Hella Progressive

Bumberrecap!

2010-09-09T00:40:00.000-07:00

Happy 40th Anniversary, Bumbershoot

I've said it before and I'll say it again - I am a huge fan of forcing "bumber-" onto the front end of nouns when it comes to anything concerning this festival. So bumberbear with me as give a quick bumberrundown of the bumberweekend's bumbervents. Alright, now that I got that out of my system...

MIGHTY HEALTH-Y - HEALTH doesn't get enough props as a band. They're loud, they're dark, they lay down some heavy synth lines and they play live instruments too. I only caught last few songs of their set, but was thoroughly impressed with the little bit I did see. Definitely going to be checking them out again soon. Side note: HEALTH played on the new "Center Square Stage" in the vacant space where the Fun Forest used to be. The stage was surprisingly awesome, with good sightlines, great sound and a sweet spectacle when the monorail glides by in the background. It may or may not be there next year depending on what goes into that space, but I'm glad I got to see it.

KUNG-FUNK - The Budos Band is sick. Not just because they play music that's on some '70s kung-fu movie soundtrack funk that made me want to nunchuk someone in the face, but because one band member appeared to be an actual kung-fu master. While taking a quick break between songs to plug their new album and talk it up with the crowd for a second, one of the many corn tortillas whizzing around the crowd (seriously, this tortilla kid is at every Bumbershoot show every year) was coming in hot right in his direction. Without flinching or even changing his speech pattern, this guy snatched the thing out of midair in one swift Bruce Lee-backfist motion. The crowd erupted with cheers of approval. Then they played more of that uncut funk and everybody got back down, and it was all good.

HIPPIES STINK - That's actually a little harsh. Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros were actually alright, but their ridiculous 11-person/56-instrument (hyperbole, kinda) soundcheck caused them to take the stage over 20 minutes late. The Broad Street Stage was perhaps the most packed I saw it all weekend, and everyone got pretty damn impatient before the show started. The performance was decent, with Edward Sharpe dancing around like a hobo jesus reveling in his own hippiedom as his band swayed and yelped along through their throwback flower-power jam band material. Songs like "40 Day Dream" and "Janglin" sounded good, a few they played in the middle did not, and set closer "Home," which was met with an uproar of cheers, oddly might've been the worst thing they played all night. Yet despite the questionable show quality, at the end of the day it was kind of fun to watch 11 weirdos jam out with each other in the shadow of the Space Needle at dusk.

DECAF ESPRESSO - Don't interpret that as me saying that their performance was weaker than usual, because it was anything but. P Smoov and Rik Rude, clad in snazzy black dress shirts, cool-guy shades and white neckties, put together a setlist of Glamour staples and some fresh unreleased bangers that succeeded in moving a 2:15 timeslot crowd. The catch here was that most of the audience packed up towards the front of the stage was under the legal drinking age. Most Fresh Espresso shows seem to go down within the confines of 21+ venues and clubs, so many of these minors were likely seeing them for the first time (my kid brother who also attended was among this demographic). They made the most of it by enthusiastically throwing hands in the air, shouting back for every call-and-response - they especially loved the now-classic "bitches, I have come here for my money" - and even crowd surfing. Fresh Espresso made the most of the hot crowd by wildin' out like they normally do, but with a rock-star confidence and some beastly new beats that the Bumbershoot PAs couldn't even handle at times. The show was another step in the group's rise to the forefront of "third-wave" Seattle rap, and judging from the new songs the upcoming album should be too. Mark my words, that "Hush" track is gonna be your jam.

SICKER THAN YO AVERAGE - Jay Electronica exceeded expectations. Great command of the mic, near-perfect annunciation of his lyrics, dope sample-laden beats, and the a mix of oddball and street content. The guy raps about DMT one minute and drive-bys the next without pausing his flow to let your ears catch up. Plus, he delivers lines like "my whole fam got my back like the Verizon man." Tell me you don't like that simile he used there. Yeah, that's what I thought.

A HELL OF A BLOKE - My friends and I happened to be at the Center House Bistro bar for a beer pit stop a bit after 8 p.m. on Sunday night. We decided to check out Billy Bragg at the Starbucks Stage since he was on at 8:30, and myself and one other friend were vaguely familiar with a couple of his songs. I half-expected him to be joined by a band onstage, but when he came on with only his guitar and two amps, I didn't know what to think. He started into the first few chords of "A New England" and began to sing, and a skeptical friend of mine leaned over and whispered "is this really all he does?" to which I replied "Shhh... just watch," hoping that things would turn out. And turn out, they did. He stood up there with nothing more than a guitar and cup of tea, and kept an entire crowd of people fixated on every wise bit of between-song banter or poignant, socially charged lyric. His songs seemed ageless, as their messages of monetary problems, social injustice and class struggles seemed perfectly suited for modern times. It wasn't loud or rowdy and there weren't any rippin' solos or 808 hits, but it was one of the best sets I saw during the weekend. The guy is truly an artist, thinker, musician and activist, and I am lucky to have seen him live.

FOREVER YOUNG - Everybody knows Weezer hasn't been a good band since the late '90s. I only kind of know this though, because I have refused to pay any attention to them since they started sucking. Weezer a special place in my heart, as their debut Blue Album was the first CD I ever owned. Needless to say, I was down since day one. How could an elementary school (yes, I was really that young) kid not love cutesy alternative power-pop? I absolutely ate up the lyrics about Buddy Hollys and Mary Tyler Moores, about Kitty Pryde and surfing to work. Since this put them atop such a pedestal in my mind, I have always refused to risk desecrating my impression of them by submitting myself to anything post-Green Album. Still, I had some lingering doubts about how their Mainstage set was going to be. They proved to be completely unfounded, as Weezer put together an epic set full of old favorites that just may have been the festival's most fun. They played a ton of Blue Album songs, including "My Name is Jonas," "Surf Wax America," "Undone (The Sweater Song)," "Say It Ain't So," and encore closer "Buddy Holly." I will so far as to say that it is humanly impossible to not enjoy yourself while belting out every lyric to these now-classic rock anthems alongside thousands of other longtime fans. It was my first time seeing Weezer (they charge so damn much for their arena shows), and hearing those old favorites made me feel like an excited little kid again. Rivers Cuomo was animated and restless, climbing up and on top of anything and everything he could. They played a cover of MGMT's "Kids" - which I couldn't decide was more them saying "Yeah, we're old but we love the music these young kids are making now" or "Yeah we're old and we can't write good songs anymore so we're gonna play these cool young kids' song instead" - and Cuomo even donned a blonde wig and burst into a verse and chorus of Lady Gaga's "Poker Face" in the middle of it. They even ended the show by all grabbing a pair of sticks and joining drummer Pat Wilson behind his kit to bang out an outro group drum solo. It was a triumphant end to an amazing show, one that made you forget about where the band's career is at now and instead remember the songs of theirs that will always stay with you.

I didn't make it out for Day 3 on account of things getting expensive and it raining a whole crap-ton. But even at two days, Bumbershoot 2010 was another smashing success. I love this festival and this great city, and can't wait to see who's on the bill for next year.

Capitol Hill Block Party - Another one for the record books

2010-07-29T00:21:00.000-07:00

The Dead Weather: Yup, I saw Jack White play drums
AND guitar live. Checking that one off the Bucket List

With the madness of Block Party slowly fading into memory, I thought I would share a few personal highlights from the weekend before it becomes old news. Here's a few notables from the shows I got to see...

SHABAZZ PALACES - Having to work on the night of Shabazz's first show was one of the worst decisions I've made in 2010. As such, I made it a point to see them in action as the first set of my Block Party experience. Though both EPs/microalbums have been in my regular rotation since last year, I had some doubts about how the duo's dark, heady beats, relevant, afrocentric lyrical content and South End/CD aesthetic would translate with the party-ready, mostly (to be real, almost entirely) white crowd - many of whom likely hadn't heard a single track of theirs before Friday. From the start it was evident the sound levels were mixed in a horrendous manner, not exactly placing the odds in their favor. One moment Ish Butler's vocals were clearly audible over the turned-down laptop backing track, the next they were drowned out and garbled by the thunderous bass knocks. Still, SP's beats were unlike anything many of the attendees had heard before, and the masses looked on intrigued by the electronic and traditional instrumentation from onstage. Aside from the crappily-mixed levels, I personally thought the show was great. The setlist included some of my favorite Shabazz tracks - "Hottabatch," "Blastit..," (one of the only songs that sounded spot on, the tinkling live instruments accompanying the chest-caving bass perfectly) "Kill White T..." and "Find Out." The crowd seemed enthused but unsure, as if seeds of curiosity had been unknowingly planted in their brains. I couldn't help but curse the sound guy for hindering Shabazz Palaces' chances of completely converting the ignorant masses, but people still seemed to dig it. Fair enough.

LOCAL MUSIC > "HIP" BANDS - I'll be the first to admit that I sometimes forsake some of the local bands and groups I see on a regular basis for the chance to catch a big, world-touring national act. I was presented with such a choice when Yeasayer's main stage set time conflicted with Champagne Champagne's Neumo's performance, and I initially went with the hip name. But after standing through the first half or so of the Brooklyn band's performance, I found myself thoroughly bored. I tried to stick around to see a few of my favorite songs live, but even those came off as thin, muted and even soulless. Since I had somehow secured a spot near the front of the beer garden I popped into Neumo's to check out the Champagne gang, who I have seen, in all seriousness, upwards of ten times. What I found was a packed, sweaty mass of fans transfixed at what was going down onstage. Pearl Dragon and Thomas Grey were straight killing, commanding the crowd with every move and uttered syllable while DJ Gajamajic mashed keys and tweaked knobs to provide the electronic canvas for the MCs to get crazy on. I heard a couple impressive new songs during the short time I was there, as well as some of their standard live material that boasted a more professional and polished sheen. Three Seattle dudes who are relative unknowns on the national scale completely outdid a Pitchfork-friendly Brooklyn band, and I'm glad I got to witness a part of it. And after thinking back on all of the sets I caught over the weekend, I realized that I saw a lot of local bands exceed expectations and a lot of national acts really come up short. Viva la musica de Seattle.

(FR)ATMOSPHERE - Seriously, did anyone see Neumo's, the Vitaminwater Social Club or almost any part of that block of 10th Ave after his Saturday night set? It was like being at a UW frat party. And by that I mean there were a lot of belligerently wasted dudes in polo shirts grinding on girls to techno music. I heard one of them talk about how incredibly mind-blowing the show was as I passed through the train wreck of a scene, but something tells me that guy hasn't seen much live music lately. I was a huge Atmosphere fan in my high school days and definitely enjoyed the nostalgia of his God Loves Ugly performance selections, but the show was very okay to me. Needless to say, I hightailed it to the other side of 10th and took a break from the crowds at Cal Anderson for a bit, where I happened to witness a hilarious spectacle I need to divulge on here...

A circle had gathered in the center of the field, and kids were drinking gas-station six-packs and smoking various things while a local musician troupe entertained with acoustic guitars, tambourines and sea-shanty-esque singing. Peaceful, groovy, all that nonsense. A bit of an argument broke out between a group of apparent out-of-towners and a Hill local over something, and it ended with the local dude getting up off the ground and saying, "Fuck you, I actually live here! Fucking Canadian Hipsters! MGMT was yesterday, now go home!" Right as the onlooking crowd was about to chalk up the win for him (obviously because of that MGMT line), he grabbed his fixed gear bike and tried to hop on. In his drunken state he barely even got one foot on before tripping a tiny bit at first. He then failed to catch himself, took a couple steps forward to correct it, completely overcompensated for the missteps and ended up stumbling head over heels over his bike as it fell sideways to the ground. It was probably one of those had-to-be-there moments, but everyone who saw it was rolling with uncontrollable laughter as the poor guy angrily stomped off. The guy went from being a badass, hipster-dissing local to klutzy, fixed-gear poser in a matter of seconds. Hilarious.

Speaking of...

MGMTWTF? - Yeah, see my earlier post about that. I had to be bummed out to write something like that at 11 a.m. the morning after. Too bad I still listen to them regularly, and am really rooting for them to pull their shit together and start becoming the band they're capable of. Anyhoo, one more sentiment from the last day of the weekend...

THE BLUE SCHOOL: BACK IN SESSION - The Blue Scholars' setlist was ideal for the outdoor summer evening setting. "Cruz," and "HI-808" sounded better than they ever have before in the evening sunshine, and "Sagaba," an old favorite of mine was perfect amid the picturesque background, nothing short of amazing. They unveiled a few new tracks and beats, all of which sounded great, and announced that their next album - entitled "Cinemetropolis" - will be dropping early next year. Just when you thought they had left the scene to the young-guns and Third-Wavers, the Blue School is back in session. Only this time, it may be more like graduate school given the experience both Geo and Sabzi have under their belts now. These guys are still the frontrunners of local hip-hop, and I have a feeling the new album will make us feel stupid for ever thinking otherwise.

Lest you forget...

2010-07-28T21:33:00.000-07:00

They actually sound like this picture looks, too

Hey, remember that sweet-ass band The Black Angels that came out with two extremely solid LPs a few years ago? The ones that harnessed elements of Southern psych-rock, drone and garage into one trippy, reverb-drenched, dark-as-hell throwback sound? If you haven't heard (and you might've already, I've been meaning to post this for a week or two) they are releasing their third effort Phosphene Dream on September 14th, and I'm pretty darn excited. I do worry the slightest bit about the fact that The Black Angels have parted ways with local label Light in the Attic in favor of the newly-resurrected Blue Horizon Records, as the media barons at Warner Bros. are behind its new incarnation. But after listening to the album's first single "Bad Vibrations," the band appears to pick up right where they left off. Eerie, delay-heavy effects stutter in and lay the backdrop for a simple, sinister lead riffs that trudge along as vocalist Alex Maas spins unsettling couplets until it shifts gears into a frantic shuffle of an outro. This one's quite the welcome listen after not hearing from these guys in a while, and I hope the rest of the album lives up to the promise that "Bad Vibrations" puts forth. Click the link below for a free e-mail download.

Wolf Parade @ Showbox Market - 7.26.10

2010-07-28T01:42:00.000-07:00

Only Canadians can look like this and still be badasses

*Originally written for and posted on Ear Candy*

Wolf Parade has been at the forefront of post-millennial indie rock since their groundbreaking 2005 debut Apologies to the Queen Mary, and they proved it by packing the Showbox Market to capacity Monday night. This wasn't just any Monday either, but the one following the first ever three-day Capitol Hill Block Party. Since the Montreal quartet caters to a similar crowd as the bands at said Block Party, many attendees likely braved vicious hangovers, sobering work days and aching, tired bodies to see one of their rare in-town appearances. Although these factors could've worked against them, Wolf Parade brought their A-game and played a tight, technical, impressive set of fan favorites and new material alike.

Starting with the opening track "Soldier's Grin" from sophomore album At Mt. Zoomer, Wolf Parade sounded synced up and ready to wow the crowd. After immediately following with "What Did My Lover Say? (It Always Had to Go This Way)," vocalist and keyboard master Spencer Krug told the audience "We're gonna try to place a good mix of old and new songs." It proved to be exactly that as the Canadians switched off between newly released Expo 86 tracks like "Palm Road" and "Cloud Shadow on the Mountain" and their bread-and-butter older songs like "Sons and Daughters of Hungry Ghosts," "This Heart's on Fire," and "I'll Believe in Anything" - the latter of which almost brought the house down quite literally. I saw a lot of typical hipster head-bobbing during the first song or two, but the crowd became a packed herd of stomping, fist-pumping fans after witnessing what was going on in front of them. Krug even confessed to digging the "house party vibe" - probably from the genuinely enthusiastic music fans still riding that CHBP buzz - apparently permeating the venue.

Krug and co-vocalist/guitarist Dan Boeckner were truly mind-blowing in their command of their instruments, the crowd and show in general. The two harmonized and traded off vocal duties (despite sounding nearly identical), Krug hunched over an array of keyboards, synth pads and controllers as Boeckner rocked the crap out of his axe, only pausing to hold it down on keys as backup-yet-lead guitarist Dante DeCaro wailed several tastefully technical solos. Drummer Arlen Thompson was all splashy cymbals and flashy bass/snare fills, hitting his toms sparingly but adding skillful flourishes showing he was on par with his bandmates. I don't care who you are or what you listen to, it's always great fun watching four crazy-talented musicians who are all on the same page and tearing it up on their respective instruments.

They ended their normal set with At Mt. Zoomer standout "California Dreamer," speeding up the tempo to drive home the song's pounding snare of a chorus. After Wolf Parade initially exited the crowd didn't budge or quiet down in the slightest bit, and the band returned to play one more song from each album - the first album's opener "You Are a Runner and I am My Father's Son," Expo 86's stellar "Yulia," and the extensive, dynamic Mt. Zoomer closer "Kissing the Beehive." The song's closing repetitive rock-out chant of "Fire in the Hole, Fire in the Hole, Fire in the Hole" sounded straight intense live, and was a perfect end to the rousing set. Wolf Parade's technical prowess, near-perfect synchronization and ability to translate great live performances from fan-favorite songs demonstrated why they were heralded by critics and listeners in the first place, and proved that they haven't lost a step three albums later.

MGMT's Capitol Hill Block Party Set..

2010-07-24T11:20:00.000-07:00

Seriously, they stayed in those exact positions the entire night

Unfortunately validated the notion that they are listless and boring live performers. And that is painful for me to admit. You see, I'm sort of one of those MGMT fans, the kind that would probably wear neon war paint and a headdress to their shows if the textbook hipster irony wasn't so apparent to me. "Time to Pretend," as cliche as it sounds, is like a generational manifesto to me with it's sigh-inducing nostalgia/somber acceptance of adulthood lyrics, and I honestly consider "Kids" to be one of the finest songs ever written (a lot of it has to do with the specific memories I associate with it, but that's an entirely different story). What the fuck happened last night then?

It actually started off well, with them choosing to go with "Destrokk" as the set opener. Quite the out-of-left-field choice, considering it's a rather random track from the Time to Pretend EP. Despite that fact, it's a damn good song, and I proceeded to join about four other people in singing along to all the words. The following songs sounded great too - highlights included "Flash Delirium," "The Handshake," and crowd favorite "Electric Feel." But when frontman Andrew Vanwyngarden picked up an acoustic guitar to start off a lengthy run of downtempo songs - "Pieces of What," "Weekend Wars," etc. - things quickly went downhill. Seriously guys, nobody wants to hear 12+ boring, directionless minutes of fucking "Siberian Breaks" at a festival. Like a friend of mine said, "I hate when bands like this try to force songs down your throat." When you're playing for a large crowd of people that jam a few of your songs on playlists and are there to primarily have a good time, you have to tailor the setlist to accommodate. Clearly, MGMT doesn't realize this. Come on guys, you're the freakin HEADLINER. And it doesn't help your case when you play them with zero movement, expression or emotion.

They were, however, able to save the performance from completely going down in flames with those two fall-back anthems - "Time to Pretend" and "Kids," both of which had thousands of people singing along with every word, and the latter of which provoked a dance party to close down the night of shows. I however, in all my fanboyishness, felt so bummed out by one of my favorite bands' jaded performance that I chose to forgo any afterparty festivities and head home defeated. MGMT has skyrocketed to indie fame in the last couple years, but they have just as many skeptics and naysayers as they do dedicated fans. Last night's Block Party performance showed that they have a long, long way to go before they reach what many listeners, including myself, think they're capable of.

Yelawolf @ Nectar - 7.16.10

2010-07-19T22:48:00.000-07:00

Oh shit, someone made him go and pop the trunk - on THEMMM

This half-white, half-Cherokee Alabama MC straight tore up Nectar Lounge in Fremont Friday night. While his free mixtape Trunk Muzik set the blogosphere ablaze with hype, I personally thought the tracks were hit-or-miss. I gave him the benefit of the doubt and decided to check it out (winning free tickets from The Stranger didn't hurt either), and holy crap am I glad I did. Yelawolf's lanky, tattooed frame stalked across the stage as he delivered each rapid-fire syllable perfectly on point, his Dirty South slaps sounding enormous in the packed club. Commanding the crowd's attention right out the gate, he started his set off with the anthemic bangers "Trunk Muzik," "Good to Go," and "Box Chevy Part 3." People ate up the club-ready Southern sound and drank up plenty of booze on the Friday summer night, and it wasn't too long before they were riled up into a moshing, elbow-throwing frenzy. The rapper seemed genuinely stoked on the energy in the building, proclaiming his love for Seattle and the West Coast, egging on the moshing types ("That's your boy! Ain't no pussies up in here!"), and even taking a stage dive into the safety-net crowd (everyone's hands were already way, way up). He tore through just about every song in his catalogue, even offering tributes to Eazy-E and Pimp C over the "Boyz N Tha Hood" and "Sippin on Some Syrup" beats. After blowing the damn roof off with the sneering closer "Pop the Trunk" (at like 1:30 am, too), the mixed crowd emptied out of the venue sweaty, drunk and wide-eyed at what they just saw. And judging from the large amount of local rappers in the crowd (taking notes, maybe?) with similar expressions, I think it was unanimous - now THAT, my friends, is how you rock a rap show.

WTF? This blog still exists?

2010-06-29T20:56:00.001-07:00

Yeah, I know. After starting the gig over at Ear Candy (which has been great, btw) as well as a new full-time, 8-5, grown-ass-man job at the beginning of April, your boy here at Hella Progressive has been on his grind. It's been tough to find time to write - scratch that - to sit in front of a computer for even longer than I already do at work now - than with my previous schedule. Plus, Steve Jobs and his cronies over at Apple crushing Lala with their corporate muscle didn't help a bit. But enough is enough, true believers, and I'm going to be doing a complete website overhaul over the next week or two. Expect some new html and widget hotness in addition to plenty more of the progressive-ass music stuff the four or five of you used to come here for. Stay tuned, and come back soon...

This week in leaked music...

2010-03-23T01:03:00.000-07:00

MGMT, suckaz. Streaming now.

Southern gospel, Black Lips/King Khan & BBQ Show style

2010-03-19T12:51:00.000-07:00

I've been wanting to mention these guys/this album for a while now, and I figured this sunny Seattle Friday was as good an excuse as any. The Almighty Defenders are more or less a supergroup of dudes from the VICE records camp including each member of the Black Lips, King Khan and Mark Sultan aka BBQ. The combined result is a testifyin', hand-clappin' garage-rock offshoot of Southern gospel music. The production is deliciously lo-fi, with the louder shouts and wails crackling and warping with retro flair. It all contributes to the authentic old-school feel of the record, which I bet would sound golden if actually listened to on vinyl. There's no way you will like this if you prefer your music with glitzy mixing-studio polish and shine, but if you appreciate a grimy, home-cooked throwback record, give it a try. Make sure to check out the choir-robe, gang-chorus rocker "Bow Down and Die," the straight-outta-Vietnam-War-era "I'm Coming Home," and the Sam Cooke-style lyrical delivery in the superb "Cone of Light." Listen to how lines like "I was walking out late on the boulevard" and "so I eased my way through the throng" are are sang with that soulful inflection and just try not to enjoy it.

Which do you prefer?

2010-03-15T21:01:00.001-07:00

So many choices. A few baller options...

Definitely your typical flashy bling rap, but the beat is ill and I like the Banks/Santana combo. Juelz has been a rare find on any post-Dipset tracks but his rhyming seems to have improved immensely. Banks is just aite, I guess.

But if you like to keep it real hood...

I think I prefer the Ortiz/Jones version because of its emphasis on ghetto realism over shine. Gotta watch out for them trappers, after all. These dudes made a video better than the original with what was likely 1/4 of the budget. You gotta appreciate it when half of a vid is shot in front of a McDonald's, like it more when the rapper is clutching a fast food bag in his hand while rhyming, and straight up love it when he gives a fish sandwich shout out. And I won't lie, I'm much more of a Honda guy myself. Go ahead and judge.

Or you can completely ruin it like this cat here...

C'mon, man. Weak ass flow and cadence, a voice that sounds like the kid that sat across from you in science class, rhyming "Boise" with "noisy" in the chorus, and a bad-taste Chris Henry name-drop punchline? Too soon, bro, too soon. Way to completely fail at repping the Northwest. I always try to refrain from trashing on stuff like this (I mean, that video has a whopping 47 views and all) but am justifying it because the dude is spamming like a muhfucka on both the Lloyd Banks and Joell Ortiz video page comments. Just because it's a dope beat and you downloaded an instrumental doesn't mean you need to post your wack version all over the Interweb. Whatever, though, do your thing.

Bottom line is that this track is pretty tight, and I'm certain it will be in my regular rotation for a few. Bump the version of your choice on the regular.

50th post, fools

2010-03-11T13:09:00.000-08:00

Sorry, I couldn't resist. But forreal, what better way to celebrate this (underwhelming) achievement than with some new tunes fo dat azz? Upon returning from a four-day trip to Las Vegas (don't even ask...) I woke up the next morning (and by morning I clearly mean late afternoon) and realized that a whole slew of rad albums were dropped this week.

The animated outfit Gorillaz, aka the other contender for best "fictional" band around (other than Dethklok), released their third album entitled Plastic Beach. Collaborations are the name of the game on this one, as a whole host of guests including Snoop Dogg, Little Dragon, Mos Def, Bobby Womack, Lou Reed and The Lebanese National Orchestra for Oriental Arabic Music. That last one had me scratching my head too, but listen to "White Flag" and you will see how it makes sense. Another solid experimental record from Gorillaz with a ton of different influences. Hard to believe the chief creative mind behind this project is the same guy who gave us the bro-anthem "Song 2."

Scottish indie outfit Frightened Rabbit also put out Winter of Mixed Drinks, their third full-length album. This is a captivating listen indeed - the layers of instrumentation make for a huge sound that is juxtaposed by the pained lyrical delivery and content. The result is a collection of wounded anthems that seem to bask in the glorious pain and struggles of life. The lyrics are poignant without sounding too forced. "Dip the toe in the ocean/oh how it hardens and it numbs/the rest of me is a version of man/built to collapse into crumbs/and if I hadn't come down to the coast to disappear/I may have died in a landslide of rocks/the hopes and the fears." Dang. "And I've been digging that hole tonight/on my knees beneath the moon/all I need is a place to lie/I guess a grave will have to do/won't you give me two minutes please/just let me cover my eyes/all the hammer and scrape has been chipping away/at the luster of life." Jeez, man. It's borderline melodrama, but sounds powerful over the thick composition.

I had been hearing about Broken Bells for the last week or so. Now that they're supposed to perform on Letterman or something, I do believe that qualifies them as a legit indie buzz band. When I realized what they were, it all made sense. James Mercer (frontman of The Shins) and producer/DJ Danger Mouse apparently collaborated after meeting at some music festival in Denmark, creating a side project that became Broken Bells. I finally took a listen and have to say that honestly this doesn't quite live up to the hype. I mean yeah, it's melodic and catchy and it's interesting to hear Mercer's voice over something besides a Shins track, but Danger Mouse is quickly becoming the Lil' Wayne of indie music - he will do a guest appearance/collab with just about anyone. Think about who he's worked with - Cee-Lo (Gnarls Barkley), Jay-Z/The Beatles (The Grey Album), MF Doom (DangerDoom), Sparklehorse and even The Black Keys. Some of these were tight, some were just forced. Broken Bells falls somewhere between these two extremes. It's a decent record, but it's not amazing the way tons of reviews and other sources have made it out to be. Maybe I just can't get into it and need to give it a couple more listens, but I honestly don't see what all the hype is about. Take a listen and decide for yourself.

OC Notes takes on Fresh Espresso

2010-03-04T11:40:00.000-08:00

Local producer/musician OC Notes has tried his hand at reworking Fresh Espresso's entire Glamour album, thus creating the lo-fi, electro-house-infused Coffee Beans. Straying far from the original tracks, OC Notes exercises some artistic creativity and puts his personal stamp on P Smoov and Rik Rude's work. His stripped-down, vaguely-dubstep-influenced production is minimal yet complex, and sounds completely different from the original beats. It takes a minute to get used to what he's throwing at you, but once you realize his approach there is a lot to enjoy about Coffee Beans. Check out the spaced out G-Funk of "Right Here," the late-night trip of "We Desire What's Real" and the distorted, grimy buzz of closer "Coffee Talk."

Download your free copy of Coffee Beans from OC Notes' website

Check out my new weekly column!

2010-03-03T14:50:00.000-08:00

Yes boys and girls, your buddy here at Hella Progressive has a new weekly column over on Travis Hay's Ear Candy blog. Entitled "Ramos Recs" (gotta give Travis the credit for that one) I give a quick rundown of all the radical shows goin down around The Emerald City for the week/weekend. Check out the first installment featuring info about SXSW sendoff parties, tons of local talent, doom metal supergroups, and rappers well into their 40's.

Ramos Recs on Ear Candy

And make sure to check back every Wednesday for new updates and recommendations!

Portugal. The Man - American Ghetto streaming now!

2010-03-02T13:49:00.000-08:00

Portland-by-Wasilla indie-rockers Portugal. The Man released yet another album yesterday, making it their fifth full-length since 2004. Entitled American Ghetto, the physical album won't be in stores until May 11 and is currently available for digital download only. The band is also streaming it for free on their website, so you can listen before you shell out your hard-earned bucks. Damn this recession.

After one quick listen, American Ghetto is more of the Portugal. The Man that you know and love - catchy, Beatles-influenced songwriting with light electronic elements and frontman John Gourley's signature falsetto leading the way. Take a listen and order it if you so desire, you get the digital copy immediately and the physical copy (available on CD or vinyl) shipped to you on May 7. I personally encourage you to buy it and support these guys as they are constantly either touring or recording, and are some of the hardest working musicians in the biz today.

Listen to and order Portugal. The Man's American Ghetto here

Freeway & Jake One - The Stimulus Package

2010-03-01T13:07:00.000-08:00

This review originally written for and posted on Ear Candy - check it out here

Philly rapper Freeway was one of those curious cases of late-90s/early-00s "bout to blow" Roc-a-Fella rappers (see also: Beanie Sigel, Peedi Crakk, Young Gunz, Oschino & Sparks, etc. etc.). They were all frequently featured on Jay-Z tracks in the Vol. 3/Dynasty/Blueprint 2 era, released one or two (or zero in some cases) albums on the label, and were subsequently done dirty by Jay and screwed out of lord-knows-how-much in royalties. With no label and no money, these cats seemed destined to fade into obscurity forever, to become long-standing case studies in how fucked up the music industry can be to young rappers.

Freeway has since stayed on the grind, taking a purely DIY approach to his music and collaborating with other independent artists. For his latest release The Stimulus Package (released on independent label Rhymesayers), he teams up with Seattle producer Jake One as well as a strong supporting cast of respected rap vets and a even a few fellow Roc-a-Fella dropouts. The result is an incredibly solid array of tracks that feature Freeway's signature streetwise flows over Jake One's polished, sample-heavy beats.

The Stimulus Package starts off with a pimp-struttin' Jake beat laced with soulful string and funk guitar samples that takes its time until none other than Beanie Sigel spits a quick four bars, prepping the listener for what's about to go down - "head for the e-way(?)/put it on replay/with no further delay/Philadelphia Freeway." Free then takes over with a relaxed-yet-boastful, hard-but-clever ("I'm George Foreman with the burner cuz I heat grills") intro that ends with the emphatic declaration "The Stimulus Package is here!"

From there on out all bets are off, as the triumphant horns of "Throw Your Hands Up" blast in and make you want to do just that. "One Foot In" features perhaps the most anthemic and catchy chorus on the album, a testament to his artistic integrity and ability to stay real through his experience with the music industry ("I got one foot in the music, other foot in the street"). "Never Gonna Change" is instead a hood narrative led by a rattling snare that slows down and speeds back up, with Freeway echoing the drum hits perfectly with a choppy, syncopated flow pulled off in an expert fashion.

The guest spots on the album are equally impressive without stealing the show from Freeway himself. Nearly all of them are surprising, but for completely different reasons. Birdman (yes, the Cash Money Birdman) offers up his nonchalant baller drawl over a beat that would make Mannie Fresh jealous in "Follow My Moves," while Bun B brings some Southern swagger to the Cadillac-pimpin, jazz guitar-laden "Sho' Nuff." These two flossy rappers appearing on a Rhymesayers record? Completely unheard of. Young Chris (of Young Gunz) and Omilio Sparks even leave their posts from deep left field to drop some bars on the chest-poundingly arrogant "Microphone Killa" and on-the-grind recession rap "Money."

As mentioned earlier, even with the album's quality guest spots most of the strongest tracks feature Freeway handling the verbal workload all by himself. In today's hip-hop world where nine rappers out of 10 have hit singles featuring Lil Wayne or T-Pain, this is a rarity. No longer an up-and-coming rookie, the Philly Freezer has experienced his share of ups and downs in both life and the music biz and brings that wisdom to his lyrics. Jake One's production is nearly flawless, with tasteful utilization of samples and varying feels and moods. This one-two punch easily make The Stimulus Package one of the best hip-hop releases of the year so far, and cements both Jake One's status as one of the game's elite producers and Freeway as a self-made rap heavyweight.

And if you needed another reason to go out and pick it up, check out this dope packaging and artwork concept for its physical release...

I know I'm a bit late on this one, but still

2010-02-24T13:37:00.001-08:00

Despite hearing about Local Natives and how great their debut album Gorilla Manor is, I neglected to actually give it a listen until this past weekend. I was initially turned off by their redundant, typical-hipster name and their appearance that further compounds that notion, but their music makes up for that outward appearance with pure substance. After hearing just the first three tracks of the album, I was blown away. The intricate-yet-simple dual guitar parts, tasteful string/piano/horn accents, floating vocal harmonies and creative drumming instantly had me hooked.

Their similarities to Fleet Foxes are readily apparent, especially in songs like "World News" and "Shapeshifter" - the knack for catchy melodic leads and hooks, the warmth of the two and three-part vocal harmonies - but it's what sets them apart that makes this album a worthwhile listen. "Sun Hands" builds into a splashy, yelping, guitar-led breakdown that rocks hard without being loud. "Who Knows Who Cares" strays from its soft, folkish feel halfway through, introducing a rolling, crashing drum solo bit underneath the sensible pop hook. "Camera Talk" bounces with an upbeat verse and almost reggae-style bassline hook, and "Stranger Things" instead glides with a 3/4 time waltz and string section chorus complete with echoing "oh oh's." Local Natives take the same gentle, dreamy vocals that the Foxes blew up with a couple years ago, but explore reaches beyond the confines of folkiness to create their own unique sound. Gorilla Manor is one of the the best albums I've heard in a while, and if you haven't bought in to the hype yet I suggest you set aside your hipster-hating tendencies and give it a try.

I never thought I'd see the day...

2010-02-23T12:06:00.000-08:00

...When Andre Nickatina would release a single with an AutoTune hook. But lo and behold, we have "1-Flight," released today from his upcoming LP KHAN!! The Me Generation. I don't even know what to make of this oddity, considering its sub-3-minute running time and near-joke of a chorus complete with a T-Pain rip-off "hey shawty." Not to mention that god-awful artwork that looks like a notebook drawing by a horny eighth-grader. I guess releasing 17-plus albums in about as many years can make the idea well start to run dry after so long. Will the rest of Nicky-T's new material sound as cliche and corny as this? Hopefully not.

Sasquatch! 2010

2010-02-16T11:18:00.000-08:00

Last night The Crocodile was packed full of eager Seattle music fans for the 2010 Sasquatch Festival kickoff party, featuring performances by Fresh Espresso, Atlas Sound and Surfer Blood. The free admission ensured a big crowd, but my expectations were exceeded when the venue reached capacity before the first band even took the stage. I didn't even get in until midway through Atlas Sound's set, completely missing Fresh Espresso while waiting in line outside.

Upon entering, it was evident that the bands playing weren't the focus of the night. I had my doubts about how Atlas Sound (aka Deerhunter's Bradford Cox) would sound live since he a) is just one guy and b) has a style almost completely reliant on effects and loops. His set was pretty much just him diddling around on a guitar, harmonica and loop pedal with unimpressive results. The already anxious crowd made matters worse for the guy, as it became clear that hearing the Sasquatch lineup was the #1 priority of the night.

Finally, the subdued set ended and the host Luke Burbank (who I might add is a real standup guy) took the stage for the moment everyone was waiting for. After showing a short video with some of the headliners, he announced a number of other acts that revealed a strong overall lineup. Rather than having a few huge names like in past years, Sasquatch 2010 appears to be aiming for a more solid (albeit hipster-friendly) top-to-bottom offering of acts. Including everything from My Morning Jacket to Public Enemy, LCD Soundsystem to Pavement, The New Pornographers to The xx, this year's Sasquatch has a ton of great bands to warrant paying the $170 price for a 3-day pass.

Those who stuck around long enough to see Surfer Blood were treated to an energetic and fun set by the Floridian quintet. The guys sounded bigger and better live than recorded, even without the fuzzed-out vocals that were a defining element of Astro Coast. Playing around with two-guitar parts and adding a wood block/tambourine percussion section from a guy who could pass for one of Animal's (yes, the Muppet's) distant cousins, Surfer Blood seemed to be genuinely enjoying themselves onstage. Their straightforward sunny-day rock got the crowd bobbing their heads and bouncing around in time, and they seemed to feed off of the positive response. At one point the percussion guy passed a huge floor tom and pair of sticks into the front row of the crowd, and the wide-eyed recipients proceeded to bash the crap out of it (kudos to those dudes for staying in rhythm though) for the remainder of the song. After finishing their set and exiting the stage with wide grins from the enthused crowd, it was clear that the Surfer Blood guys are having fun with their sudden rise to indie stardom.

And now for the full Sasquatch 2010 lineup, posted first by none other than Travis Hay, Mr. Ear Candy himself.

My Morning Jacket/Massive Attack/Pavement/Ween/Vampire Weekend/The National/MGMT/Public Enemy/The New Pornographers/Band of Horses/LCD Soundsystem/Tegan & Sara/Broken Social Scene/Passion Pit/She & Him/Nada Surf/Deadmau5/The Hold Steady/Dirty Projectors/The xx/Minus The Bear/The Mountain Goats/Kid Cudi/OK Go/The Drive-By Truckers/Miike Snow/The Long Winters/Quasi/Camera Obscura/Fruit Bats/Brother Ali/Dr. Dog/Midlake/Caribou/The Temper Trap/Simian Mobile Disco/Portugal. The Man/No Age/Japandroids/Why?/Wale/City & Colour/Vetiver/Mayer Hawthorne/Girls/Boys Noize/Cymbals Eat Guitars/Phantogram/Neon Indian/Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros/The Lonely Forest/YACHT/Freelance Whales/Past Lives/Laura Marling/Patrick Watson/The Low Anthem/The Very Best/Nurses/The Tallest Man on Earth/Shabazz Palaces/Fresh Espresso/Jets Overhead/Mumford & Sons/tUnE-YaRdS/Fool's Gold/Z-Trip/Hudson Mohawke/Dam-Funk/Morning Teleportation/Local Natives/Booka Shade/Avi Buffalo/A-Trak/Yes Giantess/Rob Riggle/Craig Robinson/Garfunkel & Oates/Luke Burbank

This is just the preliminary list, and more bands should be added as the festival draws closer. Tickets and more information are available on the Sasquatch Festival's website... Now if you'll excuse me, I gotta go buy my tickets.

And now for some new music...

2010-02-11T10:03:00.000-08:00

...Cuz you know it's about that time. Here are a few selections for your listening pleasure, some brand new, some semi-new, and some a few months old but extremely slept on.

I wrote a Yeasayer review for Ear Candy, so check it out here for the full version. Below is a few excerpts to give you the main idea...

First off, experimental rockers Yeasayer finally dropped Odd Blood, their follow-up to 2007's trippy All Hour Cymbals on Tuesday. After three years with no major releases and only a couple awesome singles ("Tightrope" and "Ambling Alp") bridging the gap, fans of their debut were no doubt clamoring to get their mitts on this one.

After the stark contrast between the doomy industrial march of opener "The Children" and the life-affirming bounce of "Ambling Alp," Yeasayer blazes into more uncharted territory with the remaining eight tracks. The gently warping guitar strums and falsetto "oooh oooh" chorus of "Madder Red" end up sounding like a cross between Toto and Animal Collective. "ONE" sounds like if MGMT was to Caribbean Island music as Vampire Weekend is to Afro-pop, using a breezy, island-style rhythm complete with xylophones and a sweet chorus keyboard lead. As the album progresses, it becomes clear what Yeasayer is trying to do. Combining the layered, loop-heavy experimentalism of bands like Animal Collective with both electronic and world music elements - yet maintaining a polished pop sensibility throughout the whole endeavor - Yeasayer creates a strange and diverse journey through ten tracks. Experience it for yourself.

Everyone's favorite electro-dance British outfit and Elliot School grads (see also: Four Tet, Burial, The xx, Dragonforce's Herman Li, Pierce fucking Brosnan) Hot Chip also released their latest effort One Life Stand last week. While the album is a bit of a departure from their past albums in the sense that it's a bit more mature and chilled-out, it is still anything but boring. The chaps still kick out some funky jams with thick bass, arpeggiated synths, string and steel drum samples, and even an occasional rockin' guitar lead. Alexis Taylor's easygoing nerd-croon sounds perfect over the simplistic but smooth "Thieves in the Night," Joe Goddard's spaced-out harmonies add some warmth to the dark, Mortal Kombat-esque loops in "Take It In," and the two vocalists collaborate with each other and some auto-tune in the string-driven, steel-drum accented "I Feel Better." There are some sour notes in the middle of the album ("Brothers," "Slush") but for the most part One Life Stand is Hot Chip's most impressive release to date.

Think Differently Music also released another Wu-Tang collaboration that was released during late 2009 that completely passed by me unnoticed. This is odd to me since I not only am a huge Wu fan, but also thoroughly enjoyed the first Think Differently/Wu-Tang album. This time around, producer Dreddy Kruger collaborates some of the finest (albeit more underground) tracks from members of the Wu camp and drops some filthy, grimy, heavy and incredibly dope dubstep beats to go with them. The result works wonderfully. The Wu's strength has always been dark street raps painted with gritty concrete imagery, a style that sounds perfect over the quaking bass and distorted synth buzzes of dubstep. When I heard this I was personally pissed off that I slept on this compilation, so I suggest you don't either. Make sure to check out the awesome reworking of RZA and MF Doom's "Biochemical Equation," one of the standouts from the first volume of these collaborations.

Enjoy the tunes, and make sure to check out the new Lala playlist and a few links to the other rad sites progressive enough to be mentioned here.

Five good reasons to be at Neumo's on Friday

2010-02-09T11:14:00.000-08:00

This Friday Head Like a Kite, Truckasaurus and Fresh Espresso will simultaneously take the stage at Neumo's for one night of thumping beats, expert flows, virtuoso synth work and cross-genre experimentation. There will be no set changes, and the bands will instead cover, rearrange and jam over each other's individual songs. Rather than another show with three bands on the bill, it's going to be an event so unique it's getting its own name (and another dope Terry Radjaw poster to go with it): Head Like an Espresso Truck. If you're not already sold on the principle alone, here are five good reasons why you should be at Neumo's come Friday night.

1. The three bands' styles complement each other perfectly - Fresh Espresso is synth-heavy hip-hop with plenty of electronic leanings. Truckasaurus is a unique blend of gameboy-laced instrumental electronic with an inclination towards the hip-hop end of the beat spectrum. Head Like a Kite has their own brand of hip-hop-friendly electro-rock, and have worked with other rappers in the past. These three unique styles will undoubtedly come together in a major way to create some serious musical fusion.

2. Trent Moorman and Tyler Swan are sick at drums - Everyone knows Trent Moorman is a crazy good drummer. The guy plays in a handful of bands (HLAK, The Saturday Knights, Animals at Night, etc.) and has a style perfectly conducive to hip-hop. The first time I saw The Saturday Knights live I was shocked to see him rattling out the rapid successions of 16th notes throughout "Nobody Beats Us" on a drum pad, rather than using a programmed sample. A lot of people probably don't realize how good Tyler Swan is since he usually uses an electronic drum machine during most of their shows, but expect that to change after Friday night. Head Like an Espresso Truck will feature both drummers flexing their talent on live kits, which will undoubtedly include a few radical, show-stealing drum solo duels.

3. Rik Rude is a filthy rapper - Although he hasn't lived in Seattle his entire life, Rik Rude is one of the hip-hop scene's most seasoned veterans. His polished flow over P Smoov's glitzy robotic beats on Fresh Espresso's Glamour were what really made the album shine. Expect Rik to drop some ridiculous flows not only over Smoov's beats, but to kick freestyles and new verses during the two other bands' material as well. A rapper of his caliber is sure to bring an extra verbal punch to a show already oozing instrumental talent.

4. The groups have a penchant for great live shows - Truckasaurus dons trucker hats and American flag capes with a background mash-up of monster trucks and '80s WWF matches. Head Like a Kite wears feather boas and crazy hats while mannequin heads sporting V for Vendetta masks and other strange headgear decorate their setup. Don't be surprised if a costumed dancer or two takes the stage for a few songs either, as it's a normal occurrence during their shows. Fresh Espresso brings a genuine energy and presence to the stage, and set themselves apart from other hip-hop acts with P-Smoov's live synth and vocoder expertise. Needless to say, the combination of these ambitious fellows on one single stage should guarantee to be quite the spectacle.

5. There will be drinking games (?!?!) - Seriously, it says so in the description for the show on the Neumo's website. Makes you wonder what other diabolical tricks these guys could have up their sleeves. But really, this show symbolizes everything that's great about the Seattle music scene. Nobody in these bands are worrying about anything other than having fun and playing some rad live tunes with other like-minded dudes. It's simply artists collaborating with other artists, blurring the defining lines between genres and maybe having a few cold ones in the process. The amount of talent taking the stage on Friday will be staggering - gearheads, drummers, guitarists, gameboys, synthesizers, rappers and robot voices. This is Seattle music at its best, so come out to Neumo's on Friday and support it. You won't be disappointed.

Phoenix @ Showbox SoDo

2010-01-25T10:48:00.000-08:00

I wrote this review for the Phoenix show on Saturday for Ear Candy. Be sure to check out the original post and some rad photos from it by Dave Lichterman here.

French indie-pop outfit Phoenix had a big year in 2009, going from an underrated, largely undiscovered curio to a household name and Cadillac commercial fodder. Last time these guys came to Seattle (not counting The End's Deck the Hall Ball) they played The Crocodile, and this Saturday they packed the giant brick-and-cement dungeon Showbox Sodo completely full. Talk about a rapid rise to stardom. The fans flooded in close to the stage right after doors opened to ensure a good spot, not at all worried about the long wait ahead. After being completely surrounded by an astounding number of teenage girls in the crowd before a band had even took the stage, I conceded defeat and retreated to the back bar. Damn the Sodo and it's terrible setup.

Opening band The Soft Pack started things off for the already full venue, offering up their SoCal-influenced post-punk of sorts to an audience patiently waiting for them to finish up. I always feel kind of sorry for bands like this opening for a huge name - a tiny fraction of the crowd had likely even heard of them before, and everyone else was just itching for some Phoenix. It didn't help that the sound was mixed with a bit too much volume and bass that drowned out their occasional surf-guitar leads that sounded interesting in nature. The Soft Pack's sound didn't translate well in a huge venue like the Sodo either, and I found myself thinking that things would be very different if these guys were to play the Chop Suey or Sunset or something.

Right when the crowd could seemingly wait no longer, the stage lights dimmed and an instrumental intro floated out from the speakers. Cheers arose, got louder when the band trotted onstage, and exploded as the opening two-note repetitions of "Lisztomania" were unveiled. The drums and bass kicked in, an impressive display of flashing lights illuminated the stage, the entire crowd proceeded to get down, and one thing was made absolutely clear: Phoenix are fucking rock stars. Listztomania, a term coined to describe the huge crowds and screaming female fans of piano virtuoso Franz Liszt, was exactly what was going on Saturday night.

As they progressed through their set they stuck to mainly new material off of Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix, but threw in a few old favorites from United and It's Never Been Like That. "Too Young," "Napoleon Says," "Consolation Prizes" and "If I Ever Feel Better" sounded amazing, but didn't elicit as much of a response from the mostly young audience obviously unfamiliar with the band's back catalog. Nevertheless, Phoenix sound was polished and tight, anchored by Thomas Hedlund's fierce drumming. The term "bang the skins" is taken to another level by this guy, with him standing up and smashing the sticks down full-force during a few numbers (Check the YouTube video of their Letterman performance for a small taste of how this guy tears it up). The other band members showcased a bit of musicianship as well, toying with various aspects of their songs - an added electronic flourish here, a guitar interlude there. One of the most impressive moments was the lengthy instrumental "Love Like a Sunset" halfway through their set. Starting with a slow, sparse guitar and keyboard intro, gradually adding ominous synth buzzes as the two guitarists played off of each other's trippy individual parts, then finally building up into a pounding percussive rock-out with dramatic red, white and blue lights flashing in time, the crowd was completely captivated by one of the only non-danceworthy numbers of the night.

After initially exiting the stage for a few minutes, Phoenix quickly returned to start their encore set with a vocal-only ballad version of "Everything is Everything," then delivered with the moment everyone had been waiting for - "1901." The quaking synth chords and clean guitar plucks were greeted with an enormous cheer and sent the huge crowd into an uncontrollable dance frenzy as sweat dripped from the pipes running across the venue's ceilings. About halfway through the song I found myself thinking that they could play this song for ten minutes and everyone would've been okay with it. Almost on cue as the song reached its normal end, lead singer Thomas Mars jumped offstage and rushed to the back of the all ages section, stood atop a giant box or something, and proceeded to crowd surf his way to back to the front as the band continuously played "1901." The aforementioned lisztomanic female fans bum-rushed the stage and proceeded to continue their dance party while the rest of the still-bouncing crowd grinned and laughed at the spectacle unfolding in front of them. As the band struck one final huge, resonant chord, the crowd let out a tremendous cheer that seemed to say "wow, what show."

Phoenix delivered in the best way possible in the wake of their rise to superstar status, and undoubtedly left every person who saw them happy, sweaty and satisfied. That's really saying something considering all of the elements they had working against them - a less-than-ideal venue, an audience packed in to the point that they were rubbing elbows with each other, and a young crowd with very limited knowledge of their older material. As throngs of fans left the venue traffic backed up along First Ave, a legion of taxi cabs swooped at the opportunity to cash in, and I jumped onto a passing bus that was full of people that had just left Sodo. There were many different faces on that number 18, but every single one of them was beaming with the same look - one of complete satisfaction and the knowledge that the show they had just left could not have been any better.

The next step?

2010-01-24T12:40:00.000-08:00

Well kids, there have been a few developments in the Hella Progressive world as of late. I mentioned it briefly in the last post, but I am going to be doing some writing for Ear Candy, another awesome local music blog. Check out my little introduction blurb here. I wrote a piece on the Mad Rad and Macklemore show that should be up later today or tomorrow, and got to attend the sold out Phoenix show (for free!) at The Showbox Sodo last night so I can crank out a review. I'll be sure to post or link to it here as well. Don't want to give too much away, but it was fucking AWESOME.

I'm going to try and keep up the posts on here as best I can, but the volume may decline just a bit depending on how much work I do for Ear Candy. Hopefully this is just the start, and there is plenty of writing to be done for many more outlets in the future. Thanks to the tens of followers and readers out there for the support. Also gotta give a shout out to the homies Andrew Smith and Cole Mercer for their encouragement and company at shows. Stay tuned for dem reviews, and rock on.

Gettin' SQUASHED tonight

2010-01-21T11:18:00.000-08:00

Mad Rad's return to Neumo's goes down later tonight for Free.99, which is a steal when you consider those opening acts. Local favorite Macklemore is always sure to entertain, and Portland's Breakfast Mountain's live set sounds nothing short of awesome, supposedly with two MCs on synths and keys and a live drummer on a real kit. After this much hype and getting called out by Eric Grandy in this week's issue of The Stranger, there's no telling what the Out For Stardom gang has in store. Since their normal live shows consist of choreographed dance numbers and punk-rock antics, expectations are undoubtedly high. I will be reviewing the show for local blog Ear Candy and will most likely post it here as well. Make sure you get to Neumo's early if you plan on going, as there's no question that it will be a capacity crowd and it's just a matter of what time the venue gets packed full. See you tonight!

Surfer Blood - Astro Coast

2010-01-19T12:02:00.000-08:00

Surfer Blood has been making waves (terrible pun, I know) on the national indie scene since their single "Swim (To Reach the End)" took the Interweb by storm during the latter half of 2009. The Pitchfork-aided hype was imminent, as the track's reverb-heavy, pop-tinged power-chord rock and washed-out, melodic vocal shouts made for a perfect late-summer anthem. "Swim" was on plenty of "best of 2009" lists, and just weeks into 2010 the Florida quartet has released their anticipated debut Astro Coast. The ten-track album takes everything good about "Swim" and builds on it, creating an LP that sounds like a sunny-day skate down a Los Angeles boardwalk.

Though Surfer Blood sticks to the same formula throughout the entire record - layers of fuzzy guitar riffs with a pop skeleton, harmonious vocals that have drawn numerous of Brian Wilson comparisons, and more than a few memorable hooks - they change it up just enough to keep things interesting. Whether it's the funky, calypso-style bounce of "Take It Easy," chilled-out harmonic plucks of "Harmonix" (bet you can't guess how they came up with that title), or keyboard/string/xylophone accents on "Fast Jabroni," the band is able to create varied feels from track to track. However, Surfer Blood is at its best when they stick to their guns rather than try to get too cute. Their solid, lo-fi garage-style riffs on songs like "Floating Vibes," "Neighbour Riffs" and "Anchorage" are their most redeeming quality, and they get lost on some of the album's other tracks. Nevertheless, Astro Coast is a fun listen and a commendable first release from a band that will undoubtedly continue to catch on quickly.

Off on the good foot in 2010

2010-01-13T11:26:00.000-08:00

Procrastinating on posting wasn't the way I wanted to start off the new year, but oh well. As such, the new things I have to talk about really aren't all that new, and have been covered by plenty of other bloggish outlets. But either way...

If you couldn't tell by the picture on the left I have picked up the first big release of the new year, Vampire Weekend's second LP Contra. The highly anticipated sophomore album from the Columbia University quartet had a couple singles officially released by the band in previous months, and was leaked and streamed all over the internet in the weeks leading up to the official release. Pretty much everyone was able to get a taste of Contra (and write a review of it) before it actually came out, so I won't bore you with formalities. Instead, I will both acknowledge the fact that I have definitely been a VW-hater in the past and apologize for all of the things I said about them.

Yeah, this album is pretty good. So good it has made me completely rethink this band. Vampire Weekend's collective musicianship is just too great to ignore anymore. Yeah, they use African drums and hand claps, but they add a boatload of electronic elements to the varied sound they displayed on their debut LP. An airy falsetto chorus breezes through bouncy, harmonized layers of synth plinks in "White Sky," "Taxi Cab" is completely devoid of actual drums, and "Giving Up the Gun" is a legitimate electro-pop jam with its arpeggiated stabs of keyboard bass. The electronic-oriented songs are weaved in with more traditional indie-rockers like "Holiday" and "Cousins" to create an album that flows through varied styles and tempos with ease. Rather than listening to their detractors, Vampire Weekend took what they do best and ran with it, making a fun, listenable album that marks a great start to 2010.

Aside from the national indie scene, the local hip-hop scene just dropped its first official banger of the new year. In the wake of the Shabazz Palaces craze, another "mysterious" Seattle rap group fronted by Oldominion veteran Onry Ozzborn called Dark Time Sunshine has surfaced. The mysteriousness lies in the monikers on the artwork for their EP Believeyoume - available for free download online - which lists artists Cape Cowen and Zayala. Who are these guys? Just another alias for Onry? Either way, the EP is nothing short of excellent, containing plenty of the gloomy, rain-drenched production that Oldominion is known for, but with the inherent menacing flows toned down a bit. Perhaps the most notable track on the EP is "Wrong Kids," which features a John Hughes chorus name-drop and shout-outs aplenty to new-school local hip-hop acts like Champagne Champagne, They Live!, Mad Rad and The Physics. A combined video for "Doom," "Go Team," and "Wrong Kids" was released on Monday, and features cameos from every artist named in the track.

Unity among Seattle rappers despite differences in styles and ages? Does that mean we have a movement on our hands? Maybe that's just wishful thinking, but the local hip-hop scene is bubbling at an all-time high. Dark Time Sunshine's EP and video are perfect tone-setters for what should be another amazing year for these local artists. Stay tuned...

Oh, and get your copy of Believeyoume at Fakefour Inc.'s site here.

2009: a year in review, sort of

2009-12-30T21:40:00.000-08:00

If you couldn't tell from all of the year-end "best albums/songs/shows of the year/decade" lists floating around all over the internet, 2009 is drawing to a close. At the risk of being repetitive, I am going to forgo a traditional list and just include some random musical highlights from all that the year had to offer. A ton of good music was released, some new favorite artists emerged, and quality shows were a regular occurrence around Seattle. 2009 was also the first year that I spent January through December entirely in Seattle since returning from college (and turning 21...), and I was able to fully partake in all of the local offerings and happenings. Needless to say, it made for one memorable year in this great city. Here are some of my favorites from 2009:

The Songs:

P.O.S. - Let It Rattle - The first track off of the Minneapolis rapper's third album Never Better features gritty, pounding drums, an eerily-warped guitar sample and some of Pissed Off Stef's finest lyrics to date. He tears it up with everything from Mitch Hedberg and Big Lebowski references to a sobering mention of the hype surrounding Obama's election. The track gets rounded out with an anthemic chorus that complements the thumping bass and echoing snare perfectly. I listened to this constantly during the earlier part 0f 2009, long before this blog was even started.

Let It Rattle - P.O.S.

Animal Collective - My Girls - Years ago, I knew Animal Collective as a crazed brand of noisy, effects-pedal-driven psychedelic trip music with just subtle hints of melody sprinkled here and there among the weirdness. Merriweather Post Pavillion was instead bright, melodic and their most accessible record to date, pushing their signature "freak-folk" elements to the background and emphasizing Pet Sounds-style layers of vocal harmonies. The ubiquitous "My Girls" epitomized everything that was the new version of the band - a completely vocal-centric track with delicate touches of synths and just enough bass to make it a bona fide summer anthem. All of a sudden, people who had never paid AC any mind in the past were converted to full-blown fans because of songs like this one.

My Girls - Animal Collective

Phoenix - 1901 - Speaking of ubiquitous, this pop gem from French band Phoenix was everywhere in 2009. I went to the Cha Cha during the aftermath of the Capitol Hill Block Party and 1901 was blasting over the speakers. Grabbing a few beers during happy hour at Linda's, I heard 1901 coming from the system on the outdoor patio. At work my manager spun 1901 constantly. I go to drop something off for my sister while she's working at Nordstrom downtown and they're playing it in her department. Even while I'm watching football, a Cadillac commercial comes on playing what else but 1901. I didn't even have to listen to my copy of Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix much since it was in so many other rotations. Some songs can get annoying in this way, but for some reason, hearing those clean-picked guitar and buzzing synth chords in the intro and the unbelievably catchy "fallin, fallin, fallin" chorus never got old for me, and 1901 was cemented as quite possibly my single favorite song of 2009.

1901 - Phoenix

They Live! - Whitney - Quite simply one of the dopest rap singles to ever come out of Seattle. An odd South Park sound clip gives way to a bassline a la Digable Planets' "Cool Like Dat" and a word of caution to those who slept on this group simply because they release all their stuff for free online - "Ayyo, everybody knows that the Dros is comin, right?" They sure did on this track, with that tight bassline anchoring a bouncing beat that is pure West Coast. Bruce Illest's laid-back, almost Slick Rick-style drawl and Gatsby's clever wordplay are further complemented by a guest appearance from Thee Satisfaction on the hook. "Whitney" was a great look at what They Live! had in store for their first full-length They La Soul, an instant classic packed with clever samples, thumping 808's and a host of tracks that, quite simply, just GO.

Listen to it here

The Bands:

Starfucker/PYRAMIDDD - While they did release Jupiter, a welcome follow-up to their eponymous debut LP, 2009 was marked more by publicity matters than musical ones. Soon after "Rawnald Gregory Erickson the Second" was used in a Target commercial spot, the band coincidentally announced that they were going to change their name because they thought it "sucked." They decided, oddly, on PYRAMID (caps intentional), and weeks later changed it again to PYRAMIDDD (extra D's intentional). They managed to avoid what was undeniably a classic sell-out move by playing two awesome Seattle sets, one at The Vera Project that was their last show as Starfucker, and one at The Moore that was one of their first as PYRAMIDDD. With their cred somewhat intact for now, it should be interesting to see what PYRAMIDDD has in store during 2010.

Dance Face 2000 - Starfucker

Miike Snow - This Swedish outfit seemingly came out of nowhere to release one of the year's best albums, featuring a unique electro-tinged indie sound that had everyone scrambling to categorize. Featuring the electronic expertise of Daft Punk (two member of Miike Snow are well-known producers Bloodshy and Avant, and they apparently produced Britney Spears' "Toxic" single... weird, I know), the experimental weirdness of Animal Collective, and a knack for sensible pop hooks a la Phoenix, Miike Snow's multidimensional self-titled album has something for everyone.

Animal - Miike Snow

Passion Pit - What started as a one-man project recording a gift for a college sweetheart became perhaps the biggest buzz band of 2009. Riding the blogosphere hype surrounding the Chunk of Change EP, Passion Pit released Manners in May and embarked on a tour that sold out venues worldwide. Singles like "Sleepyhead" and "The Reeling" possessed an irresistible pop charm that listeners (and advertising execs) couldn't help but eat up, and the May release date ensured that the band's feel-good electronic warmth would be in plenty of people's constant summer rotations. In less than a year, Passion Pit went from another electro-pop band to a household name.

Sorry, no single-song Lala support for this one... and come on, you've probably heard them a thousand times anyway.

Fresh Espresso - Much more than a Mad Rad/Out For Stardom side project, the duo of P-Smoov and Rik Rude dropped Glamour, a party-rocker of an album featuring outer-space synths and vocoders, just the right amount of glitzy cockiness, and sing-along hooks. Even more impressive is the production from Smoov himself, cementing him as one of the most talented cats in not only the local rap scene, but perhaps all of Seattle music. Fresh Espresso appropriately blew up after Glamour's release, and proceeded to tear up numerous local venues with their energetic live sets that feature P-Smoov not only rapping, but playing the synth and vocoder as well.

No Lala for these dudes either, but check out the video for "Big or Small"

The Shows:

Grizzly Bear @ The Moore - How do you make a show from one of the most talented lo-fi indie-rock bands touring today even better? Have them play at the oldest theater in Seattle, of course. The historic Moore Theater was the ideal setting for Grizzly Bear's haunting, atmospheric multi-part vocal harmonies and masterfully diverse instrumentation - clarinet, flute, and autoharp were tastefully mixed in with the usual guitars, bass and drums. The Byzantine stylings of the Moore, soft lighting provided by glowing trails of dangling ornaments across the stage, and a completely seated audience made the show seem more like a night at the opera than an indie-rock show.

Holy F*** @ Bumbershoot - The hype surrounding this band's appearance at Bumbershoot was pretty heavy, and I'll admit that a quick listen on their Myspace page failed to prepare me for what I was in store for. Their formula is simple - a drummer and bassist laying down tight, groovy rhythms and two guys fiddling across a vast motherboard of effects pedals, vocoders and synths. The result is a mind-blowing, dance-party-worthy brand of offshoot electronica. They got the entire Broad Street stage crowd moving their feet, and rocked an after-party at Neumo's later that night. Their performances completely lived up to the high praise and recommendations, and likely left many unsuspecting crowd members intent on catching their future shows.

Go! Machine @ The Crocodile - 14 of the city's finest hip-hop acts over a span of two nights at The Crocodile made for one seriously crackin' party and more than a few monumental hangovers. The house was packed for an all-star lineup of local talent including Spaceman, The Physics, Grynch, Macklemore, Fresh Espresso, They Live!, Champagne Champagne and Mad Rad. Every act brought it with tons of energy and showmanship, and the antics included stage diving, rapping while hanging from and upstairs balcony, near-circle pits, and plenty of onstage poppin', lockin', breakin', giggin', and other words ending with n'. But seriously, Go! Machine was a tremendous two-night party that brought some of the best local hip-hop together to perform under one roof. If you were there, you know that it was impossible to not have a great time. Also, check out my post-show writeup here.

The Flaming Lips @ Marymoor Park - As expected, this was probably the best show I have ever been to in my life. I have wanted to see The Flaming Lips' famous live show for a long time, so when I received a presale password in my e-mail inbox I took it as a sign and bought tickets immediately. The show was spectacular in every sense - Wayne Coyne's "hamster ball" entrance, the balloons and confetti cannons, the giant screen projecting wild, neon, psychedelic, sexual imagery, the fans in furry sheep costumes (there was also a giant inflatable moth wearing a crown and catfish in a sailor outfit...) dancing around onstage - it exceeded even my lofty expectations. Also, Wayne Coyne jumped on the shoulders of a guy in a giant gorilla suit during "Silver Trembling Hands," screamed through a smoke-billowing megaphone while wearing a strobe light chain around his neck during "The W.A.N.D.," and banged an LED-decorated gong during "Pompeii Am Gotterdammerung." You would never guess the guy's almost 50 years old. Marymoor Park on a gorgeous summer evening was the perfect setting to complement the show, and all I wanted to do for weeks after was go see the Lips again. Best believe I'll catch them on every remaining US tour in their career.

Thanks to albyxit for posting this video on YouTube that captures the finale pretty well...

A few sour notes...

Owl City - I will try to refrain from trashing Owl City too much, mainly because everyone that remotely knows anything about music has already done so. For some reason this dweeb had a single called "Fireflies" that skyrocketed to #1 on iTunes in 2009, and garnered much praise on outlets like Facebook from teenage girls and people who claim to enjoy electronic music, but have never heard anything even resembling it. Owl City rips off The Postal Service so blatantly that nobody has bothered to tell the guy that the whole electro-emo sound captured on that album started and ended with said album. Everything this guy does lyrically, stylistically and production-wise has been done a thousand times before, so why the heck did he produce one of the best-selling songs of 2009? He packages such a sugary, radio-friendly musical product under the guise of being some lesser-known indie project that unknowing individuals are attracted to it. His music is all rainbows, butterflies (fireflies?) and cotton candy to the point where it's as sickening as a comedown from a sugar high.

The death of Michael Jackson - One of music's brightest stars of all time passed away on June 26, 2009. Michael Joseph Jackson was a child star-turned-King of Pop, who in his prime was perhaps the most popular performer in the entire world. During the span of his career, he gave us countless smash hits - from "ABC" and "I Want You Back" (which I seriously consider to be one of the best songs of all time) with the Jackson 5 to "Rock With You," "Billie Jean," "Thriller," "Beat It," "Bad," "Smooth Criminal," "Remember the Time"... the list could go on forever. He also was one of the single best entertainers out there, known for his epic live shows and dance moves that were as unique and innovative as they were ridiculously skillful. The man INVENTED the moonwalk, for chrissake. While his career was also characterized by a tabloid-publisher's-wet-dream downward spiral of sleepovers with children, sexual abuse allegations, and abominable plastic surgery disasters, when he died this year those negatives were (in my opinion, rightfully) pushed to the background. People all over the world celebrated his life and accomplishments after his passing, which was covered heavily in the media. This is going under the "worst of 2009" category simply because the music biz lost one of the most talented and creative individuals that has ever been a part of it, and something tells me it will be a very long time before anyone even comes close to repeating what Michael Jackson did during his illustrious career.

The failing music industry - Seriously, what the crap is going on with it? I hate to quote Pitchfork Media, but while browsing through their "100 Best Tracks of 2009" list, I came across a point that sums up the scenario perfectly. From their writeup on Big Boi's pimp-tastic joint "Shine Blockas": "That Big Boi's solo album still hasn't seen the light of day is further proof that the record industry is irreparably broken. 'Shine Blockas' should be more than a rap blog curio. It's the sort of track that we should hear blaring out of every passing Civic." This nails everything that is wrong with the industry today. How many more "American Idols" do we really need? How many more self-respecting acts do they want trade in their artistic control and integrity so they can "make it?" Rather than pushing crap like Adam Lambert and The Black Eyed Peas, why not pay attention to what the people want? Big-name bands are dropping off of major labels to escape the contracts and pressure, and release records on their own terms on their own labels. Smaller but still popular bands are self-releasing or signing to independent labels. And things like blogging (ahem), websites like last.fm and lala.com, and social media are making it easier than ever for people to share music with each other. Many artists are even offering free downloads or streaming albums online and via their Myspace pages. This rapid progression in the way people are obtaining and listening to music combined with the money-grubbing ways of the music industry is bringing about huge changes for them. It will be interesting to see what direction this trend will go over the course of 2010. All I know is that I got some very good music for free (not pirate-style free, but offered for free by the artist) in 2009, and am hoping for even more in the new year.

Wishing you and yours a hella progressive year in 2010!

Another freebie from THEY LIVE!

2009-12-17T00:48:00.001-08:00

Another local hip-hop act, another free download. Peep the latest single from THEY LIVE!, entitled "Serve You." Yes, that title is a direct reference to the freakin' Shai (!!!) sample used in the song. Why has nobody sampled that track before? Everyone knows it, has probably belted it out with humorous intent at some point in their life, or like, done it for a talent show or on American Idol or some crap. Nice one, guys. Like most of their other stuff, the beat is a pure West-coast slapper that knocks hard. Turn up the bass on your speaks before you bump it. Stay tuned for more heat from these dudes, as their full-length They La Soul drops on Christmas Eve-Day and they're performing a New Year's Day-Eve show at The Comet with Champagne Champagne and Japanther.

Check out "Serve You" at their website here, and download it free of charge. Grab their other stuff if you ain't knowin', cuz it's fresh. I bumped "Whitney" for about two straight weeks.

Well worth the wait

2009-12-16T11:28:00.000-08:00

After much delay, local MC Macklemore and producer Ryan Lewis have released their EP VS. via free online download. Originally slated for a Nov. 27 release and subsequent release party show at Nectar Lounge, the EP was pushed back twice and finally dropped yesterday. Although a few tracks on it have been all over the place - leaked all over the web and on Mack's Myspace, performed at the non-release party and at Go! Machine - the seven-song EP doesn't fail to disappoint.

Ryan Lewis uses numerous samples that could seem out of place in a hip-hop beat, from Arcade Fire's "My Body is a Cage" to Antony and the Johnsons' "Another World," and everyone who has heard the leaks already knows about the Red Hot Chili Peppers "Otherside" and Beirut "Scenic World" samples. While sampling is often seen as the downfall of modern rap music, Lewis utilizes them in a purely tasteful fashion. Tracks like "Otherside" and "Irish Celebration" that center around the sample have added string sections and synth leads that avoid repetition and become their own unique entity rather than a rip-off of another's work. Other samples are used as accents to Lewis' own production, which remains tight and polished throughout the whole endeavor. Every track is tight and has a distinctly different feel, from the old-school East Coast guitar-looped boom-bap of "Crew Cuts" to the grandiose, operatic, organ-driven "Kings" and everything in between.

Macklemore's lyrics just about steal the show from Lewis' production, with him tackling a wide array of styles and subjects. On opener "Vipassana" he appears distinctly different than on his debut LP The Language of My World, and is now a weathered vet reflecting on everything from fate, religion, identity, his rapid rise to local star status, success, the Internet, and the changing music industry ("I'm not gonna be content until I find gratitude/regardless of my sales or the record deals that they hand to you/if the next generation takes a legacy and samples you/you'll have a bunch of mp3s and misled kids to pass 'em to"). "Crew Cuts" is instead a goofy trip down memory lane for an '80s baby, complete with hypercolor shout-outs, the admittance of having a bowl cut as a kid (yeah, I had one too), and reminiscing on junior high dances ("Before the days of getting drunk at kegs, we were bumpin' Jodeci and dry-humping legs"). After the first couple tracks, it is clear that Mack's lyrical stylings and delivery are as complex and varied as Lewis' production. Combine that with his inspired onstage performances (Go! Machine and Bumbershoot immediately come to mind), it is easy to see why the dude has garnered so much local attention amid the smorgasbord of talent coming out of this city. VS. is only available online, so go ahead and download your copy completely guilt-free.

Macklemore x Ryan Lewis – The VS. EP

Feral Children - Brand New Blood

2009-12-09T12:06:00.000-08:00

One of my favorite slept-on Seattle bands, Feral Children, released their second full-length yesterday. Producer Scott Colburn, who has worked with household indie names like Arcade Fire and Animal Collective, lends a hand to Brand New Blood. I haven't gotten a chance to listen to it all the way through yet, but if the entire thing can build off of their raw, artsy, enjoyable debut Second to the Last Frontier there's not much that can go wrong.

Brand New Blood - Feral Childr...

What a weekend...

2009-12-07T12:24:00.000-08:00

If you pay attention to Seattle music at all, there was no way you could ignore Go! Machine this weekend at The Crocodile. Boasting an all-star, all-local bill and tons of surrounding hype from Twitter and both The Stranger and Weekly's websites, the two-night event was one to not soon forget, unless said forgetting was the product of alcohol consumption.

Truth be told, I, like many others out there, was expecting it to be some sort of glorious, historical moment uniting the local hip-hop scene. One eager Tweeter (or is it Twitter-er? Damn all this online slang...) even claimed it was going to be "The 206 hip-hop Woodstock" in anticipatory excitement. However, it proved to be a completely different animal, but in the best possible way.

Instead of some beautiful, Woodstock-esque moment, Go! Machine was an off-the-chains party alongside other hometown hip-hop heads and old friends set to some of the dopest, most high-energy live sets I've ever witnessed. The Physics rocked the spot on night one with a live backing band. Spaceman jumped up onto the balcony railings above the stage mid-verse and continued to spit uninterrupted while hanging on. Fresh Espresso's set got the crowd even more involved (even despite some technical difficulties with P-Smoov's synth) with "Big or Small" and other jams, and at one point a freakin' circle pit nearly broke out when he jumped off stage and kept rapping amid the crazed throngs of fans. Oh, and host Spencer Moody got drunk and told the crowd to fuck off when he started on a Sasquatch-esque rant after Thee Satisfaction's set. Gotta love that guy.

Night two boasted a lineup even more stacked than the first and didn't fail to outdo it. Fan favorite Macklemore killed it with a select mix of older tracks and new material featuring Ryan Lewis on the tables. He even brought some girls up onstage during his last song. They Live! and their stoney, spaced-out party raps were a perfect prelude to the grand finale, a wild-ass performance by the loud, obnoxious, in-your-face "hipster hop" outfit (and I mean that in a purely positive sense) Mad Rad. Their set featured their typical onstage antics that made them the talk of the town and target of haters aplenty, from choreographed dance moves to going nuts like only white boys know how to (seriously, Buffalo Madonna is an entertainer, man. Dude's attitude is pure punk rock, but he can rap with the best of 'em). Say what you will about their style, attitude or whatever, there's no denying that these cats know how to rock a party. Mad respect for Mad Rad.

But even with the super-dope shows put on by everyone that performed, there was something else that was even better about Go! Machine for me. I'll be the first to admit that I have been on an indie-rock tip for the last couple of years, but hip-hop was the genre that instilled my love of music. I listened to almost nothing but rap for most of my life (like everyone else in Seattle, I definitely had a grunge phase, and like every male in their early teen years, I also had a punk rock phase), and really didn't start exploring other genres much until I was halfway through high school.

Being there at The Croc for those two nights reminded me of everything I love about this music, these people, and this city. The b-boys poppin' and breakin' between sets. Dudes with fresh Nikes and girls with hoop earrings. Positive vibes throughout the crowd, no elitist snobs there pretending like they're not having a great time. Hey, there's that girl I used to hit on in eighth-grade English class that I haven't seen in like eight years. Homie from Helladope up onstage looks mad familiar, I think he went to my high school for a few and used to break on the plaza after school. And there's that dude I used to play Ninja Turtles with during after-school care back in the day. He's doing his own rap thing now, too. Go! Machine brought me back to the days of saving up my money to buy one CD I would rock in my discman on the 14 for weeks before buying a new one. Days of hitting up shows at Chop Suey and The Showbox with my friends. Of cruising around in my homie's Eurovan on Friday nights bumpin' Hieroglyphics, Atmosphere, even E-40. It reminded me why I still live here after 24 years. I love this city, and man, I almost forgot how much I love hip-hop. And nostalgia, apparently. Good times.

And props to this dude Stephan Gray for this way nice video, as well as about every local rapper involved for Tweeting links to it. Check out his stuff here.

Animal Collective's new EP!

2009-11-23T00:22:00.000-08:00

Well looky here. Everyone's favorite psychedelic-melodic freak-folk jam band (or something like that) Animal Collective just put out a five-song EP entitled Fall Be Kind just moments ago. Upon first listen the release is as dynamic and varied as ever, with the band displaying a little bit of everything they do so well. Although some critics were quick to say that AC "sold out" with the uncharacteristically summer-y Merriweather Post Pavillion, it looks like that was a season-specific phase. The guys seem to have kept a few of Merriweather's key elements, but are changing with the seasons as the title suggests.

Throughout the seamless EP, dreamy, floating, effects-pedal-modulated washes of different tones segue into lush vocal harmonies, organic, echoing drums and claps, and unexpected melodic flourishes. Opening track "Graze" starts with almost Disney-esque string swells and some signature AC vocals before going off into a hand-clappin', calliope and/or pan flute tootin', electro-synth buzzin' section straight out of some hippie carnival. Closer "I Think I Can" toys with a heavily-warped synth line (I think that's what it is anyway...) over thumping drums (and even more hand claps) and transforms into a fuzzy electronic waltz with thick layers of deliciously harmonized vocals. Everything in between advances the EP along nicely, making it a perfect one-session listen and a welcome release from one of the most creative bands around today. Go 'head on and check it out.

Fall Be Kind EP - Animal Colle...

We want a single, just a little single

2009-11-20T11:11:00.000-08:00

College-rock poster children Vampire Weekend released a new single this week off their highly-anticipated (and heavily blogged about) sophomore release Contra. Their first single, "Horchata" took the internet by storm with its laid-back harmonies, folky hand claps and beach-worthy marimba/xylophone. Their second single "Cousins" is instead a hyperactive, bouncy number that clocks in at just over 2:30. It opens with an off-kilter guitar and drumroll, then gives way to scattered yelps and yips that almost have as much meaning as Ezra Koenig's oft-nonsensical lyrics - he opens this one with the couplet, "you found a sweater on the ocean floor/they're gonna find it if you didn't close the door." Umm, what? The chorus offers more of the same lyric-wise ("me and my cousins/and you and your cousins/it's a line that's always running") but adds in a tropical-sounding speed-picked guitar riff for good measure. The culmination of the short-lived song, however, comes in the last 25 seconds when they throw some rather festive jinglin' bells over splashy double-time drums. Listen to those bells, man. Yep, the holidays are a-coming.

Anyway, the entire endeavor is upbeat and fun to listen to, and although I have talked plenty of mess about Vampire Weekend in the past (I neglected to mention that I was completely indifferent towards "Horchata"), I have to say that I thoroughly enjoy this track. Okay, so I really just like it because of the bells. And the tropical-punk sort of feel. Hey, wait a minute... tropical-punk? That's totally been done before...

Dammit, Vampire Weekend. Anyone else hearing the similarities here? But still, those bells. I am now actually looking forward to hearing Contra in its entirety, and I don't know whether it's because I think it will be good or can't wait to tear it apart. We will see come January 12 of next year.

Felt 3: A Tribute to Rosie Perez

2009-11-17T23:08:00.000-08:00

Rhymesayers heavyweights Murs and Slug have collaborated for a third Felt album. Like its predecessors, it has a title dedicated to a random B-list actress, but has a looming difference from the previous two Felt albums. Rather than sticking with Atmosphere producer Ant, the two Rhymesayers heavyweights get all Def Jux with it and let Aesop Rock handle the beats. The result is darker, heavier, and all in all doper.

While fans of the first two Felt albums may find the production too gritty for their liking, Aesop Rock blends a grimey mix of hard-hitting drum pads, distorted guitar loops and spaced-out synths that make for some real head-nodders. The beats alone make the entire LP a stark contrast to Ant's bright, upbeat production heard on the first albums. One huge gripe with Aesop Rock's production is that it gets repetitive throughout the rather lengthy album (21 tracks on the normal release with two bonus tracks on the deluxe edition), with him using a similar formula for each beat (hard drums, a piano/guitar/other instrument loop, deep bass, etc). But despite the inherent similarities, he remains able to give each track a distinct feel of its own. There's the bouncy, shoulder-bobbing "Felt Chewed Up," the spooky, low bass drone of "Ghost Dance Deluxe," the fuzzed-out, distorted boom-bap of "We Have You Surrounded," and the dark, ominous "Deathmurdermayhem." The latter sounds like the soundtrack to an uneasy midnight walk through a violence-ravaged, graffiti-ridden hood complete with burning piles of tires and police helicopters circling overhead. Like a talented chef, Aes manages to use the same ingredients to cook up a variety of tasty dishes/beats that are further complimented by Slug and Murs' rhyming expertise.

As one would expect, the lyricism of both of these Rhymesayer vets is the focal point of the album. Each MC spits line after memorable line, and seemingly matches the mood of each beat that Aesop Rock provides. Like any hip-hop album there are generic themes that Murs and Slug expertly execute - they diss flossy mainstream rappers in "Paul Reubens" ("Fakes, frauds and phonies/are we like the only/motherfuckers in this game who ain't corny?/My-Little-Pony-ass-rappers with a stylist/tryin' to be Rainbow Brite on some fly shit/Strawberry Shortcake, they doin' too much/they focus on the fashion, the music sucks!") and boast about themselves in "Protagonists" ("We conquered this monster just to fondle it/I put that on my honor and my politics/Honest, it makes me wanna dip to where my mama lives/ponder my accomplishments in between the ganja hits").

But as expected from these guys, there are plenty of deeper and more poignant topics and messages. "Permanent Standby" utilizes their storytelling skills to chronicle a small-town girl's struggles with drugs and prostitution in the big city over a haunting beat ("Midwest, it won't be long/before she jets/she don't belong/it's her against anti/surfing this landslide/at the terminal on permanent standby"). "Ghost Dance Deluxe" describes an odd love affair with a female apparition over a suspenseful, brooding bassline with eerie horn samples ("Standing by the sea with my ghost in the shell/your flesh is flawed and I know this well so/I must make my decision/passin' up the real deal to wait on an apparition/and one day soon I'ma get it together/it's just I can't leave this night light on forever").

Aesop Rock's production seemingly brings out Murs and Slug's A-game, as their last individual efforts When Life Gives You Lemons... and Murs for President fell a bit flat. This combination of solid production, dope rhymes, interesting subject matter and perhaps one of the most high-profile collaborations in the genre in a while makes for a great listen. One other glaring flaw remains, though. Aesop Rock doesn't have a single guest verse on the entire album, and only stops in to do the hook for "Give it Up." Why wouldn't one of the best rappers in the modern scene drop a little heat on an album he produced every track for? Still, Felt 3 is an awesome album that sounds perfect amid the Northwest November gloom. Pop your headphones in and bump it.

4/5

Felt 3: A Tribute To Rosie Per...

Appy Polly Loggies

2009-11-17T13:48:00.000-08:00

Turns out I haven't posted anything for almost a month. Again. This time my excuse is something completely different than working or playing. November started off with a death in my family, one that was particularly painful and hit us all very hard. I lost a lot of motivation to write, and to listen to music except for a few songs/albums (a whole lot of Bon Iver, to be sure). But time heals all wounds as the old adage goes, and after a couple weeks I feel that I am able to start cranking out some new posts. Sorry for the delay, and stay tuned.

Score one for the home team...

2009-10-28T00:06:00.000-07:00

According to a Seattle Weekly blog post, Passion Pit has indeed rescheduled their previously postponed Seattle show. Turns out this swine flu thing is for real, huh? I apologize to the band for doubting their commitment to playing to what would've been a sold-out crowd at the Showbox Market. One gripe though. If what the Weekly's blog says is correct, the show will take place at The Moore Theater, which is not exactly what I would call conducive to getting down with one's bad self to some choice electronic jams. A venue much more suited for seeing the likes of someone like Grizzly Bear (which I did a couple of weeks ago, phenomenal btw), The Moore has actual seats and no general admission standing area. WTF? But still, way way glad that they didn't cancel altogether. Plus The Moore is bigger than The Showbox, which means more room for everyone who would've missed out before. Get your tickets while you still can.

Between the Buried and Me - The Great Misdirect

2009-10-27T13:02:00.000-07:00

For once, a post on Hella Progressive is going to deal with a band that actually, literally falls into a textbook "progressive" category. Strange, I know. But after the first listen through prog-metal kings Between the Buried and Me's newest album The Great Misdirect, few words can be thought of to immediately describe it. It's sprawling. Sporadic. Grandiose. Technical. And perhaps a bit pretentious?

The album mirrors the structure of their last tour de force, the eight-song, hour-long Colors, but this time fits the 60 minutes into only six tracks. Needless to say, it is not the most accessible listen. Music like this requires some free time, a comfy chair, some righteous headphones and perhaps a funny cigarette. Four of the six tracks are over nine minutes long, and the triumphant journey of a closer "Swim to the Moon" clocks in at damn near 18 minutes. These lengthy compositions are as varied and technically impressive always, shifting from chugging, double-bass, screamed-vocals metal in weird time signatures to clean-sounding, spacey, free-form jazz trip-outs the next. Seemingly everything is tossed in between the two extremes, from a honky-tonk piano intro with a matching distorted guitar riff in "Fossil Genera: A Feed From Cloud Mountain" to an acoustic ballad suited for a lonely trek through a desolate Southwest landscape in (the aptly-named) "Desert of Song." Even more strangely, the former segues directly into the latter as they appear back-to-back on the album.

However, the band adds little to this tried and true formula, which makes much of the seemingly strange and random shifts and turns a bit, well, predictable. Yeah, we know that they obviously listened to a ton of Pink Floyd growing up. And we know that most of the band members used to be session musicians. Dusty Waring and Paul Raggoner are ridiculous guitarists and drummer Blake Richardson is a beast on the skins. They demonstrated all of these things on each one of their previous albums. That is not to say that they don't pull their progressive/diverse/unpredictable/technical shtick off well. It's just that it's more of the same, and at a certain point the seemingly avant-garde "screw conventional song structures because we're such rad musicians" attitude gains an air of pretentiousness. Listening to a few of the longer tracks on the album, there are definite points where they could be broken down into shorter ones (see about halfway through "Disease, Injury, Madness" for one example). Is it their artistic intention to keep these songs as such (probably), or just fitting a bunch of stuff into 12 minutes just for the heck of it?

Either way, BTBAM throws enough at the listener to make for an unpredictable and entertaining audial experience (unless, of course, you dislike metal. In which case you should grow a pair and realize how sick it really is). The riffs kick ass, the drumming is phenomenal, there's a freakin' bass solo on one track, and the guitar solos are used tastefully, albeit a little infrequently. The band has stuck to what they do best, and have hit us with another prog-metal opus. Longer tracks like "Fossil Genera" and "Swim to the Moon" really do reward the listener for their patience. Check it out for yourself, but make sure you have some time to spare.

3.5/5

The Great Misdirect - Between ...

New music, ancient Egyptian architecture and what have you...

2009-10-14T13:30:00.000-07:00

Portland-based Starfucker (not the crappy girl-fronted punk band from Belgium) announced that they were changing their name a while ago, and have apparently decided on PYRAMID. Check out the Portland Mercury's End Hits blog for the official press release. One lingering question remains: Why change your pretty cool name that another band already has to a crappy name that a band already has? Hopefully they will keep making good music and avoid following through with what seems like your classic sell-out move.

In other news, this week has brought on a handful of new hotness. A few choice selections...

The Flaming Lips - Embyronic

Thao With the Get Down Stay Down - Know Better Learn Faster

Lightning Bolt - Earthly Delights

Del the Funky Homosapien & Tame One - Parallel Uni-Verses

People Under the Stairs - Carried Away

...More on those later, as well as some Lala action for your listening pleasure.

Electro-weekend starts today!

2009-10-09T13:06:00.000-07:00

As mentioned in my post about all the radical shows going down around town this month, today kicks off three consecutive days of live electronic goodness. Portland quartet Starfucker kicks things off at the Vera Project tonight (it will likely be the last time they will perform under the Starfucker name too, so bring your cash to get some merch before it becomes extinct), Canadian duo Junior Boys chop it up at the Chop Suey tomorrow night, and overnight superstars Passion Pit have already sold out the Showbox Market for Sunday night. But don't fret if you weren't able to get tickets, because the band apparently had you in mind when they decided to do a live in-store performance at the Queen Anne Easy Street Records. Scheduled for 2 p.m. the afternoon before the show, the impromptu show in that small location should be up close, personal, and altogether a great time whether you will be attending later that evening or not. Get your tickets, put on your dancin' shoes and enjoy another great Seattle weekend.

EDIT: Passion Pit "postponed" their show due to "an illness in the band." Talk about a bummer. This seems to be a trend, as the band has previously cancelled shows in Portland, Canada and the UK. Hope and pray that this stunt will really be only a rescheduling and not another cancellation. If it is, screw these guys for doing their fans dirty like that. For real.

HORSE the Band - Desperate Living

2009-10-07T23:33:00.000-07:00

I usually don't like posting album reviews too long after its release date, but this one is just too good for me not to write about. I was caught by surprise while looking through a list of the week's new releases, but lo and behold, HORSE the Band is back in full force with their latest release Desperate Living. Weathering a storm of long tours and personnel changes, the new album displays a newer, more mature and progressive version of the outfit's signature "Nintendocore" sound.

The album's first track "Cloudwalker" opens with frontman Nathan Winneke screaming "we want to turn everything around." The opening remark proves to be the founding idea of this release. While still containing their unique blend of hardcore elements (screaming vocals, bass-heavy, pit-worthy breakdowns and blast beats) and nostalgic 8-bit keyboard melodies (seriously, straight out of grey-box Nintendo soundtracks), HORSE the Band has progressed tremendously in their songwriting, composition, and overall "seriousness" as a band. No, they haven't lost their edge or sacrificed their "fuck it" punk attitude for more pretentious leanings, but rather have flipped their own genre invention into something deeper and heavier.

While these guys have often strayed from the more traditional forms of hardcore, punk and rock music in general in the past (see "New York City" and "I Think We Are Both Suffering from the Same Crushing Metaphysical Crisis" from their last release A Natural Death), they take it to an entirely new level on this one. Every track on Desperate Living rarely, if ever, repeats a single section of a song, and instead keeps building and shifting through various tempos, time signatures, and moods. The album's longest track "Rape Escape" features a slow, heavy intro before exploding into a dissonant, unsettling and almost scary hardcore freakout. The tempo abruptly shifts into a gameboy-style techno beat, then slows down and transforms back into a chugging breakdown before taking off into an arpeggiated piano concerto. Seriously, all this happens in one single track. Other songs still manage to pack in enough progressive elements without becoming 10-minute musical jerk-off sessions. Check out the thunderous "The Failure of All Things," the band anthem "HORSE the Song" and the triumphant closer "Arrive."

The album is definitely not a first-listen instant classic, but improves immensely with each spin. Fans of their past releases may need to adjust to the new sound and the departure of carefree lyrics about Mega Man villains and bears, but first-time listeners will definitely appreciate the dynamic compositions and poignant lyrics. Desperate Living is an incredibly solid release from a talented band that has gone through some tough times, and is a giant step forward that will hopefully keep them together and making music for plenty of time to come.

4.5/5

Note: I am posting this so you can preview the tracks, as a 30-second sample simply would not do these songs justice. I urge you to support these guys and buy the album if you like it. Do the right thing.

Desperate Living - Horse The B...

New music, hella shows, Reverberations aplenty

2009-09-30T11:01:00.000-07:00

And the festivals just don't seem to stop... Just when you thought it was over, here comes another one that is not only indoors and impervious to adverse weather conditions, but showcases nothing but Seattle acts. Seattle Weekly's Reverb Festival is goin' down this Saturday, Oct. 3 at different Ballard venues all day. Featuring the finest local talents and spanning just about every genre there is, this year's Reverb aims to impress. Bands include Born Anchors, The Girls, Fences, Visqueen, Thee Emergency, The Maldives, and Kay Kay & His Weathered Underground, and shows are happening everywhere from The Sunset to The Tractor to the NY Fashion Academy. Most notably, Reverb features some serious hip-hop flavor, exponentially more than other local festivals this summer. The hipty-hop bill reads like a local all-star roster - Fresh Espresso, Grynch, GMK, Spaceman, Fatal Lucciano, and Champagne Champagne. I bet you anything that Larry Mizell, Jr. from The Stranger will be posted up at the NY Fashion Academy pretending like Reverb isn't a Seattle Weekly event... Oh, and check out that picture up there. They're even selling little commemorative guitar picks. Neato. Check out the official Reverb site for all of the bands, schedule, and more info.

And since October officially arrives tomorrow, I think it's okay to get excited about the ridiculous amounts of shows going on around Seattle in the next month. Just take a look at this schedule (and see playlist the to the right for some tracks from these artists).

Sat., Oct. 3 - Dethklok, Mastodon & Converge @ WaMu Theater - If you feel like forgoing Reverb for some skull-crushing, head-banging metal righteousness, this is the place to be.

Tues., Oct. 6 - Children of Bodom, Black Dahlia Murder @ Showbox Market - In case you miss Dethklok or for some reason didn't get enough metal in on Saturday, check out Alexi Laiho's gothic-tinged power metal shredding.

Fri., Oct. 9 - Starfucker @ The Vera Project - Starfucker's electro-pop sweetness mixed with this all ages venue = gettin' funky with the youngsters. Plus, they're changing their name after this tour, so it's probably the last time they will appear in Seattle as Starfucker and not some lame, toned-down-for-TV name.

Sat., Oct. 10 - Junior Boys @ Chop Suey, Minus the Bear @ Pyramid Alehouse - More electronic heat for your bones from the Junior Boys, but in a tiny, intimate venue where you can get your drink on. And Seattle indie-rock titans Minus the Bear will be celebrating the coming winter at the Pyramid Alehouse of all places for their 12th annual "Snow Cap Party." Awesome tunes and plenty of cold, strong Snow Cap brew to go around.

Sun., Oct. 11 - Passion Pit @ Showbox Market, Zion I & The Jacka @ The Crocodile - Passion Pit closes a ridiculous weekend of non-guitar-based dance music (I already said electronic twice) while two of Frisco's finest lace The Croc with some authentic bay area slappers.

Tues. Oct. 13 - ...And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead, Born Anchors @ Neumo's - Trail of Dead always brings it live, period. Check them out if you haven't.

Wed. Oct. 14 - Brand New, The Builders and the Butchers @ Showbox SoDo - Some people adore Brand New's dark emo ilk. They're okay, but I honestly don't see what all the fuss is about. Quite odd/interesting that they're playing with The Builders and the Butchers though...

Thurs. Oct. 15 - Monsters of Folk @ Paramount Theater - This aptly-but-cornily-named lineup consisting of Jim James (My Morning Jacket), M. Ward (She & Him), Conor Oberst and Mike Mogis (Bright Eyes) will play material from their sweet collaboration-style album as well as selections from each individual's solo and band catalogue. Should prove to be a winning combination.

Fri. Oct. 16 - Grizzly Bear @ Moore Theater - Great setting for a great band set to perform material off of their latest great album. Their live vocal harmonies will give you chills. And who knows, maybe a certain rapper performing the next night will make an appearance?

Sat. Oct. 17 - Jay-Z, N.E.R.D., Wale @ Key Arena, The Cave Singers & Feral Children @ Neumo's - That's right, Jigga is bringing quite the crew on tour with him and it might even be worth the $35 - $125 price tag. Plus, his new album is bangin' and N.E.R.D. has a pretty dope live band. If you can't afford it, there's still quality tunes to be heard over on the Hill.

Thu. Oct. 22 - Yo La Tengo @ Shobox SoDo - They haven't toured in a while, and Popular Songs was solid as ever. That's reason enough, right?

Fri. Oct. 23 - Le Loup, Nurses @ Chop Suey, The Gossip @ Showbox Market - Mad respect to Beth Ditto and company, but those two awesome bands in a small setting for $10 simply cannot be beat.

Sun. Oct. 25 & Tues. Oct. 27 - Blitzen Trapper & The Dodos @ Neumo's - I've been waiting to see both of these bands again since they rocked it at Seattle Center's free summer concert series, and fortunately they're both appearing at Neumo's within days of each other. Both are highly recommended, especially The Dodos.

And there you have it. Those are only the bigger shows that are going on, but October is still shaping up to be quite a month. A veritable cornucopia, a little something for everybody, peace, love & music.

Oh, and about that new stuff...

DETHALBUM II!!!

Dethalbum II - Dethklok

Nothing peaceful or loving on that one, that's for sure. Either way the album is jam-packed with chugging riffs, thunderous double-bass, a few sick harmonized leads and wailing arpeggiated solos. Another strong album (although paling in comparison to the first) from a fictional band. Go figure.

Anyway, it's about that time. Check out Reverb this weekend (or the Dethklok show, if you so desire), mark some shows on your calendar, and proceed to rock out.

A quick one, while he's away...

2009-09-22T12:17:00.000-07:00

Just so you know, The Pains of Being Pure at Heart released a sweet new EP today. With four new tracks, three remixes of the title track "Higher Than the Stars" and an additional remix of "Falling Over," the band emphasizes their electronic leanings often displayed on previous releases. Though the EP is very remix-heavy, each track takes on a distinctly different feel and avoids sounding too repetitive. Listen to 'em all and try to pick out your favorite.

Higher Than the Stars - The Pa...

Also, the mysterious, stripped-down freak-folk outfit Le Loup released their second LP Family today. I thoroughly enjoyed their debut The Throne of the Third Nations' Millennium General Assembly (how's that for a title?) and it's mellow-yet-trippy banjo-heavy grooves. They're on tour right now and will be stopping through Seattle on October 23 at Chop Suey, so be sure to check them out.

Family - Le Loup

More strangely, metal heavyweights Children of Bodom put out a collection of cover songs aptly called Skeletons in the Closet. The compilation contains everything from the conventional (Slayer, Iron Maiden) to the somewhat predictable (Poison, The Scorpions) to the downright WTF? (Credence Clearwater Revival, Pat Benatar, and even Britney Spears). Granted, Alexi Laiho and company have always harbored a penchant for cover song bonus tracks on previous albums, but this is a tad ridiculous. See for yourself.

Skeletons in the Closet - Chil...

Anyways, I have to be at work in a few hours and must cut this short. Enjoy the new tunes, everybody. And I swear I'll finally pick up the posts and get this stupid blog up and running once again...

Slackin' on my mackin', so to speak...

2009-09-21T22:05:00.000-07:00

Once again, It's been quite some time between posts. Inexcusable. As one might imagine, plenty of cool shit has gone down since Bumbershoot - from shows to new releases/discoveries and even a weekend excursion down to Portland. A structured and in-depth overview of all this would be roughly the length of a novel, so it will instead be posted in a rambling, fragmented and almost incoherent fashion. Deal with it.

I took a trip down to Portland to visit some college buddies, check out a few shows, and take in the sights and sounds of the City of Roses. Truth be told, I am seriously considering departing from my beloved Seattle hometown and taking up new residence in a different Northwest hotbed of culture, music, and other hella progressive things. Like tattooed, gaged-ear, thrift store fashionista white people riding fixed-gear bikes. Now that summer is over, a change of scenery seems necessary. And granted that I love the ol' PNW, what better place to do it then P-Town?

On to the music though. Portland's fairly new festival of sorts, Musicfest Northwest, took place over a span of five days (Sept. 16-20) at a host of venues all over town. I caught two shows on Thursday - Dr. Dog and Explosions in the Sky - the first taking place at the Wonder Ballroom in Northeast Portland and the second at the downtown Crystal Ballroom. Entry to the Dr. Dog show (I didn't stay for The Helio Sequence since I saw them at Bumbershoot earlier this month...) was completely free if you were willing to make a trip to Jackpot Records, a pretty rad little independent music store, to pick up a pass.

The Wonder Ballroom itself was an awesome, apparently new venue stuck right in the middle of a neighborhood that reminded me of Seattle's Central District - from the area's churches and parks to the fact that it was right off of a street named after Martin Luther King. The house was packed for a 5:30 show, and the Philadelphia quintet's old-school, harmonious folky tunes sounded great live. They did, however, take on a distinctly different feel blasting through onstage amp stacks rather than recorded and mixed to sound like a crackling, lo-fi Beatles circa The White Album...

One of my personal favorites by Dr. Dog, I love the little monologue at the end...

Livin' A Dream - Dr. Dog

Later that night, Explosions in the Sky packed The Crystal Ballroom downtown to capacity. The Ballroom's old-timey decor, wall paintings and giant crystal chandelier provided a picturesque, intimate backdrop for the band's soaring, lyrical-yet-completely instrumental post-rock goodness. The setlist was nothing short of amazing, and they even played a few personal favorites that they skipped during their Sasquatch set. As described in my review for that set, EITS are capable of shifting spirits and moods with delicate, cleanly-picked melodies one moment and triumphant, crashing crescendos of beautiful noise the next. Truthfully, the crowd seemed spellbound to the point that they didn't know how to react. Some pumped their fists in appreciation, some offered shouts and cheers, and others were simply frozen in place. But no matter the reaction, the entire crowd seemed to leave the awesome set wanting more in the best possible way.

Wait until about 5:30 for the song to really, truly take off...

The Birth And Death Of The Day...

Wow, this still turned out to be quite novelesque. To be continued tomorrow... It's past 1 a.m and I haven't slept in my own bed since last Wednesday.

10 things I think about Bumbershoot - OR - Where the heck have I been for the last month?

2009-09-07T23:07:00.000-07:00

Wow. Not only does today mark the end of a very successful Bumberweekend, but the first blog post on Hella Progressive for almost an entire month. I sincerely apologize to the five or six people that read this thing for depriving you of one more thing to do while you're bored on the Internet for the past few weeks. I also apologize if this post sucks, my writing is probably a little rusty. August was a very busy month for the author of the aforementioned blog, one marked by late nights at work and even later nights trying to squeeze every drop of fun out of the remaining summer days. But yes, summer has come to an end. The kids are back in school and the rain returned in full force just in time to dump on Seattle's premiere music festival. Although this year's Bumbershoot was a wet one, it didn't stop seasoned Seattlites from donning their North Faces and Marmots and heading down to the Seattle Center for some good live music. A few thoughts/reflections on the weekend and festival...

1. The EMP/SFM Sky Church is sweet. The acoustics are thunderous, the decor is spacey, and the giant screen behind the stage adds a great visual aspect to each individual show. Head Like a Kite had plastic toy dolls in various sex positions, Kay Kay & His Weathered Underground had colorful psychedelic blobs, and Sleepy Eyes of Death had that neon blue grid straight out of Tron. Good stuff.

2. Akimbo is too loud for some people. Apparently some were attending this show because they had heard that the band was local or cool or whatever, because as soon as they charged into their set and frontman Jon Weisnewski let out the first of many guttural screams, throngs of more conservative listeners headed for the exit. The remaining crowd was treated to what was likely the noisiest and most badass show of the fest. The setlist encompassed a great mix of old and new cuts, and they ended with Black Flag covers "Thirsty and Miserable" and "Rise Above," the perfect segue to their next show, a Black Flag cover night at the Comet Tavern this coming Friday. Be sure to check that one out...

3. Matt from Matt & Kim isn't a great singer. But Kim from Matt & Kim is the happiest drummer I've ever seen. While they sounded just decent (although it might have been because I was standing so far back), the duo displayed a genuine energy and were feeding off of the crowd. Their stage prescence matched that of their music - happy as all get-out. Kim was a grinning, hyperactive force on the drums. Matt kept expressing how much he loved Seattle. And some kid started throwing tortillas onstage. Seriously. Tortillas. This led to an entire package's worth of mexican flatbread being tossed around the crowd, onstage, and back into the crowd frisbee-style. Hilarious.

4. Kay Kay & His Weathered Underground are one of the best local acts around. It had been a while since I last saw them, and boy did I forget how great of a show they put on. The twelve (!) or so of them are all excellent musicians and good friends, and they exude an old-school, positive psychedelic vibe so strong that the audience can't help but get into it. It looks like they are having FUN performing, something that gets lost in today's sea of modern music that's so full of either soulless, prepackaged glitz or artsy pretentiousness. With harmonized solos from their string section, some serious falsetto action from cellist Phil Peterson, and outer-space guitar work from Thomas Hunter, the group showcased their collective talent and wowed the audience. And they even brought out a cake complete with lit candles and everything for keyboard player Kyle O'Quin because it happened to be his birthday. The crowd was quite large for the time slot being shared with De La Soul and The Long Winters, and singer/guitarist Kirk Huffman thanked the crowd for coming, saying "I think this proves you can do it without those guys [record labels], right?" Word to that. The band is self-released, and will be streaming their new album online in the near future. Check it out, and for Pete's sake, see them live the next chance you get.

5. The Yeah Yeah Yeahs fucking rule. Especially Karen O. She plays to the crowd and commands their complete attention, whether it's through her loud outfits or wild antics (that move where she arches her back and deep-throats the mic mid-scream has become a crowd favorite...). Their setlist was awesome and encompassed everything from old to new to fast to slow, and they even threw a few of their trademark giant inflatable eyeballs into the audience. This band has been around for a while now and are still in top form, made quite clear from the constant stream of crowd-surfing teens coming from the back. They were probably in elementary school when Fever to Tell came out, yet they were loving it. Awesome.

6. I predict that Sleepy Eyes of Death will really blow up after their Bumbershoot set. Although these guys are fairly well-known on the local music scene, there seemed to be a lot of older couples and assorted randoms attending their show. It turns out they played one hell of a show as usual, blowing some minds and melting a few faces with their dark sonic synth drones. The crowd was captivated the entire time, and the filing out procession afterwards was abuzz with murmurs about how great the show was. I overheard/talked to numerous couples and older folks who had never heard of the band before, but were amazed at what they had just seen. Sleepy Eyes of Death really delivered on one of Seattle's biggest (figuratively, of course) stages, and likely expanded their following exponentially.

7. Holy Fuck. The name says it all. That was pretty much my reaction after the first few songs of their set, one of sheer amazement at the funky electro-jam that was going down in front of me. One drummer, one bassist, and two guys messing around with keyboards, synths, vocoders and an impressive collection of effects pedals, these Canadians create a dance party-worthy brand of electronic rock music that saw them live up to the hype surrounding their festival appearance. They were so good that I saw them twice in one day (they played an after-party at Neumo's Sunday night). Hella progressive.

8. Jason Mraz sucks. Sorry, I had to say it.

9. I almost forgot how many high school kids go to Bumbershoot. Seriously. Legions of them. For once in my life I could see over just about everyone in a packed concert crowd. I'm not tall. And jeez, kids, take it easy. I know it's Bumbershoot and a holiday weekend and whatnot, but man were some of you fucked up. This was my first Bumbershoot in a few years, and I guess I had forgotten that 73% of the festival-going population is stoned and stumbling high schoolers. If their parents only knew...

10. Emily Haines from Metric is hot. And the fact that she is a ridiculously talented musician who sings and plays keyboard compounds her hotness. I don't want to be misogynistic or anything, but after seeing their set she replaced Kim Schifino as my top rocker chick crush for the weekend. Just saying. Aside from this fact, Metric put on an awesome show that really solidified them as a good band in my mind. They sounded great live even from all the way across the Broad Street lawn, and closed out the festival on a high note. Great success.

So there you have it, another music festival chalked up in the books. It's bittersweet, as the end of awesome festivals usually are, and maybe even more so since this particular one coincided with the end of a spectacular summer. But hearing the final song of Modest Mouse's set echoing out of Memorial Stadium and through the rain-dampened city streets as I walked away from the Seattle Center made a smile cross my face. "Alright, already, we'll all float on..."

So float on, people. Float on.

Big bad bodacious blog boasting 'bout Bumbershoot

2009-08-16T21:20:00.000-07:00

Yes, the glorious Seattle summer is drawing to a close. The weather is cooling down, kids are gearing up for their return to school, and panic is slowly setting in with each day that passes. But this drastic transition from Summer to fall/winter/nine straight months of grey skies and rain brings about a grand finale of sorts to the summer music around town - Bumbershoot, Seattle's original music festival. Since 1971 crowds have descended upon the Seattle Center for this grand showcase of musical acts, comedy performances and art displays of all shapes and forms. This year's lineup features something for everyone, whether you're a pill-popping, neon-wearing high school hipster (Natalie Portman's Shaved Head), stroller-toting 45-year-old mother (Sheryl Crow), Abercrombie-laden teenage girl (Black Eyed Peas... ughhhhh) and everything in between. Here are a few bands that might be worth checking out...

Saturday, Sept. 5

Natalie Portman's Shaved Head - 2:30 p.m., Broad Street Stage - Awful name aside, these five Center School grads spin together a neon-tinted blend of electro-indie disco pop. Despite the whimsical, oft-corny lyrical content ("Beard Lust" is seriously about, well, beards) their live sets leave few bodies standing still. If that sounds like your thing, you pill-popping high school hipster you, they're definitely worth a look-see.

Akimbo - 5:00 p.m., EMP/SFM Sky Church - These longtime Seattle mainstays rock their own brand of metal-ish, hardcore-influenced punk in the loudest, hardest, and most radical fashion. Undoubtedly one of the best and most respected Seattle bands around, and their live shows are guaranteed to rock your effing face off. They packed a blazing-hot Neumo's near capacity at 5 p.m. (!) on Saturday of the Capitol Hill Block Party and left nobody disappointed. If you like your music cranked up to the proverbial 11, don't miss Akimbo's set.

Matt & Kim - 6:00 p.m., Broad Street Stage - This duo consisting of only a guy (Matt) who plays keyboard and a girl (Kim, surprisingly) who plays drums use their minimalist setup to craft some tasty, lighthearted and danceable electro-jams. Their catchy hooks and fuzzed-out keyboard tones are a winning combination, and their live set will be sure to get your feet moving.

Kay Kay & His Weathered Underground - 9:30 p.m., EMP/SFM Sky Church - More of a musical collective than an actual band, Kay Kay features musicians from a plethora of other local groups (Wild Orchid Children, The Lashes, Strong Killings, Forgive Durden, etc.). The end result of this meshing of talents is a psychedelic '60s-revival indie rock that features almost every instrument known to man. Expect nothing short of 11 or 12 musicians onstage at once and plenty of flower-power style to accompany their nearly full string and brass sections.

Sunday, Sept. 6

Dyme Def - 2:15 p.m., Fisher Green Stage - Brainstorm, SEV and Fearce Villain are "three bad brothas" from South Seattle that have become one of Seattle's premiere hip-hop acts since their 2006 release Space Music. Their new school party-style rap avoids being overly arrogant/ignorant with creative lyrics, hard-knocking beats and many an homage to the genre's forefathers, from Kurtis Blow to the Beastie Boys. More unique, however, is the group's ability to put on an energetic, crowd-captivating live set that sets them apart from many other wannabes on the local rap scene.

Yeah Yeah Yeahs - 2:30 p.m., Samsung Mobile Mainstage - The Yeah Yeah Yeahs have pioneered the indie dance-rock sound since the early 2000s, and their latest LP It's Blitz! proved that they're far from done. The band put on what was easily one of the best sets amid some tough competition at Sasquatch this year, and Bumbershoot should be no different. Frontwoman Karen O commands the audience with a voice, energy and style that is still unmatched even at the tail end of the decade.

Sleepy Eyes of Death - 6:30 p.m., EMP/SFM Sky Church - I have been praising this band for years now, and have said just about everything there is to say about their awesomely dark and atmospheric instrumental synth exploits. Seriously, check them out already.

No Age - 6:45 p.m. - Rockstar Energy Drink Stage - This drum/guitar duo have been poster children of the L.A. underground indie scene for a while now, and have garnered extra attention from their acclaimed releases Weirdo Rippers and Nouns (the latter was even nominated for a Grammy for "best recording package"... no joke). Their garage-y, punk-influenced lo-fi sound seems better suited for a gig at the Comet Tavern than at a music festival like Bumbershoot, but they should find a perfect middle ground on the smaller Rockstar stage.

MSTRKRFT - 8:30 p.m. - Rockstar Energy Drink Stage - MSTRKRFT (that's "master craft") has a solid foundation to their house/electro-funk techno, but compromises their legitimacy with a heavy reliance on remixing rap tracks. Their best work is devoid of these guest verses from B-list rappers (cats like N.O.R.E. and Freeway... mehhh), but they do produce a few winners with their creative reworkings of songs from everyone from The Kills to Wolfmother to Bloc Party. Either way, their schtick should make for an entertaining evening set on one of Bumbershoot's smaller stages.

Monday, Sept. 7

Champagne Champagne - 4:45 p.m., EMP/SFM Sky Church - These locals mix elements of rock and electronic music to create a backdrop that almost juxtaposes their laid-back lyrical swagger. The end result is a fresh and inventive brand of hip-hop that avoids sounding played-out. Champagne Champagne also usually performs with live instrumentation, which is always more entertaining than seeing dudes hop around onstage and yell over recorded instrumentals being played from a Macbook laptop.

The Cave Singers - 6:45 p.m., Starbucks Stage - Yet another Seattle group, but one that falls into the folky, twangy americana category a la The Moondoggies, The Maldives, The Duchess and the Duke, etc etc. Who would've thought that the Northwest was capable of producing such a strong and pure countryesque sound? The Cave Singers recently followed up their awesome debut Invitation Songs with the equally strong Welcome Joy, and will be entrancing the Bumbershoot audience with their warm, fingerpicked guitars and gentle, haunting vocal melodies.

Franz Ferdinand - 7:45 p.m., Samsung Mobile Mainstage - Franz Ferdinand has stuck to the same formula - danceable rock grooves and catchy vocal melodies - as many of their more annoying contemporaries (The Killers, Maroon 5, countless others). What has set them apart from the rest of the aforementioned sellouts is their refusal to sacrifice their creativity and artistic control by signing to a major label. They will definitely be one of the only big name headliners worth checking out for this festival, so feel free to pass on Jason Mraz and The All-American Rejects and check these guys out instead.

Head Like a Kite - 9:15 p.m., EMP/SFM Sky Church - If you feel like forgoing a big-name act to close the last night of Bumbershoot, go check out these local indie-electro rockers. They play a different brand of this music than, say, Passion Pit or Cut Copy, favoring a mellower, darker-tinged sound over a bright, cheery, neon one. Mixing synth loops, effected guitar and keyboard tones, and vocals that sound like Trent Reznor on morphine (and I mean that in the best way possible... check out "We Were So Entangled"), Head Like a Kite spans a wide array of moods, sounds and feels.

Modest Mouse - 9:30 p.m., Samsung Mobile Mainstage - I acknowledge that these guys are wayyyy past their prime and have lost most of their raw, youthful edge, but if you're already at Bumbershoot then why not check out the Mouse? Most of the other shows on their current tour are sold out, and after all of these years they are probably capable of cranking out a solid live set. Just hope and pray that they delve deep into their catalog for some Moon and Antarctica and Lonesome Crowded West cuts and play their mediocre last three or four albums' material sparingly. And if it sucks, at least you'll sound like a seasoned Seattlite when you walk out of the festival mumbling to your friends about how you remember seeing Modest Mouse at Bumbershoot years ago, back when they didn't suck and when tickets cost $10.

And speaking of ticket prices, I have to interject at this point and say that I genuinely hope that all you Bumber-goers bought your tickets early and aren't paying $50 (!!!!!!!!!!) at the door for a single day entry. It's downright criminal to charge that much for what used to be a small, cheap, and awesome local festival.

Either way, enjoy the Labor Day weekend, Bumbershoot or not.

New releases (from a bunch of bands somehow tied to KEXP's free concert series @ Seattle Center)

2009-08-04T11:00:00.000-07:00

Last Friday's Throw Me the Statue/Blitzen Trapper show at the Seattle Center was radical. Paying $4 for a Pabst tall can is justifiable when it can be consumed sitting in the grass while the country-esque twang of Blitzen Trapper provides the perfect soundtrack to a sunny Seattle evening. This Tuesday features a bunch of new releases from other KEXP free concert series performers that are without a doubt worth checking out (that totally rhymed). Alas, it is between paychecks for me following a weekend or two of going out way too often, and I have been rendered unable to cop the following LPs. Thankfully we have this whole internet thing where artists can post full tracks on Myspace, YouTube and whatnot... (don't worry, I fully intend on buying all of these as soon as I get a chance)

Throw Me the Statue - Creaturesque

These Seattleites bring a fun and full-sounding blend of guitars, keys, brass, and even an occasional glockenspiel or something to create an upbeat pop-rock sound. They avoid sounding like the rest of the pack through dynamic and multi-dimensional compositions that are complemented perfectly with Scott Reitherman's laid back vocals. Although the band started as a simple bedroom-studio project, they have become one of the most popular and widely-known bands on the Seattle scene. Their latest album takes the sound the displayed on their debut Moonbeams and adds a polish that doesn't taint their originality.

Apologies for the strange dialogue at the beginning of the video...

The Dodos - Time to Die

This San Francisco duo's bare bones percussive-folk sound had me completely hooked on their Visiter LP. Their combination of heavy, unorthodox drumming (barely any hi-hats, and only the occasional cymbal crash) and acoustic guitar strums is unique and very welcome in today's music scene, where innovation can often be hard to come by. They make a lot of beautiful noise with only a few instruments, and will be bringing their fresh sound to the Seattle Center for a free show on August 14 at 6 p.m.

Fruit Bats - The Ruminant Band

Almost all of the press coming out about this band indicated that they were breaking, or even already broken up. The Fruit Bats have changed their lineup more times than they have released an album, and haven't come out with any new material since 2005's Spelled in Bones. I admit that I pretty much forgot about them until I heard "When U Love Somebody" on a commercial for a local credit union a couple years ago. But lo and behold, last year they went on tour and today they have released The Ruminant Band. The new album resurrects their melodic indie folk-pop sound a la The Shins, but adds a fresh new feel to it with their new lineup providing more electric guitars and louder drums on many tracks. After hearing a few tracks, it sounds like The Ruminant Band is a triumphant return for these guys. Fruit Bats will undoubtedly be performing much of their new material and a few old favorites at the last show of KEXP and Seattle Center's free concert series on August 21 at 6 p.m.

Again with that dialogue intro though...

I encourage everyone to go out and purchase one or two or all of these albums and check out their shows at Seattle Center. KEXP's free concert series continues this Friday with a party-hop extravaganza from local acts Dyme Def and Fresh Espresso, and on Saturday with the KEXP barbecue and a stacked lineup of bands. Viva Voce, Champagne Champagne, Japandroids, Cymbals Eat Guitars, and Dinosaur Jr. will all be making appearances. Once again, visit the events homepage for all of the details. Enjoy the music, and see you there!

FREE Concerts @ Seattle Center

2009-07-27T18:55:00.000-07:00

Just when you thought that the summer music scene couldn't get any better up here in the Northwest, KEXP and the Seattle Center announce an awesome lineup of bands for this year's free outdoor concert series. Happening every week starting this Friday at 6 p.m., the series features a slew of music that will sound perfect whilst laying in the grass on a summer evening.

The first show this week features Portland-based Americana rockers Blitzen Trapper and local indie-poppers Throw Me the Statue, while the Aug. 7 show mixes it up with some of the finest 206-hop crews of Dyme Def and Fresh Espresso. The very next day (Saturday, Aug. 8) presents a sort of special edition performance in the form of the KEXP barbecue, a 2 - 9 p.m. all day event featuring Champagne Champagne, Viva Voce, Japandroids, Dinosaur Jr. and a few others as well. San Francisco up-and-comers The Dodos (Aug. 14) and that cool little folk-rock band (who hasn't released an album since 2005 and everyone thought they had broken up) Fruit Bats (Aug. 21) round out the impressive bill. The free concert series ends just in time for a one-week break until... (dun dun dunnnnn) BUMBERSHOOT! - Seattle's favorite and longest-running music festival. I'll be sure to post a full preview before then, so keep those eyes peeled. But in the meantime, grab your beach blanket, sunscreen, and a few bucks for some beer garden beverages and enjoy some quality, 100% free live music.

Guess what tomorrow is?

2009-07-23T11:53:00.000-07:00

That's right, the Capitol Hill Block Party! (Cue applause, cheers). Just look at how much fun those people are having over there on the left. All of this and more will undoubtedly occur tomorrow and Saturday, a weekend combining a host of awesome bands, plentiful sunshine, temperatures in the mid-80s, and tons and tons of quenching booze to cool you down in the heat of it all. I kind of jumped the gun with my Block Party preview, so I'll provide a quick link to it here... and yes, I realize it is super lame providing links to my own blog. Ask me if I care.

I'm not just excited to drink beers in the sun while watching bands like Black Lips, Deerhunter, Sonic Youth and Built to Spill, but to do so in the company of the many friends and family members that will be in town for the weekend (my family reunion happens to be going down this weekend too). Built to Spill also had a poll, which I embarrassingly failed to provide a link to on this blog, in which you could vote for the song you wanted to see them play most during their set. I voted for "Carry the Zero," and the results showed that it was in the lead. Radical. If you happen to live in Seattle, be sure to check out the Block Party this weekend for some good times and great music. Don't be scared of the hipsters, they're too snooty to notice you anyway.

The Fiery Furnaces - I'm Going Away

2009-07-22T00:07:00.000-07:00

The eighth album from the Brooklyn brother/sister duo The Fiery Furnaces is a much more melodic and toned-down release compared to their past catalog of delightfully experimental indie-fusion weirdness. While much of their signature elements of old-timey bebop and lounge influence mixed with playful instrumental expertise still shine through, gone are the freewheeling 10-minute opuses that sound like four different songs forcefully meshed into one.

Most of I'm Going Away utilizes traditional-sounding jazz-style piano chord progressions and Eleanor Friedberger's unique, laid-back vocal demeanor and oddball lyrical content. "The End is Near" juxtaposes a soft, cheery piano riff with dark, foreboding lyrics - "the end is near/the time has come/there ain't no way/nobody can save you now... the worst times weren't so bad/compared to this." "Keep Me in the Dark" has a sassy, streetwise musical feel, but perplexing lyrics about a "bazaar in Ouarzazate" and a mysterious character referred to as "you-know-who." Other songs that lack this innate weirdness in lyrical content come forth as straightforward pop songs with a feel so vintage that they sound like they could be coming from a piano in an 19th century saloon - see "Even in the Rain" or "Lost at Sea."

There are still moments when composer Matthew Friedberger's musicianship shines through amid the pop-oriented overall feel of the album. "Driving to Dallas" starts as rainy-day breakup ballad with Eleanor painting a plain picture of leaving her lover with teary eyes and a car with "everything piled up in the backseat so I can't use the mirror." The tempo then shifts into overdrive on a dime as an erratically-shred guitar solo tears through the stormclouds, providing a stark contrast like those so readily apparent in much of their other work. And "Staring at the Steeple" showcases some darn impressive drumming by percussionist Robert D'Amico. But as a whole, I'm Going Away is a less experimental and fun, albeit more focused and streamlined release from a band who has made a pretty solid career out of being one of the pioneers of psychedelic indie-pop. A solid record, but a bit of a let-down.

3.5/5

Portugal. The Man - The Satanic Satanist

2009-07-21T16:36:00.001-07:00

I have been a pretty avid Portugal. The Man follower for the last couple years, spinning all of their records from Waiter: "You Vultures!" to Church Mouth to Censored Colors and catching them no less than three times on tour around Seattle.

The combination of their experimental-yet-traditionally-influenced indie sound and John Gourley's melodious falsetto tones has given the band a solid formula to stick to, but they have done anything but. Each P.TM record has it's own distinct sound. W:YV! is a multiple genre-spanning sound experiment with only Gourley's vocals remaining constant. Church Mouth instead is a bourbon-flavored blues-rock album that sounds more like that man they met in the deep, deep South (he of that shifty smile and dirty old church mouth) than the aforementioned Waiter. Censored Colors continued the band's progression with a more focused songwriting approach and a number of lyric-heavy acoustic ballads, functioning more as an entire collective work rather than individual tracks. The Satanic Satanist sees Portugal breaking even newer ground with a more accessible, melodic sound, some sharp guitar licks, and perhaps Gourley's most impressive, catchy and anthemic songwriting to date (the chorus melodies from "People Say" or "Everyone is Golden" just beg to be whistled, hummed and stuck in your head).

The album's opening track "People Say" immediately sounds completely different from anything on Censored Colors. They forgo the moodier, brooding sound of much of their previous work for a bright, clean and bluesy guitar-led jam that sounded perfect coming out of my car speakers on an 85-degree Seattle day. Many tracks on The Satanic Satanist (seriously though, what's with the title?) are much more guitar-centric than on previous albums, featuring traditional leads and solos that are somewhat uncharacteristic of the band but nonetheless solid and well-executed. Just check out the nifty hammer-on/pull-off riff in "Everyone is Golden," distorted power chord chorus of "Do You," and the nearly keyboard-free finale "Mornings." Still, other tracks like "Lovers in Love," "The Home," and "Guns and Dogs" are more reminiscent of the Portugal of old, and show that they haven't abandoned their roots for poppier pastures (a.k.a sold out).

The only complaint the album draws is its short length (under 35 minutes), which is made to seem even shorter with the seamless manner the tracks breeze along. Otherwise, this is perhaps Portugal. The Man's most complete and polished effort to date, showcasing the band's maturation and evolution in a manner of only four years (!!!). These guys are definitely one of the hardest-working bands out there, and The Satanic Satanist is hard proof that it has paid off.

4.5/5

Yikes! First post in over a week!

2009-07-16T23:11:00.000-07:00

Well kids, I've been somewhat of a busy bee over the last week or so and I regret to inform y'all that I have no new albums to review for you. But as luck would have it, Chris Palko a.k.a. Cage himself came through Seattle this Monday and I got a chance to see him perform live at the Nectar Lounge in Fremont. What I witnessed was unsettling and uncomfortable, but strangely enough, still enjoyable.

I didn't really think about it before the show, but I should have expected that Cage wouldn't provide your typical party rap fare that usually fits the Nectar bill. It's one thing to listen to Cage's raps about his drug-addict father (the guy used to make the 5-year-old Cage tie homemade tourniquets around his arms so he could shoot up... how's that for an effed-up childhood?), institutionalization at Stony Lodge Hospital, near suicide attempts, and the death of his close friend/Weathermen partner Camu Tao. It's entirely different seeing him spill his guts about these topics onstage in front of a couple hundred indifferent drunken twentysomethings.

As he tore through songs like "Dr. Strong" and "Beat Kids," you could see him reliving these terrible experiences in his head. His demeanor reflected years of torment and anguish as he buried his head in one hand and held a mic with the other. Most of the crowd didn't seem to know or care. When he asked for a moment of silence for the recently-deceased Camu Tao, half of the audience still buzzed with chatter and clinking beer bottles. "Or not..." Palko said. "I guess some of y'all got no respect for the dead."

Man did I feel sorry for the guy. I didn't know whether to try and enjoy myself or to focus somberly on the performance, so I grabbed another drink.

On a lighter note his performance was heartfelt and passionate, and featured live electric guitar and bass to add an element of realism and heaviness to his rock-influenced beats. Very solid in this respect, but I couldn't help but feel for Cage when I saw him relive a lifetime of abuse and illness in front of a bunch of upper middle-class white kids.

In other news regarding me slacking on this blog, I should be able to get my ass down to the record store this weekend and pick up some fresh tunes and put a stop to it. Plus, guess what comes out next Tuesday? Spankin-new LPs from two of my favorite bands - The Fiery Furnaces and Portugal. The Man. Undoubtedly two of my most anticipated releases for the entire summer. If these two nuggets of musical goodness can't break me out of my slump, I might have to just hang up the keyboard for good.

Other Updates...

2009-07-08T00:51:00.000-07:00

Since I am currently running the risk of being too review-heavy on this blog, I thought I would post a few random updates while I'm at it...

1. The Seattle Public Library is really sick. I know it was built five years ago, but I had neglected to make a visit (mostly because I spent 2004-2008 in Spokane for college). But after finally venturing inside that giant eyesore between 4th and 5th Ave downtown, I was blown away. 10 floors? A shit-ton of computers to use? Even more of a shit-ton of radical CDs waiting to be checked out? And no limit to the amount of CDs you take either? Too bad the entire place smells like a homeless drunkard who recently crapped his pants.

After my first visit to the ol' lyberry, I came out bookless, but with nine albums in hand. The selections ranged from Dir En Grey to Daft Punk to The Fiery Furnaces, and they had a couple ones that I have been wanting to get my hands on for months. I finally got to listen to The Ocean and the Sun from The Sound of Animals Fighting (proggy goodness), got my first taste of Boards of Canada and Eluvium (great stuff), and even found the very rare self-titled 1972 release from Azteca, a Bay Area funk/rock Latin fusion band that my Dad loves. He was more stoked than I have seen him in months when I showed it to him.

2. I raked in some serious cash after switching jobs and getting one and a half paychecks within days of each other, and not only got my two-day pass to the Cap Hill Block Party, but tickets to THE FLAMING LIPS at outdoor venue Marymoor Park in August. Considering they're supposedly one of the sickest live bands ever, I have to say I'm pretty excited.

3. In much sadder news, I had the chance to see the late Michael Jackson's entire funeral today while I was at work (we have a TV in the lounge area where I'm at). I think that if I would've been paying full attention the entire time, I would've been brought to tears. No homo. The fact that he is gone forever fully sunk in when I saw the single-gloved pallbearers carrying his rose-adorned casket. The performances were stellar all around, from Mariah Carey's classic rendition of "I'll Be There," Stevie Wonder's touching "I Never Dreamed You'd Leave in Summer," John Mayer's masterful guitar-laden reworking of "Human Nature," and Jermaine Jackson's heart-wrenching rendition of "Smile."

I had to turn away from the TV on purpose during this performance. My dad used to sing this same song to me when I was little and was feeling sad or sick or something. Even then, I remember the feelings the lyrics evoked. A kind of dreary hope that one has when they are trudging through bad times. Wanting to think of the better things sure to come, but the difficulty of getting past the crushing pain and sadness of the current situation. That must be exactly what Jermaine is going through right now after his brother's death. "Smile though your heart is aching, smile even though it's breaking. When there are clouds in the sky, you'll get by. If you smile through your fear and sorrow. Smile, and maybe tomorrow... you'll see the sun come shining through for you." Heavy, heavy stuff.

4. So as not to end on that sad note, I have plenty of good stuff to come. I picked up another album today - rapper Cage's latest release entitled Depart From Me. Some intense artwork on the cover and liner notes, it looks like it will be a good one from Chris Palko. With a past as tormented and utterly fucked up as his, it's hard not to create powerful, dark, moving material (see 2005's Hell's Winter). And Cage himself even stated that this new release is an "exorcism of sorts," and his most personal album to date. I'll be sure to tell you all about it.

Until next time...

Discovery - LP

2009-07-07T23:31:00.000-07:00

Discovery's plainly-titled LP is an interesting and somewhat unexpected electro-lovechild of multi-instrumentalist Rostam Batmanglij of Vampire Weekend and vocalist Wes Miles of Ra Ra Riot. These two aforementioned bands individually took college twee-pop to a sickeningly soaring new height, and I must admit that I am not a fan of either.

Vampire Weekend's simple, catchy "A-Punk" and African-influenced/Paul Simon rip-off "Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa" piqued my interest for a moment, but the rest of their album ranged from forgettable ("Mansard Roof") to cliche' and cheesy ("Campus") to so annoying that I would rather get punched in the face repeatedly than listen to it ("Blake's Got A New Face"). They also played one of the most lackluster and disappointing shows I have ever seen when they closed the main stage on the first night of the Capitol Hill Block Party last summer. Ra Ra Riot is also just another cookie-cutter boat shoes-wearing indie pop outfit that lacks innovation and doesn't warrant more than a quick listen.

Needless to say, I didn't like the idea of this collaboration to begin with. However, I was pleasantly surprised by what I heard when I gave it a spin - buzzing synths, thumping 808's and computerized claps that come together to form bare-bones breakbeats. "Osaka Loop Line" features effected gameboy-style synths that could very well be straight out of Contra. "Can You Discover?" is a synth-heavy, Autotune-d version of Ra Ra Riot's hit "Can You Tell." And the main chorus of "Carby" could double as a pop-rap hook with its utilization of that now-ubiquitous Autotune robot voice. I thought Jay-Z killed that shit already?

Most of the tracks manage to avoid sounding too repetitive through an array of twists and tricks. Batmanglij and Miles speed up and slow down tempos and vocal tracks, continuously add different sections and leads as songs progress, and chop up bass thumps, high hats and claps into spazzy collages of sound samples.

However, much of their trademarked college corniness comes through on some songs. Lacoste and Google name-drops, run-of-the-mill lyrics about girls and boyfriends, and plenty of "ooh baby"'s can't help but make you cringe a bit. Plus, the album features an electro-pop (and yes, fucking Autotune-d out) version of the Jackson 5's "I Want You Back," which is either a neat, fun little modernization or blasphemous destruction of one of the greatest songs ever written. I can't decide which one it is yet. Also, a little strange that it appears on an album released right after the original singer's untimely passing.

Either way the album has its ups and downs, but is probably worth checking out since it's only 10 tracks long. Definitely an enjoyable and novel listen the first time through, though.

3/5

LP - Discovery

Wu-Tang Clan - Chamber Music

2009-07-02T00:13:00.000-07:00

So I didn't even realize that the almighty Wu-Tang was scheduled to put out a new album until I saw it listed on the "Today's New Releases" section of iTunes. Considering that they are my favorite rap group of all time, I was compelled to check it out. It turns out that this is quite an odd release, and isn't really even a full-blown Wu album.

The most glaring flaw in this album is that it doesn't include the full Wu-ensemble. Method Man and GZA, two of the members with the strongest personas and lyrics to match, are completely M.I.A. Masta Killa also doesn't make a single appearance, but his laid-back, nearly spoken-word drawls that barely even rhyme aren't missed quite as much. But seriously, how can you call it a Wu album without Meth and the Genius? Method Man is arguably the most recognizable and popular member (not only does he have his very own track on 36 Chambers, but has appeared in a handful of popular movies and TV shows to boot), and GZA possesses an uncanny talent for crafting poignant, powerful rhymes that earned him the nickname of "Genius." Not to mention he's responsible for one of the dopest solo albums to come out of the Wu-Tang camp, which is saying A LOT.

But fret not, hip-hop heads - A plethora of guest talent is featured to fill this sizable void. Peep the guest list: AZ, Cormega, Sean Price, M.O.P., Kool G Rap and Sadat X. These New York veterans step up to deliver verses so ill that they completely steal the track from the Wu members on a few occasions. Cormega seems to answer all of the "where the hell has this guy been?" questions with a surprisingly dope verse (fuck a flow/this is a lyrical aqueduct!) for what some may call B-list has-been.

However, these guest spots aren't quite enough to save the entire album - if you can really call it that. The whole thing runs about 35 minutes in length, and out of the 15 tracks on it there are only seven, count 'em SEVEN, actual songs on it. The rest of the album is filled with spoken word, faux-philosophical drivel from the RZA. What is this guy even blathering about? Does he ever listen to himself talking? Supreme architects? Laughing/drunken buddhas? Fatal hesitation? A huge WTF to ol' RZA, but what else is new?

Basically, this is a very lackluster release for the Wu-Tang that can barely be called an album. Why didn't they just cut out all the spoken-word B.S. and release a seven-track EP? Do they know what an EP is? And do they know that it's okay for a hip-hop group to put one out? It worked just fine for N.W.A., Digital Underground, The Beastie Boys and Bone Thugs back in the day, and Lil' Wayne and Living Legends more recently.

What it all boils down to is that this album is mostly skits and spoken word interludes, doesn't include key members of the Clan, and features average performances from the Wu-members who do appear on the album (Ghostface does have his moments, though). Although the guest appearances do seem to save a few individual tracks, they can't keep Chamber Music from being a fairly disappointing release for the long-running but oft-inconsistent Wu-Tang.

1.5/5

The Mars Volta - Octahedron

2009-06-29T01:15:00.000-07:00

An octahedron in geometric terms is an eight-sided, triangular-faced 3-dimensional polyhedron. The latest Mars Volta release that shares this same name is an eight-track, self-described "acoustic" album. Acoustic for a band like the Mars Volta, that is. The band's fifth full-length showcases a more stripped-down, mellowed-out version of the same Texas troupe that has been responsible for some of the best prog-psycho-fusion-alternative rock released in recent years (I confess that I spent most of my freshman year of college listening to De-Loused in the Comatorium under varying states of intoxication...). Octahedron is a huge change from their previous release The Bedlam in Goliath, an epic and ballsy hard rock album that brought the noise with effected, wailing guitars, piercing vocal bursts, and pots-and-pans crashy, bass-heavy drums. But is this change necessarily for the better?

On the positive side of things, the musicianship is impressive as always. Omar Rodriguez-Lopez weaves complex, dreamy soundscapes with slowly arpeggiated clean chord progressions and warm-toned neon electric leads that allow Cedric Bixler-Savala to really showcase his pipes. Most of the tracks seem to focus on Bixler-Savala's shifting vocal melodies and wide range, switching from nearly spoken drawls to falsetto shrieks at will. The lyrics are cryptic in true Mars Volta fashion - "They sent in the necrophiliacs/carcinogen tar/turns to smoldering asp/of this I ate/communion-shaped/serpent rays in prism tail rainbows escape," but fit the uneasy psychedelia the backing track provides. And come on, would you expect anything less from the band that brought us gems like "past present and future tense/clip side of the pinkeye fountain?"

On the flip side, Octahedron seems like somewhat of a letdown, or maybe more of a gap-filler to tide us over until their next prog-rock opus. It at very least is a poor follow-up to The Bedlam in Goliath, but that's probably more of my personal liking for that record speaking rather than this one actually sucking. Don't get me wrong, this one does have its own rock-out moments in tracks like "Teflon" and "Cotopaxi" to keep things dynamic and save the album from trudging along too slowly, but I thought that The Mars Volta had really hit their stride with the last record. Plus, the band's phenomenal new drummer Thomas Pridgen (TBIG was his first album recorded with them, and my GOD does he tear shit up on it. See "Goliath," "Wax Simulacra," and just about every track on it for an example.) doesn't get much of a chance to display his ridiculous amount of talent amid the slower tempos and stripped-down overall feel.

All in all the album is fairly solid, and I feel like it will get better with a few more listens. However, the first couple spins have left me wanting more. Therefore, I give this album a score of...

3.5/5

R.I.P. King of Pop

2009-06-26T00:40:00.000-07:00

I'm sure you have all heard the sad, sad news by now. Michael Joseph Jackson, one of the best-selling, most talented but most controversial artists of all time, has passed away. Los Angeles doctors proclaimed the King of Pop dead at 2:26 p.m. from cardiac arrest. He was 50 years old.

Say all the negative things you want about MJ. It's easy to pick on his bizzare behavior - The Neverland Ranch, the superfluous spending, the chimpanzee named Bubbles, the sleepovers with underage boys, the alleged pedophilia. And it's even easier to pick on his completely unnatural physical appearance - some kind of pale abomination birthed by lord-knows-how-many plastic surgery operations and augmentations. But never forget what he accomplished in his career. From the Jackson 5 days to Off the Wall and Thriller, to his transformation to Bad and Dangerous, and even to his decent, but not quite Invincible comeback, Michael Jackson was one of the best singers, dancers, and entertainers to ever live.

One of my earliest memories is of me leaving my grandma's house with a cassette tape copy of MJ's Bad album in my hand that had been lent to me by one of my aunts or uncles. I made my parents put it in the tapedeck as soon as we got in the car. For the next few months, if my parents were driving anywhere with me in tow, they were forced to listen to that same album over and over. It's funny how kids can listen to a song a billion times without getting sick of it. They always fast-forwarded over "Dirty Diana." Even back then, I thought of my uncle's then-wife named Diana, who ended up getting divorced from him years later. She has a pierced navel now. And she's in her late 40s, maybe even 50s.

Bad came out in 1987, and I was born in 1985. That album was one of the first pieces of music I ever listened to in my life. It was Michael who instilled the love of music in me at this early age, who trained my young ears with his dope, danceable beats, sing-along hooks and falsetto vocals. I knew every word by heart. I even knew the timing of each "ow," "hee-hee," and "sha-mone." If it weren't for Michael Jackson and that copy of Bad, I probably wouldn't be writing this blog right now.

It didn't stop there. The next several years of my childhood were spent idolizing MJ. I tried to moonwalk, leg-kick and spin like he did. I wasn't allowed to watch MTV except for when the videos for "Black or White," "Remember the Time," "Jam" (One of the sickest videos of all time, btw... Michael Jackson AND Michael Jordan?) or another Michael Jackson video came on. I mean, my own name was Michael for crying out loud. How could I not think that he was the coolest?

Yes, I was crushed when the sexual abuse allegations surfaced. It was like seeing your own dad get beat up. Devastating. One of my first ever heroes was being accused of doing something despicable and inappropriate. But in hindsight, it was part of growing up. Nothing gold can stay, as the old literary adage goes. I got older and Michael Jackson got weirder. And now, right when I'm entering full-blown adulthood, he passes on. Bummer.

Rest in peace, King of Pop, and may you always be remembered for your groundbreaking music, innovative dance moves, and status as one of the biggest international celebrity superstars to ever live.

The Emm Effin' Capitol Hill Block Party

2009-06-11T23:56:00.001-07:00

That's right boys and girls of the Emerald City, it's almost that time again. Okay, it's technically still over a month away, but I'm already excited. But that could be because they just added frikkin' Built to Spill to an already solid lineup. I'll admit I'm somewhat of a bandwagon hopper when it comes to this band, as I had never really listened to them until a couple years ago. I had always heard people sing their praises (one of my good friends likes them so much that he went to a show by himself one of the first weeks of our freshman year of college... sorry if you go to shows by yourself all the time, I'm sure I will do it someday too), but never bothered to give them a listen until I was at a friend's house and he was playing Keep It Like a Secret. A few years later I consider it one of my favorite records. The outro section of "Carry the Zero" gets me everytime...

Other heavy-hitters on the bill include indie-rock godfathers (and mother I guess...) Sonic Youth, retro-garage punkers Black Lips (ever since I found out they were playing the CHBP I've been spinning Let it Bloom and Good Bad Not Evil constantly), ambient and oh-so chill Deerhunter, metal-ish local ass-kickers Akimbo, and the twangy, so-southern-sounding-it's-hard-to-believe-they're-from-Seattle outfit The Moondoggies (Who could also be the winner of a good band, stupid name contest. And how about the positive press they've been getting from the more mainstream music outlets i.e. Rolling Stone??)

There's plenty of smaller local bands to check out too. Here's a few of my favorites...

Sleepy Eyes of Death (Neumo's stage, Fri. July 24, 7:30 p.m.) - I discovered this band last summer, when I was in the Easy Street Records on Mercer Street and heard "Tired Channels" blaring out of the store's speakers. The band's warm, mellow synths seemed to melt into a foggy darkness brought alive by an acoustic drumset (rather than a drum machine or pad), and I immediately had to ask a store clerk what it was. I bought their debut LP Street Lights For a Ribcage that day. I got a chance to see them at the Chop Suey on Madison about a month ago and they are awesome live. Their atmospheric electro-jams are complimented by colored lights, lasers and lots and LOTS of fog. They sound like a darker, moodier, more Northwesternized version of M83, sans vocals.

Starfucker (Vera Stage, Fri. July 24, 9:00 p.m.) - This Portland outfit's name doesn't evoke their sound at all. One might expect a band called Starfucker to kick out raw, noisy, fuzzy guitar-driven and screaming frontman-led indie rock joints. These guys instead deliver melodic, danceable cuts that combine rhythmic guitars with electronic leads and soft, sparse, mostly falsetto vocals. Listen to "Florida" and try to not move to it. And the next time you need a soundtrack to your morning stroll or bus ride to work, throw "Rawnald Gregory Erickson the Second" on your ipod headphones and pretend you're in a TV commercial. Seriously, I know some company is going to use that song in an ad (if someone hasn't already).

Wild Orchid Children (Vera Stage, Sat. July 25, 1:00 p.m.) - This band, on the other hand, sounds exactly like what their name suggests. Made up of members of other Seattle bands (including multiple members of Kay Kay and his Weathered Underground), these pseudo-punk/spaz/hard-to-discern-exactly-what-genre-they-fall-into rockers effing bring it. Think of The Mars Volta minus the progginess, but with an added artistic, psychotic, psychedelic panache. They only have released a single four-song eponymous EP, but have supposedly been working on some new material which they will likely unveil at the Block Party. Plus, guitarist Thomas Hunter can fucking shred, and onstage he rocks out harder than almost anyone I have ever seen.

The Sportn' Life Show feat. D. Black, Fatal Lucciano and Spaceman (Neumo's Stage, Sat. July 25, 10:30 p.m.) - If you're not familiar with Sportn' Life Records, you're missing out on a whole host of Seattle's finest and realest rap talent. A lot of hip-hop heads will recognize D. Black and Spaceman from producer Jake One's White Van Music compilation he released last year - they tore it up on "God Like," number five on that 22-track opus. And others may recognize Fatal Lucciano as the rapper who was unjustly blacklisted from the new Crocodile's first ever hop-hop show. Either way, these guys will be sure to get some heads bobbing and hands being both thrown in the air and waved around like the owners of said hands just don't care. Expect the Sportn' Life cast to fill a void in an otherwise hip-hopless Block Party.

I am also looking forward to discovering a few new bands there that I've never heard before, as there are plenty of more unfamiliar names on the list. And even aside from the great music, the Block Party is one of the best events in Seattle. On what other weekend can you stumble around drinking beers in the middle of one of Seattle's busiest, most populated and culturally-rich neighborhoods? Hooray for Cap Hill and hooray for the Block Party. I think I'm going to have to buy my ticket tomorrow....

Spencer Moody in the Buildin'

2009-06-02T00:07:00.000-07:00

So today Spencer Moody from the Murder City Devils (he of the infamous Sasquatch tirade) came into the restaurant I work at to eat dinner. Apparently he's not a "beautiful fucking faggot" because he had a pretty attractive lady with him. And he invited one of my co-workers who always serves him to their wedding. I was going to go talk to him and mention his onstage speech, but I remembered I wasn't gay so I just turned my back to him and let him eat his dinner in peace.

In other news, I should be posting some album reviews up here pretty soon. I am tempted to review a few older albums that I just started listening to, but I figure that's kind of a moot point in today's online environment. Grizzly Bear just released a new album which I need to get my hands on. I'm guessing it's going to be good, mainly because Yellow House was nothing short of amazing. More on that later...

SASQUATCH!

2009-05-29T21:51:00.001-07:00

It hasn't even been a week since I returned home from my first time attending the Sasquatch! Music Festival at the Gorge in George, WA (Get it? Like the president? Anyway...) and I am having withdrawals already. I had an incredible time camping in the sun, meeting new friends, and seeing some of my favorite bands. And I had a not-so incredible time paying $9 for beers inside the festival, getting dehydrated, nearly suffering from heat exhaustion, and getting diarrhea on the last day with only Honey Buckets within reach. TMI, I'm sure. But the positives far outweighed the negatives, and I can say that the $400 or so I coughed up for everything - a 3-day pass, camping fees, food, water, alcohol, street drugs, etc. etc. - was well spent. After reflecting on the weekend a bit (okay, a lot), I compiled a short list of the high and low-lights of the festival.

But first, how about a rundown of all the glorious bands I got to see over the 3-day span?

Day 1 - Passion Pit, Devotchka, Animal Collective, The Decembrists, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Kings of Leon

Day 2 - The Avett Brothers, The Murder City Devils, TV on the Radio, Nine Inch Nails, Jane's Addiction

Day 3 - Santigold, Bishop Allen, Blitzen Trapper, Gogol Bordello, Fleet Foxes, The Knux, Girl Talk, Erykah Badu, Explosions in the Sky, Chromeo

I do wish I would've seen Mos Def, Crystal Castles, Deadmau5, M83, Of Montreal, The Walkmen, Monotonix, Black Moth Super Rainbow and Beach House, but I'm not one to complain. My favorite sets of the weekend were Animal Collective, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, TV on the Radio, Gogol Bordello, and Explosions in the Sky, but pretty much all of them were great (except Girl Talk... but more on that later). Now onto the list!

1. The Sasquatch event that everyone is talking about - The couple publicly fornicating on a hill in the ampitheatre during The Decemberists' set. They weren't even being sneaky about it - they were completely butt naked, just going at it. I think they even switched positions about three times. After noticing them, I said something like "Oh man, that's awesome," to which my friend Cole replied "Yeah, until you're all over YouTube next week."

Well wouldn't ya know?

On a side note, The Decemberists' set was pretty cool. Admittedly, I have never been a huge fan of them and the only album I really listened to was Picaresque and maybe a little bit of The Crane Wife. They played their new Hazards of Love album in it's entirety, and I have to say I dug it. Just from hearing it during the set, I could really tell that they strayed from their traditional old-timey folk sound a la "16 Military Wives" and "We Both Go Down Together" for a harder (I mean, for a band like the Decemberists) more straightforward, guitar-driven rock style. Just check out the slow, heavy, dare-I-say "headbanging" riff on "A Bower Scene" from the new album.

2. TV on the Radio's entire set - TVOTR has always been a band that I pretty much enjoyed listening to, but never really got why people were so into them. After seeing them live, I fully understand. These guys are fucking musicians. They had it all - stage presence, plenty of different instruments, a sweet drum solo bit involving multiple members, and their setlist was spot on. Every song they played sounded a thousand times better than the recorded versions. Tunde Adebimpe belted out the chorus to "Crying" perfectly. Their performance of "Wolf Like Me" was one of my favorite moments of the whole weekend, as my friends and I jumped around and danced like mad with the new Canadian friends we made that had a campsite next to ours (peace to you Revelstoke and Kamloops kids, eh?). And they closed with a rendition of "A Method" that completely changed the way I view that song, with multiple band members pounding out the heavy beat on their own drums as well as each other's.

3. Perry Farrell's crazy rants and tangents during Jane's Addiction's set - I was definitely expecting some nutso rock star antics from this guy, but he exceeded those expectations. It started small, with him crawling around onstage and asking a girl in the front row "You got an ID?" before pouring wine into her mouth, and later introducing a song with a short speech about how "Tonight... we're here to celebrate DEATH!" that drew a collective "Huh?" and some half-assed cheers from the crowd. But he topped all of that when he treated the crowd to this gem...

"You're all so beautiful! What a sea full of lovers! What you should do tonight is go back to each other's tents... and take out each other's cocks...and don't worry, some men's are bigger than others. That's just life. But you don't need to fuck a woman very deeply to make her feel good, it only needs to go in a little bit... am I right? (cheers) I have a friend who is a midget and he fucks women with his fist...but you know, it also doesn't hurt to be... OCEAN sized!"

He also informed the crowd that he had a "snake" and asked who wanted to ride it, encouraged fans to throw drugs onto the stage, and told the crowd that they made his dick hard.... Ummm, okay?

Music-wise, I was definitely impressed by Dave Navarro's guitar playing... er, rather, shredding. The dude's been around for so long that you forget why he's famous (hint: it's not just for boning Carmen Electra and looking like a fucking male model/pornstar). Ol' Dave can rip the fuck out of an axe, as he demonstrated through numerous blistering, wailing solos. One of the best straight up guitar players I saw all weekend.

4. Explosions in the Sky - I feel like I could just leave it at that. I was lucky enough to score some VIP passes for Monday and was standing on the side of the stage watching these four gentle Texans (definitely the first time I've ever used those two words back-to-back...) captivate the audience with their blissful, beautiful, soaring lyrical rock masterpieces with the setting Central Washington sun as a backdrop. These guys have been one of my favorite bands for a while now (Go listen to "First Breath After Coma," "Your Hand in Mine," and "The Birth and Death of the Day" if you need a primer on what they're all about), and it was a lucky coincidence that I happened to get the VIP passes for the one day of the fest that they were playing. Their set went through a vast array of sounds and emotions, from soft, delicate, somber and reflective cleanly-picked parts to heavy, distorted, triumphant crashes and cascades of sonic rock-outs. I don't mean to sound corny, but experiencing their set bordered on a spiritual experience, and it brought an amazing weekend to a fitting end.

And onto the bad/weird/just plain awkward moments...

1. Spencer Moody from the Murder City Devils calling out everyone in the crowd out for not being gay - In undoubtedly the weekend's most awkward moment, The MCD's frontman went on this rant...

"Sometimes now we play these shows, and I see a bunch of disgusting high school jocks in the audience... but what we do is for all the beautiful faggots, and the rest of you can go eat a big bowl of wet dicks."

He went on to say that most of the people at the festival were "shitheads" contrary to popular belief, ordered every non-homosexual to face away from the stage, and scolded the crowd for the likeliness that they were going to return home after the festival and pick on all of the "faggots and the kids in the chess club." His entire tantrum of a performance was one big middle finger to all of the bros in the crowd (and believe me, there were plenty of 'em). Awkward? Yes. Uncalled for? Nope. Their performance still rocked, and I'm sure it's weird for an old punker to see a festival like Sasquatch overrun with jersey-and-backwards-hat-wearing frat boys. He was just the only performer that had the balls to say something about it.

Here's an excerpt from it...

2. Girl Talk's set - the worst show I have seen in a long time, and quite possibly ever. Don't get me wrong, I think Greg Gillis' mash-ups are fairly entertaining to listen to when I'm completely shitfaced at a party with kegs and females that are trying to shake their asses, but his set was completely awful. I know he gets the crowd involved, brings people up on stage, crowd surfs, makes up songs on the spot and what have you, but you can't tell me that so-called "performance" was real music.

He was there standing on the same stage as Black Moth Super Rainbow, Blitzen Trapper, Monotonix and Explosions in the Sky - all REAL musicians who play instruments and make completely original songs out of nothing but blood, sweat, creative juices and illegal substances - fiddling around on a computer and playing parts of Top 40 pop-rap and oldies that people have heard over a thousand times and don't give a fuck about anymore over each other. To make things even worse, the crowd there was one of the largest at any show of the festival, to the point where it was annoying and got me thinking "all of these people are here to see... this?" Add to all of this the fact that there were about 80 drunk white kids dancing around on stage and you have nothing more than a Central Washington version of a bro-tastic MTV Spring Break. I peaced the fuck out after about 5 minutes and went to go watch Erykah Badu instead.

3. That fat, bald guy with a mustache who kept trying to start a mosh pit during the Nine Inch Nails show. Dude, seriously. You're 35 years old and standing by yourself. You're pushing around high school kids and girls to a band that you listened to 15 years ago. It's obvious that everybody wants you to stop doing that. Yet song after song, you start jumping around and throwing elbows into people that are probably only there because they heard that NIN puts on a good live show (it was just alright). Fucking stop that shit.

I swear I said all of that to him during the show, but he must not have heard me over the loud music. Okay, maybe not. But that guy really did suck.

4. That crazy dancing guy that I'm sooooo unbelievably glad somebody captured on film. Actually this isn't bad, weird or awkward. It's fucking awesome. Make sure you wait until the 2-minute mark, when you will see his enthusiasm rightfully rewarded.

Fuck yes.

And that about wraps it up. Pretty lengthy post, but hey, a lot of shit went down. A weekend for the record books indeed, and hopefully next year's lineup and experience will even top it.