciousness by re-recording their signature anthem "Cult Of Personality" as one of the tougher songs on Guitar Hero 3. What to make of their new disc, then? A little distracted, and perhaps lacking somewhat in the urgency of its predecessor. That's understandable- Collideoscope was a motherfucker of a comeback, and was a powerful disc with only one weak track (a joke cover of "Back In Black"). These are only minor relative complaints, and The Chair In The Doorway is evidence of what four accomplished musicians can do with all the tools at their disposal, and is a fine continuance of this new era of Living Colour's career.

JASON URICK- Husband
So yeah. Ambient music is, like many musical genres, poorly defined. Underneath this broad umbrella you get cringe-inducing new age (ENYA. I'M TALKING ABOUT ENYA. SHE LIKES JOSH GROBAN'S WEEEEIIIIINEERRRR), rave cool-down joints, indie folk shenanigans, occult metal dronings, musique concrete-inspired avant garde, and everything in between. This release from TJ (Thrill Jockey, not Tom Jones) falls pretty squarely in the latter two categories of avant garde and kitchen sink. I'm not sure what pedigree Urick holds outside what is listed in his bio, but apparently it's enough that he feels he can anchor an ambient album. Now, while I can appreciate the stated approach of using only minimalist sound capture on limited equipment, and having a light touch in mixing and editing to retain the immediacy of performance, in this case I don't feel that it works. Husband never quite leaps above the level of self-indulgent, and even after repeated listen gave me the idea that perhaps this music would work better as the interstitials of more traditional pop or rock music, and not as a full-length ambient work. There's plenty out there that does work within the same space as this- Disintegration Loops for example. Anyone interested in where to start would be keenly advised to head for Kek-W's various essays on ambient music.

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TURN MY HEADPHONES UP!!! Volume 1

"You can't just put velvet in the shit and think they're nice headphones!"

This is the first installment of my new column of mini music reviews, intended to be briefer and breezier, with a slightly smaller chance of critical douchiness than normal.

"Put some treble in it... put some treble in it... that's my word!!!"

Pikara- PIKARA

When I was a wee lad eating cream of rice on a Sunday morning, reading Kipling, my mother's go-to album was "The Hissing of Summer Lawns." I've since used that one as well as a Sunday morning pancake music, and when I first ran through Pikara's self-titled album, I had high hopes that it would belong in the same sort of classic emotional bracket. On repeated listens, that hasn't been the case. Pikara frontwoman Sara Dryberg is, while immensely talented, perhaps too aware of her own confidence, and to create an album like this one, of beauty that is almost haunting is a pretty sure sign that any promised mystery will not be that deep. Nevertheless, PIKARA is cinematic and intense, and I would recommend the listener experiment with it to see exactly where it resonates with them. CD release party August 25th at Valentine's.

Secrets In The Salt- KRILL THROUGH BALEEN


I don't just write blogs for my health. One of the great things that I get to do is have abuse heaped upon me by mouth-breathing numbskulls who are defending some crap band of the week in lieu of maintaining their own dignity. Another great thing is that I get a chance to get intimate with cool bands, people from labels, talk to them about how they do their thing, and tell them how I do my thing. It's not a fan thing, necessarily, as technically I'm in the biz, and have been, but hell... it makes me feel good. Makes the old self feel young.

And sometimes, the latter comes from the former. One of the members of SITS contacted me after my vicious 'review' of Cage The Elephant, which he agreed with. We started shooting the shit about recording techniques, etc., and one thing led to another. He offered to send me a demo. Hey, why not? The song of theirs I had listened to on myspace was pretty cool.

Now, just to throw this in here, lest you out in Blogreadistan think we're complete idiots, Secrets In The Salt were talking up multiple bloggers from Crappy Indie Music and sending them review material. Now, while that might make me feel less special, you have to give the boys credit for hustle. Amber Dawn should be doing a more in-depth review of this album soon.

My main thought about Krill Through Baleen is that it was a world away from the demo song I'd heard on myspace, and overall a bit of a disappointment. It's well-produced, jangly, fun bouncy pop, but didn't strike me as a very mature work overall. This gives me high hope for their next disc, which sounds as if it's going for a grittier new wave feel with some '60s type vocal harmonies. I've heard elsewhere that this is a band to see live, so go check them out. They've got hustle!


Tobacco- FUCKED UP FRIENDS

Yeah... so this one is not new, and has been out a while, but is new to me. My little bro- of the record label and friends with WIBG fame- gave it to me to listen to. Thanks, Draeger. You were spot on with this one.

Tobacco- who needs to pick a new nom de plume- is the singer from Black Moth Super Rainbow, who I happened to be familiar with because last.fm puked them up as a similar artist to my band. Tobacco's solo efforts' are strictly analog synth and tape loop affairs, and it shows. The thing about Fucked Up Friends that surprised me was HOW FUCKING BADASS IT WAS. This disc goes all over the place, and rips and tears and never once bores. To me it is the modern stoner/glitch equivalent of Vernon Reid's Mistaken Identity. While it may lack the visionary power of that album, it is certainly its equal in energy. My only qualms are the gratuitous flute parts, and Aesop Rock's appearance on one track, while competent, seemed forced and pandering. Otherwise, pow!


Well, that's it for the first installment of TURN MY HEADPHONES UP. I'll be back soon with more.

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