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January 16, 2012

Bargain Bin Beauties: My Favorite Finds of 2011

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2011 was the year of the record for me. Not a single collection of songs, but rather a physical entity and a format. When 2011 started, my record collection fit in a corner of a bookshelf. As 2011 ends my collection fills three full shelves, three empty boxes of cat food for 45s, organized by loose genres and alphabatized within collections: Pacific Northwest, Pre-War Blues & Jazz, Country and Folk, Post-Genre (New), Dance Party and my “Most Played” section so I didn’t have to debate what a “classic” was (and if a bad Ringo Starr record was a classic, because he’d been a Beatle). Last time I tried to count the records, I stopped near 400, having not even begun to touch my crammed 45s, and I realize this is just the beginning.

These are ten of my favorite finds over the last year of crate digging. What was your favorite find of 2011?

10. Dillard and Clark – Through The Morning, Through The Night Found: Sonic Boom – Ballard

Here’s why taking the time to comb through your local record stores is better than the instant satisfaction of buying your holy grail record online, beyond the whole supporting a local business. This out of print Dillard and Clark record goes for over $40 on sites like discogs and ebay, if you can find it, but if you patiently thumb through used bins, you might find an impeccable copy for $8. You also might yelp in excitement and frighten Sonic Boom browsers around you … but for this little known classic, it’s totally worth the embarrassment.

If it weren’t such an obscure record, I’d think it was seminal listening for anyone playing Ballard Avenue twang today. Featuring the duo of bluegrass banjo virtuoso Doug Dillard and original Byrd and country rock forefather, Gene Clark. At the forefront of what we now call “Americana”, Through The Morning, Through the Night is full of great original songs, traditionals like “I Bowed My Head and Cried Holy” and “Rocky Top” and perhaps my favorite Beatles cover ever, a down-tempo twang rendition of “Don’t Let Me Down.”

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09. Numero Group #17: Eccentric Soul – The Deep City Label Found: Mississippi Records – Portland, Oregon

I’m kind of cheating on this inclusion, as I bought it brand new … but it is cover-to-cover all-killer, no-filler and if you ever see it at a record store forsake all other purchases and pick this one up. The price tag may seem a little steep, as most Numero Group releases do, but remember it is a double LP and it is worth every penny spent. Put this record on when you’re alone and its an instant, soul and booty shaking party. Put this record on when you’re not alone and its a make out soundtrack extraordinaire.

08. Arthur & Yu – Don’t Piss in the Fire Found: Everyday Music

With Grant Olsen’s latest project Gold Leaves being one of my most listened to albums of 2011, I was giddy to find this dreamy creamsicle colored Sub Pop single from his last project Arthur & Yu in the used bins. My find was confirmed as victorious by the nodding approval of the guy behind the counter, followed by a grumbling, “Damn, I wish I’d seen that first.”

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07. Gene Clark – White Light Found: Twist and Shout Records – Denver, Colorado

After Greg Vandy recommended picking up this record on his excellent blog American Standard Time, I wasn’t the only vinyl lover who went looking for it in Seattle. Store after store, a perplexed clerk would tell me that I was the third or fourth person coming in to look for Gene Clark’s stellar second solo album and that no, they didn’t have it. So I was delighted when a gorgeous copy stared back at me in Denver’s cavernous Twist and Shout Records. White Light is a hidden classic and on it Clark helps invent what is known and loved now as “Americana” and cosmic country. It rambles at all the right places, like the cover of Dylan and The Bands “Tears of Rage” and the original songs that have inspired local bands like The Moondoggies and Sons of Warren Oates leave you wondering why Clark isn’t recognized as one of his generations finest songwriters. An album like White Light is ripe for a reissue and however you get your hands on it, even if it takes leaving the state, I recommend you do.

06. S – I’m Not As Good As You Found: Sonic Boom Records

Coming in at #7 on our 25 Favorite Northwest Records of 2010 and #4 on my personal list, finding a copy of the import only I’m Not As Good As You was a bit like discovering unicorns exist by stumbling on one in the wild. I had no idea this beautiful bummer was ever pressed to wax and while $18.99 was a bit steep for the reality of my bank account, there was no way this record wasn’t coming home with me. Because I’m Not As Good As You has only gotten better with time, more devastating in its honesty, more lovely in its loneliness. And were I writing that Best of 2010 list today, I would fight for it to be ranked much higher. Since her days with Carissa’s Wierd Jen Ghetto has been writing the best sad songs in all of Seattle, if not the country. She continues to do so solo as “S” and I’m Not As Good As You is equal parts heartbreak and stunner.

See my top five vinyl finds of 2011 (more…)

July 25, 2011

Bargain Bin Beauties: My Five Best Vinyl Finds of June

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There are few things in the world as calming and invigorating for me than digging through the used bins of my favorite local independent record stores. The act alone turns me into an explorer and when my thumb flips to the record I’ve been hoping to find, that buried sonic treasure, my creaky knees and the 200 copies of Steely Dan’s Aja I passed are totally worth it.

Ever since I became a regular comber of the used bins of Seattle record stores, I’ve been trying to figure out the best way to share my favorite finds and shops with you here on Sound on the Sound, but with the news that both Sonic Boom and Everyday Music are closing their current locations on Capitol Hill, finding a clever way seems less important than just letting you know about the great shops and finds out there. So while this might not be its permanent form, here’s the first edition of my monthly 5 Most Treasured Vinyl Finds.

1. Hoquiam – s/t Found: Spin Cycle Records Cost: $12.00

This record was meant to be mine. You see, back in March of 2010, Hoquiam hosted their record release party at Cairo with a limited number of hand made album covers. I debated back and forth between this one and another that said “Zombies Eat Your Flesh” with a torn map of King County modge-podged to the scrap paper. Taking into account “Zombies of the Sea,” one of my favorite tracks off the album, I settled on the zombie cover and made my way back into the cramped concert. About five minutes later, trapped in the far corner of Cairo, I realized I made a terrible mistake and the cover I should’ve chose declared “Drake and Kurt: we were born here.” Drake being Drake Jurado of Hoquiam and Kurt, of course, being Kurt Cobain. I ignored politeness and made my way back through the crowd to the small merch table to exchange records, but it was gone. Someone, probably one of those people I’d ungraciously passed on my way out, had bought my record.

Fast-forward to my first visit to Spin Cycle, Broadway’s new record store. As I’m flipping through their excellent used indie section, I spy it, my record. I gasp audibly and grab it as if some ghost in the otherwise empty store is going to snatch the record from under my nose again. When I go to the counter the owner nods approvingly at the record and says, “Nice find.” “You have no idea,” I tell him.

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2. Songs from the Taverns of the Pacific Northwest Found: Sonic Boom – Capitol Hill Cost: 15% Off Something I found in the “Collector’s” Section

Usually, I don’t bother even thumbing through the “Collector’s” section at record stores as the prices are usually way outside anything I can conceivably afford to spend on a record. But one sunny Sunday, I made the mistake at Sonic Boom and stumbled upon this gem of “Songs of the Taverns of the Pacific Northwest.” Budget be damned, I had to have it.

Recorded in the summer and winter of 1975, featuring tavern (we call those dive bars now) artists from Seattle, Vancouver BC and Portland, Oregon. The album is described as being “Put together by the musicians who attempt to make a living in the taverns, it is a tribute to the good times had and the good music that is played in the local bars where people gather to talk, drink, shake it off, meet, and dance.” Featuring songs from dive bar bands like Les Clamtones, Lance Romance & the 3 Minute Boogie, Cement City Cowboys and Lance Romance — it’s a fascinating glimpse into what I would’ve been watching at The Blue Moon if I’d been born 30 years earlier. And a song like “I’ve Been Playing Guitar on the Toilet Too Long” is worth what I paid for the record alone.

See the rest of my favorite finds, (more…)

July 22, 2011

Now and Then: Gold Leaves “Cruel or Kind”

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Gold Leaves ::: photo by Kyle Johnson

Yesterday Stereogum premiered “Cruel or Kind,” my favorite track off The Ornament the forth-coming debut album from Gold Leaves. But if you’ve been following Grant Olsen as Arthur & Yu, Magic Mtns or performing solo around Seattle, “Cruel or Kind” probably sounds familiar.

Just a couple weeks ago while perusing The Round’s excellent podcast of past performances, I was intrigued by an Arthur & Yu song labeled simply “Song 11″ and was delighted to find it was an expansive early version of “Cruel or Kind.” Stripped down, but spacey, The Round rendition is twice as long as the song is today and includes a psychedelic reverb soaked chant at the end.

Now: “Cruel or Kind”

Then: “Cruel or Kind” – Arthur and Yu at Round 47 (2009)

Today’s “Cruel or Kind” while shorter, is more expansive in the scope of its orchestration. It is everything I love most about Gold Leaves in a pretty four minute package. An adventurous journey of a song with swelling strings and retreating orchestration, from subtle to soaring, like the ebb and flow of the tides. Keeping the time is heartbeat bass lines and kettle drum, orchestral with none of the cloying tendencies of “orchestral pop.” And of course, the real star, out-shinning the gorgeous instrumentation, is Olsen’s voice: warm, wise and ragged; like the worn, yellowed pages of your favorite book.

See Gold Leaves live:

August 12th at KEXP’s Concerts at the Mural with Seapony and Math + Physics Club (FREE) September 1st at The Crocodile with Kevin Murphy (of The Moondoggies) and Joseph Giant

Download “Cruel or Kind” courtesy of Hardly Art.

Download “Cruel or Kind (2009)” courtesy of The Round Podcast

May 26, 2011

Introducing: Gold Leaves – “The Ornament”

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Behold, the mysterious Gold Leaves. Gold Leaves is the new solo project from Grant Olsen (who you most likely know from Arthur and Yu) and they were officially introduced to the internet today by My Old Kentucky Blog. And I’m so glad, because it means I have some concrete evidence as to what I’ve been so enamored with these past few months.

“The Ornament”, the first single off the debut album due out August 16th on Hardly Art, is all sunny symphonic backing with Olsen’s ragged smooth voice front and center joined by the layered harmonies of label-mates The Moondoggies. There’s an easy wiseness to Olsen’s voice, lyrics and the album’s orchestration. With ’60s psychedelic soul flourishes, these songs sound both charmingly retro and incredibly of the moment. Were I to compare it to anyone, I’d say Gold Leaves sound like Fleet Foxes recording Helplessness Blues on a budget, which is by no means a slight. The songs are more restrained, but still full and wild, with more hazy doo-wop than hymnal harmonies. It is an intoxicating mix and a perfect soundtrack for the golden hours of summer.

Take a listen for yourself:

Gold Leaves – “The Ornament”

(Courtesy of Hardly Art you can right click that glorious mp3 and keep it for yourself!)

Your first chance to hear more of these songs and to see the band live is June 10th at Neumos, where Gold Leaves will be opening for Grand Hallway and Campfire OK.

December 30, 2009

Josh’s Favorite Releases of 2009

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Damien Jurado David Bazan Elvis Perkins J Tillman Grizzly Bear Kaylee Cole Macklemore Macklemore & Ryan Lewis The Ironclads The Moondoggies Widower Nurses

The Maldives ::: Photo by Josh Lovseth

These are the albums that defined my 2009. Some I consider to be the strongest local albums of the year while others held my attention and memory in a special way such that I kept coming back to them. While many of these albums are admittedly made by bands whom I’ve also developed a strong affinity for over the past year, this is an albums list, and not simply a “my favorite bands who over the last year put out a record list.” Seven of the top ten are acts I was not familiar with at prior to the start of 2009. This includes the Ironclads. Man, a lot has happened this year.

Though the concept of the “album” may not be as relevant as it once was, I still consider myself to be an album person, for me such a group of songs is an important body of work for helping me come to relate to and really like a band. A single song usually just doesn’t do it for me. Simply put, these are the releases from this year that I listened to all the way through, over and over and over again.

 

LPs

 

1. Listen to the Thunder by The Maldives on Mt. Fuji Records Listen: Download an mp3 of “Tequila Sunday” courtesy of Mt. Fuji Records If any band conquered Seattle in 2009 it was the Maldives. For so many reasons, this record was the most important record in my life this year.

2. Curse Your Branches by David Bazan on Barsuk Records Listen: Stream the entire record at Barsuk.com David Bazan isn’t simply a musician. He is a religious philosopher. You might say this is “The Book of Dave.” A deeply personal record with very real ramifications for those who might have questions like he did about the consequences and realities of his long held beliefs. Though I don’t count myself particularly religious, I identified. To my mind this is the best album about religion and family that Bazan has ever done.

3. Apple’s Acre by Nurses on Dead Oceans Listen: Download an mp3 of “Caterpillar Playground” courtesy of Dead Oceans Through the power of the Internet I came into the possession of a 30-minute single-file live recording of Nurses. I can say without hyperbole that this recording is the most played “song” of the last year on my iTunes. They are playful, unique sounding, and completely DIY. This is the quintessential example of what everyone hopes a Portland band can and will be.

4. The Space Between the Maps by The Ironclads (self-released) Listen: Download an mp3 of “Alamagordo” courtesy of the Ironclads Advanced garage pop that’s well traveled and downright bombastic. Inventive lead guitar work and imaginative storytelling are this foursome’s forte and the record is a successful recreation of their live aesthetic.

5. Lust for Life by Girls on True Panther Sounds Listen: Watch “Laura” on Youtube Sad Bastard pop that doesn’t make me sad. Sign me up!

6. Zoe Muth and the Lost High Rollers by Zoe Muth and the Lost High Rollers (self-released) Listen: Get an MP3 version via KEXP Song of the Day I’m waiting for one (or three) of these songs to be covered by Dolly Parton. Another record like this and Nashville is gonna scoop her up, post haste.

7. A Strange Arrangement by Mayer Hawthorne on Stones Throw Records Listen: Watch “Just Ain’t Gonna Work Out” on Vimeo A DJ becomes a soul crooner, FTW. An album that you never want to turn off.

8. Keep it Hid by Dan Auerbach on Bloodshot Records Listen: Download an mp3 of What’s old is new again. More please. Other bands should take notes. The Blues are your friend, and mine.

9. Fanfarlo by Fanfarlo on Canvasback Music Listen: Stream the record at Fanfarlo.com Fronted by a clarinet playing choir boy, Fanfarlo take the cake for making this year’s most accessible orchestral pop record, and the best thing I heard out of the U.K. all year long.

10. I and Love and You by the Avett Brothers on Columbia Listen: Stream via theavettbrothers.com The Avett Brothers made a massive followup effort to Emotionalism, that drops the emo that marked it’s predecessor while striking a more hopeful and romantic note. This is another album that I feel wrong turning off in the middle.

11. In Dearland by Elvis Perkins on XL Listen: Watch “Chains, Chains, Chains” Directed by Seattle’s Sean Pecknold Elvis and his cohorts delve deep into old Americana and early rock for a record that is uniquely sad in it’s disposition, but overflowing with happy in the energy and passion of the full band performance.

12. Vecktamist by Grizzly Bear on Warp Listen: Stream the Video for Two Weeks Maybe this album should be higher on the list, but when I first got a hold of it I felt like it was just too much. Now, I’ve come to feel like this is a bold statement, and these guys are the vanguard of modern pop.

13. Year in the Kingdom by J Tillman on Bella Union/Western Vinyl Listen: Download an mp3 of “Earthly Bodies” courtesy of Western Vinyl Just when I thought J Tillman’s voice was an ideal, he goes to work for the Fleet Foxes and comes out the other side an even stronger singer.

14. Logos by Atlas Sound on Kranky Listen: Get an mp3 of “Walkabout” via FADER This was my official go-to chill record this year.

15. The Life of the Of the World to Come by the Mountain Goats on 4AD Listen: Download mp3 of “Genesis 3:23″ courtesy of 4AD As many of John Darnielle’s albums can be, this one is a grower, that really hooks you after you listen to it by yourself for a while. Seeing the songs performed live with a bit of Darnielle’s humor added in between songs for context allowed me to listen anew, and understand better than how the songs initially came off on the record.

 

EPs

 

1. Widower by Widower (self-released) Listen: Stream at Myspace

2. VS. by Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, (self-released free digital EP) Listen: Download EP via Myspace

3. The Moondoggies by The Moondoggies on Hardly Art Records (for Record Store Day), Ltd. Ed. Listen: Stream at Myspace

4. Don’t Piss into the Fire/Magic Mtn Single by Arthur & Yu for a Sub Pop Singles Club release for Record Store Day Listen: Stream via Myspace

5. Fun & Laughter Land of Talk on Saddle Creek Records Listen: Watch “The Man Who Breaks Things (Dark Shuffle)” at Vimeo

 

The ones I missed in 2008 and I banged the most in 2009:

Hometowns by The Rural Alberta Advantage (originally released 2008, digitally released with eMusic November 2008, then re-released by Saddle Creek Records in mid-2009).

We’re Still Here Missing You by Kaylee Cole (self-released in November of 2008)

The one from last year’s list that’s stood the test of time and stayed strong into this year

Caught In Trees by Damien Jurado, SOTS’s #20 Northwest album of 2008. In retrospect, I should’ve probably lobbied for a top 10 spot for this album on that list.

December 28, 2009

Josh’s Favorite Songs of 2009

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David Bazan Japandroids Grizzly Bear Fresh Espresso Zoe Muth Widower The Maldives The Moondoggies The Ironclads The Cave Singers People Eating People Nurses Macklemore & Ryan Lewis Macklemore

“Eet” by Regina Spektor

Here is my list of thirty songs that dominated my iTunes, the songs that moved me to learn them on guitar, and the songs I will identify with 2009 forever. In no particular order. Though I suppose the top five could be my top five.

“Walkabout” by Atlas Sound + guest Noah Lennox from Logos (Kranky/4AD) Listen: Get mp3 via FADER

“Technicolor” by Nurses from Apple’s Acre (Dead Oceans) Listen: Download mp3 courtesy of Dead Oceans

“Lisztomania” by Phoenix from Wolfgang Amadaeus Phoenix (Glassnote) Listen: Stream at Myspace

“World News” by the Local Natives from Gorilla Manor (Rough Trade/Frenchkiss) Listen: Download a live version via a Daytrotter Session

“Come Monday Morning” by Widower from Widower (self-released) Listen: Stream at Myspace

“At the Cut” by the Cave Singers from Welcome Joy (Matador) Listen: Download mp3 courtesy of Matador Records

“Comets” by Fanfarlo from Fanfarlo (Canvasback Music) Listen: Stream at Fanfarlo.com

“Alamagordo” by the Ironclads from The Space Between the Maps (self-released) Listen: Download MP3 courtesy of the Ironclads

“Young Heart Sparks Fire” by Japandroids from Post-Nothing (Polyvinyl Records) Listen: Download MP3 courtesy of Polyvinyl Records

“Eet” by Regina Spektor from Far (Sire Records) Listen: Watch the Video above, Stream at Myspace

“Walk Away” by The Maldives from Listen to the Thunder (Mt. Fuji Records) Listen: Stream a Video from a KEXP In-Studio

“Just Ain’t Gonna Work Out” by Mayer Hawthorne from A Strange Arrangement (Stones Throw Records) Listen: Stream the Video at Vimeo

“Ready, Able” by Grizzly Bear from Vecktamist (Warp Records) Listen: Stream the Video at Youtube

“For Now” by People Eating People from People Eating People (The Control Group) Listen: Stream at Myspace

“Lust for Life” by Girls from Lust for Life (True Panther Sounds/Matador Records) Listen: Download MP3 courtesy of True Panther Sounds/Matador Records | Watch the Video Below

 

“Lust for Life” by Girls (Safe Version)

“Lazerbeams” by Fresh Espresso from Glamour (Out for Stardom) Listen: Stream the Video at Youtube

“The Town” by Macklemore from The Unplanned Mixtape (self-released) Listen: Stream the Video at Youtube

“Otherside” by Macklemore and Ryan Lewis from VS. (Sound Records) Listen: Download VS. EP courtesy of Ryan Lewis Productions

“You Only Believe Me When I’m Lying” by Zoe Muth & The Lost High Rollers from Zoe Muth & The Lost High Rollers (self-released) Listen: Download MP3 via KEXP Song of the Day

“Stillness is the Move” by the Dirty Projectors from Bitte Orca (Domino Records) Listen: Stream Track via Domino Records

“Magic Mtn” by Arthur & Yu from Don’t Piss into the Fire Sub Pop Singles Club Record Store Day Release and Hardly Art Label Sampler (Sub Pop/Hardly Art) Listen: Download Track at Amazon via Hardly Art

“Let Me Fall” by the Final Spins from THIS IS THEN/THAT WAS NOW (self-released) Listen: Download MP3 via KEXP Song of the Day

“Ed Jackson” by See Me River from The Great Unwashed EP (Aviation Records) Listen: Download MP3 via KEXP Song of the Day

“Oh Oh Oh Oh Oh Oh Oh Oh Oh” by Say Hi from Oohs and Aahs (Barsuk Records) Listen: Download MP3 courtesy of Barsuk Records

“Please Baby Please” by David Bazan from Curse Your Branches (Barsuk Records) Listen: Stream a solo version at youtube

“The Perfect Space” by the Avett Brothers from I and Love and You (Columbia) Listen: Stream via theavettbrothers.com

“What Took So Long” by the Moondoggies (unreleased) Listen: Download a live session version via Luxury Wafers

“Summer of Hate” by Crocodiles from Summer of Hate (Fat Possum Records) Listen: Download MP3 courtesy of Fat Possum Records

“Isabella” by Lands & Peoples from Lands & Peoples EP (self-released) Listen: Stream via Bandcamp

“Norway” by Beach House from Teen Dream (Sub Pop) Listen: Download MP3 courtesy of Sub Pop

December 23, 2009

Abbey’s Favorite Local Songs of 2009

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David Bazan The Dutchess and the Duke Fresh Espresso Grand Hallway Japandroids Macklemore & Ryan Lewis Macklemore Shane Turmac M Bison Pearly Gate Music People Eating People Goldfinch Zoe Muth What What Now Widower The Maldives The Moondoggies The Ironclads The Lonely Forest The Cave Singers Telekinesis

The Moondoggies ::: photo by Abbey Simmons

These are the local songs I loved most during 2009. I can’t ennumerate the list, believe me I tried. My absolute favorites are at the top of the list, but once you get beyond the top five–I can’t really say what my 9th and 17th favorite songs are with a straight face.

What I can tell you is that these are all songs I played on repeat. That I know every word to. That I sang along to at shows. That mean something to me. That made me dance. That got stuck in my head. That I couldn’t wait to share with my friends and those of you that read the blog. If my 2009 was a mixtape, these would be the tracks.

* “What Took So Long” by The Moondoggies | download track courtesy of Luxury Wafers | * “Alamagordo” and “Step to the Sea” by The Ironclads | download track courtesy of The Ironclads | * “We Sing In Time” by The Lonely Forest | watch video from their sold out CD release show | * “Technicolor” and “Lita” by Nurses | download Technicolor | download Lita | * “Certainly Tonight” by Widower | watch video | * “Otherside” by Macklemore and Ryan Lewis | download Vs. EP | * “Hard to Be” and “In Stitches” by David Bazan |watch video of In Stitches | * “Scorpio” by Dutchess and The Duke  | download Daytrotter session of Scorpio | * “Coast of Carolina” by Telekinesis | download track courtesy of Stereogum | * “For Now” by People Eating People | listen to the debut album in its entirety on Myspace | * “Lazer Beams” by Fresh Espresso | watch video | * “Young Hearts Spark Fire” by Japandroids | download track courtesy of Spinner | * “Raindrops” by Grand Hallway | download track courtesy of KEXP | * “I Have Found (Redux)” and “Goodbye” by The Maldives | watch video of I Have Found | * “All Things To All People” and “Going Home Soon” by M. Bison | download track courtesy of Obscure Sound | * “The Running Kind” by Zoe Muth and The Lost High Rollers | download my other favorite Zoe song courtesy of KEXP | * “Go Easy On Me” by Goldfinch * “At the Cut” by The Cave Singers | download track courtesy of Matador Records | * “Magic Mountain” by Arthur & Yu (with The Moondoggies) | watch video | * “The Town” by Macklemore | watch video | * “This Happens Every Time” by What What Now * “I Was A River” by Pearly Gate Music | listen to a live KEXP session of I Was A River | * “Down The Road” and “Let Me Fall” by Final Spins | download tracks courtesy of LHB | * “Never Turnin’ Back” by Shane Tutmarc | watch video | * “My Volvo” by Grynch | watch video |

October 26, 2009

Hardly Art’s 2009 Label Sampler

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hardlyart

 

Last week Hardly Art quietly posted to Amazon a sampler of 17 of the year’s more notable tracks from artists such as Le Loup, the Moondoggies and the Dutchess & The Duke, including a few special tracks that haven’t appeared anywhere else. Lucky us, they are offering it for free to the world.

It’s all here: a Dutchess & the Duke demo, an acoustic mix from the Pica Beats, and to my delight, as the final track, a song representing the fruits of the Arthur & Yu and Moondoggies live collaboration this summer. They chose to feature “Magic Mtn,” the B-side track from Arthur & Yu’s their 2009 Record Store Day EP Don’t Piss into the Fire, a track which garnered many repeated listens on my part. That being said, it’s also a track which I’ll admit I’ve relished even more as a live song with the backing of our fearless flannel fashionistas, The Moondoggies.

In short: 17 free tracks from one of Seattle’s best houses of musical talent. You know what to do.

Happy Monday.

June 25, 2009

Rodriguez at the Triple Door

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Rodriguez ::: Photo by Abbey Simmons

In recent years, the mantle of urban philosophy has been held aloft by the hip-hop generation, reflecting the turmoil of forgotten and ill-served neighborhoods where hustling was a way of life. In the decade before “Rapper’s Delight” began making waves, Detroit’s Sixto Diaz Rodriguez, known to most as simply Rodriguez, was committing his own brand of urban philosophy to song. Through two albums released in 1970 and 1971 he remained largely unnoticed in the U.S. and gave up his musical career after his label dropped him and went out of business.

Last year Seattle label Light in the Attic re-released his first LP Cold Fact, and the response from fans was immediate. This year the label has re-released his second LP, Coming from Reality and arranged for an assortment of summer dates throughout the U.S., bringing Rodriguez to Seattle for the first time ever. Tuesday’s sold out show at the Triple Door had Rodriguez backed by San Fransisco’s the Fresh & Onlys, complete with an additional four piece brass section.

Apparently every music writer in town was in the house, though each came off with a completely different take on the night. Minor sound level issues acknowledged, I definitely felt I was witnessing a moment in history and in the presence of a pure thinker. Garbed completely in black, the now 67 years old Rodriguez, retains an effortless image of cool. Dropping philosophical bits of wisdom on all manner of subjects between songs, I began to get a sense of the colorful person portraying the unvarnished reality of Vietnam-era America, and began to perceive Rodriguez’s songs not simply as songs, but as extensions of his own personality.

This unflinchingly honest nature certainly led to a few laughs, but embedded in his comments were larger themes acknowledging the frailty of humanity. If occasionally causing discomfort, this perspective also made night that much more poignant considering Rodriguez’s own obviously advancing age, the 800-pound gorilla in the room that most would probably rather not have been constantly reminded about. Encouraging hooting and hollering from the crowd throughout the set turned a normally staid Triple Door into a something else entirely, in the process earning huge grins from our protagonist; one excited compliment about a nice smile led Rodriguez to respond, “I know it’s bullshit, but keep talking baby.”

Thoughts of mortality aside, any time spent with Rodriguez seems memorable by default, and this night especially so for me. To have been a witness to the Second (or is it Fourth?) Coming of Rodriguez was a privilege, for his deep thoughts and general presence, as much as for the music. Often to be on the stage is to put on airs, but to experience Rodriguez is to have an epiphany about just how ridiculous one’s own airs amount to in the face of living a full and rewarding life.

If you missed it, catch a few videos from Tuesday night after the jump…

Rodriguez ::: Photo by Abbey Simmons

Rodriguez ::: Photo by Josh Lovseth

Rodriguez ::: Photo by Abbey Simmons

Arthur & Yu with the Moondoggies ::: Photo by Josh Lovseth

Flickr: Rodriguez at the Triple Door with Arthur & Yu, June 23, 2009

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May 22, 2009

Arthur & Yu warmed up with their new band the Moondoggies

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arthur & yu

Arthur & Yu ::: Photo by Josh Lovseth

Last night following a really great house show by David Bazan in his hometown of Edmonds (more on that later), we trucked on down to the Conor Byrne for an unpublicized warmup for Arthur & Yu‘s new backing band, Hardly Art labelmates the Moondoggies. With them all barely able to fit on the pub’s stage, the band went through about seven or eight songs with a minimal amount of tentativeness. And the harmonies! Good stuff.

They play Saturday May 23 at 5.25pm on the Yeti Stage.


arthur & yu

Arthur & Yu ::: Photo by Josh Lovseth