Seattle Loves the Ironclads ::: Photo by Abbey Simmons

Today marks three years that this blog has been covering the Seattle music scene. In celebration we booked last Friday night at the Blue Moon with some of our favorite up and coming local bands.

Navigator vs. Navigator once again made for a hard act to follow and at their screamiest moments reminded of a young Isaac Brock. What I consider to be their best songs though are kin to the floor-tom heavy rhythms, deep tones, and angular rock of Wolf Parade. “Screams from the City,” “Ol’ Time Radio” and “Raw Paw” are all insidiously hard to remain still to. How these guys continue to fly under the radar just baffles me.

Alligators came to the stage supremely polished in their own right. They’re band that maintains an amazing balance of energy within their set, elegant local pop a la Crystal Skulls matched with the elaborate and sometimes over the top stylings of British mega-stars Muse. I normally wouldn’t just throw that Muse comparison out there, but for those really high pitched lead moments, guitarist Joshua Trembley makes it sound strong. These gents are another band that seem ripe for the next level.

By the time midnight came around, it was Ironclads time and a crowd eagerly coalesced at the foot of the stage. Co-lead singer Jamie was nursing a lost voice so the night was admittedly not the best night for an introduction, but for those who were already acquainted, the situation was just the invitation they needed to sing louder and fill in the gaps. Not that they really needed any invitation. Few bands seem to illicit the kind of crowd love that these guys seem to have at every show. Needless to say we, and Seattle, are really gonna miss this band.

Thanks for everyone who made it out to the show, especially the three great bands who played. And even if you didn’t make it out (there were so many great shows that night) thanks for taking the time to read the blog and support local music.  We’re looking forward to the next three years and beyond of Sound on the Sound, and hope you are too!

Navigator vs. Navigator ::: Photo by Abbey Simmons

Navigator vs. Navigator ::: Photo by Abbey Simmons

Alligators ::: Photo by Josh Lovseth

Alligators ::: Photo by Josh Lovseth

The Ironclads ::: Photo by Abbey Simmons

Johnny and Brian singing along ::: Photo by Abbey Simmons

Good Times with Jamie ::: Photo by Abbey Simmons

Flickr: Sound on the Sound’s 3rd Birthday Show with The Ironclads, Alligators, and Navigator vs. Navigator

This poster comes to us courtesy of the Ironclads.

Suffice it to say that we’ve been having a love affair with quirky local pop lately, and Alligators just the next band to fit nicely into that category by of course not strictly fitting any other. Each song from the quintet’s recent debut record Piggy & Cups represents a fluid mish-mash of styles from 70’s motown and classic rock to 80’s synth pop, with flashes of 00’s Dolour and the Crystal Skulls thrown in for good measure. And yes, they are definitely on the three-part harmony train as seems to be in vogue these days.

We’re featuring the lead track from the record “Where Does it Hide?” as our song of the week this week, and it flits from style to style inside of a 4 minute pop song like I have rarely seen.

Stream: “Where Does it Hide?” by Alligators from Piggy & Cups

These gentlemen are the second band on our 3rd Birthday bill happening at the Blue Moon this Friday August 21st along with the Ironclads and Navigator vs. Navigator. We think you should be there.

We can hardly believe it, but Sound on the Sound is turning 3-years-old this month! Blogs grow up so fast!!

To celebrate our bloggy-birthday we’re treating ourselves, and hopefully you, to a solid local line up at The Blue Moon next Friday August 21st with The Ironclads, Alligators, and Navigator vs.  Navigator.  It’s going to be a night of catchy, quirky tunes and epic scream alongs from three great up and coming local bands.

We’ll have more on the show next week, but wanted to invite you all cordially, with an impromptu photoshopped poster. It really wouldn’t be a celebration without you.

* And our apologies to this toddler, for many reasons, most of all for being the first image that comes up when  you Google “toddler drinking beer.”  *

This Saturday evening two up-and-coming local bands whom we’ve yet to properly feature, Colonies and Alligators, will be playing Piecora’s Back Room. Across the street from Chop Suey on Capitol Hill, Piecora’s back room serves as the New York-themed pizza place’s group room, the big screen room, and for the last few months on the weekends, as a performance room.

After noting they are currently recording their first full length record, Tacoma band Colonies are offering up their debut seven-song EP, titled Sleep Patterns on their myspace page as a free download. Shades of Death Cab are all over Sleep Patterns, a distinctly current sounding rock/pop effort that straddles the Atlantic with respect to its other influences.

MP3: “Berlin! Berlin!” by Colonies from Sleep Patterns (right now the entire EP is available for free at Colonies’ myspace)

For their debut album titled Piggy & Cups which first arrived last October, Port Orchard’s Alligators are now gearing up for a national release on April 7th. Showcasing boy-girl harmonies in a wild mish-mash of pop and rock styles, both vintage and modern, they tap into the timeless sounds of bands like CSNY on “The Conquerer,” in addition to having a slightly disco edge to them that makes them not like any other band I’ve heard lately. At their core, Alligators make inventive pop that’s upbeat and danceable.

MP3: “Where Does it Hide” by Alligators from Piggy & Cups

The show starts at 9pm and is $6. Piecora’s is on 14th and Madison on Captiol Hill, across the street from Chop Suey.