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March 21, 2013

Baltic Cousins – The Broken Horn

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Baltic Cousins ::: The Broken Horn

After seeing Baltic Cousins an estimated 14,722 times in-person over the last calendar year, it was nice to get ahold of the recordings of their new stuff. While I can’t decide if I prefer The Broken Horn to some of Baltic Cousins older material (still rocking the heck out of that demo), I can string together some poorly expressed thoughts and give you the opportunity to decide for yourself. Imagine a world in which music writers are the conduit to your own positive/negative critical thinking? What media are you going blame for all your societal ills moving forward?

The Broken Horn isn’t a drastic departure from Baltic Cousins “old stuff.” In fact, “Indianapolis” is making its first “official” appearance since the band’s first demo. The band released their first single for this album a number of months ago (“Never Hold Your Breath,”). It serves as a pretty solid indicator of what awaits the listener on the rest of the album. To me, the funniest thing about the aforementioned track, is one of the lyrics describes how I approached my listening to this record. To close out the song, singer/guitarist Bradley James Lockhart exclaims, “I moved up, I moved on! You got stuck in a song!”

I know he didn’t mean to accuse me of wrong, but the allegations rang true.

In essence, I was stuck in a song. I was glued to Baltic Cousins old songs and not allowing myself to examine these compositions as a separate entity from the band’s past. How many of us are guilty of doing the same thing, but with humans….raise your hands?

The Broken Horn‘s opening track “Bear Traps” has verses that feature no steady ground. It might be the tom  fills or the wavering vocals but the track has a surprisingly sea-faring feel despite its hazardous, woodsy allusion. Once the chorus kicks in, all intentions are brought to light. You finally feel like your stuck in the Northwest, waiting for a non-existant Spring to come. While people in different parts of the country continue to post pictures of cherry-blossoms blooming on Instagram. Baltic Cousins are telling you that you’re not bitter, this cardigan malaise you’re feeling keeps you grounded. Stay level-headed and comfortable in your misery, Seattlite.

First and foremost, I love the title “He Has Smoked Bugs Before.” My reasoning is because you know there’s a good story behind a song title like that. Possible party tricks or drunken campfire behavior aside, this is a prime example of the Baltic Cousins I love. Spirited, loud, somewhat fast and celebratory for the fuck of it. “He Has Smoked Bugs Before” also has one of those moments that, “really make the song” and it happens towards the end of the track. All of the music stops and Lockhart utters the phrase, “Who’s fucking watching us?” before all of the instruments come crashing back in. I am often asking myself the same question (in the third person of course). 

The next two tracks remain mostly stationary but they have polarizing affect on the way I receive them. “Hurricane Able” is my favorite song on this album. Nika Lee’s violin multitasks efficiently by controlling the song and dressing the vocals.

I have a minor complaint to make before I go forward.

Throughout the album thus far, there have been occasions where the violin is very apparent and the listener struggles to hear Rabia Magnusson’s piano. Turn the girl’s keys up! To my own ears, this is first track where I clearly hear both instruments, intermingling in a harmonic fashion. Is this the sole reason why this is my favorite track on this album? No. However, it did not handicap its chances at endearment.

“Hurricane Able” exhibits many of the traits I tend to find attractive in a rock song. It’s short, it’s memorable and the vocals are anthemic at one point or another. I like it just the way it is, I wouldn’t change a thing. Actually, that’s a lie. I wouldn’t mind hearing the beginning guitar intro with the violin accompaniment at the very end of the song as well. I think those few seconds are really pretty and wouldn’t mind hearing it again.

On the other hand, I am not really a fan of “Mark Twain (Was There & He Was Crying).” It’s not a bad song. In fact, for some of you this might be the highlight of the record. For me, this song fails to move me for two reasons. First, it comes across like a promise never fulfilled. When I listen to it, I think something else greater is about to happen but it never does.

This is problematic because it creates a deja vu of the most unsavory variety.

During my teenage years, I got a similar feeling listening to the Fugazi album, “Steady Diet of Nothing.” This is far and away the worst Fugazi album. I’d also nominate this record as one of the worst albums ever put forth by Dischord Records. With the exception of one song, I waited that entire fucking album for something to happen…and it never did. It was audio Groundhog Day. “Never again!” I promised myself…

Secondly, the opening lyrics about symbolized romanticism morph into lines that are elegiacally blue collar. Why is this a problem? Because it reminds of that Americana/Folk explosion we experienced here in Seattle a few years ago. If you know my history with this website, you know how little I thought of that often imitated, localized artistic movement. Oddly enough it spread to record label boardrooms all over the globe. Now I can’t go to the gym without hearing Mumford and Sons over the fucking PA. When will a brother be able to watch a cellphone commercial on television without having to be subjected to the fucking Lumineers!?!

I don’t want to hear anymore songs about white guys with beards talking about being judged by the work they do with their hands. This might have something to do with coming from a household where my mother was the “handy person.” My father would stand around obviously perplexed by whatever my mother was fixing. I was over it in 2009. Give me another couple of years and maybe I’ll come back around. I realize that I am violating the very thread and fabric of American Folklore…but I don’t give a shit. It’s also quite possible that the work Lockhart was referring to wasn’t manual labor at all. If that is the case, I apologize for what your musical antecedents have ruined for you.

Are there any lessons to be learned from listening to “Junk Beach Parts One and Two”? Do I have any volunteers? No? Gentle readers, are you aware of the “Cormac McCarthy Theory of Disturbed Inspiration”? It is stated as follows: If you read a Cormac McCarthy novel at some point in your adult life, your chances of writing a good song based on the events you have read increases by an incredible 37.7% (If you suck at music, then it doesn’t matter what books you read….you suck at music.)  Baltic Cousins were aware of this esoteric theorem and used it to their advantage. They crafted a noteworthy composition and wisely broke it down into two distinct songs.

“Dead Artists” will remind you of the Decemberists immediately. I like the Decemberists so this isn’t a bad thing.  An accordion, a mandolin, a violin, a guitar playing chords that wouldn’t be out of place on Picaresque or The King is Dead. However, it’s not the music that you should be paying attention to here, it’s the realness of the lyrics. You could even argue that this might be one of the “realest” songs Baltic Cousins have ever written. This song is confrontational, honest, angry and urgent. I did not recognize its majesty until the 7th or 8th listen. It’s really a great track. One of my favorite things about listening to music is how a connection isn’t always immediate but it is everlasting. This song is an example of that.

To summarize:

* “Hurricane Able” will probably end up as one of my favorite songs of the year.

* If you’re a white guy with a beard and an acoustic guitar and you want to tell me about working with your hands, go fuck yourself.

* Never, ever remind me of Fugazi’s Steady Diet of Nothing

 * Don’t try too hard to connect with a song, let a song connect with you.

* Don’t get stuck in a song either.

* This is a strong musical effort worth owning and a band worth witnessing.

 

Baltic Cousins are having their Seattle album release show on Friday, March 22nd at the Tractor with Ravenna Woods and Lost Lander. Then the following night they’ll be rocking the Shakedown in Bellingham with Livingston Seagull and Rhombu$.

October 12, 2012

Baltic Cousins – “Never Hold Your Breath” [video]

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Out this week, “Never Hold Your Breath” is a quintessentially Northwest video and song from riotous folk punk band Baltic Cousins.  Of course an animated adventure featuring bear riding, Rainier’s, archery, angry yokels and drunk Park Rangers is unmistakably Pacific Northwest, but to me, so is Baltic Cousins’ brand of Cave Singers meets early Modest Mouse music. This song just sounds like home to me: untamed and boldly, strangely beautiful.

December 16, 2011

Our Favorite Local EPs, 45s & Cassettes of 2011

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Pickwick Dude York
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2011 wasn’t just a great year for local full-lengths, awesome releases abounded in all formats: EPs, 7”s and yes, even cassettes. In fact, Phil’s favorite local release of all of 2011 was Mercy Ties and Grenades split 12”.

Here are 15 of our favorite local EPs, 7”s and cassettes of the past year and our favorite nationally released EP with links to listen or look at each of them:

Mercy Ties / Grenades 12”

Wheedle’s Groove: Seattle’s Finest In Funk & Soul 1965–1979 Limited Edition 45s Box Set

Pickwick – Myths

Night Beats – H-Bomb

Joshua Morrison – Builder

Richard Swift – Walt Wolfman

Richard Swift “Whitman” by DOJAGSC

10 More of our Favorite Local EPs, 7”s, Cassettes & Our Favorite National EP of 2011 (more…)

April 13, 2011

Yellingham Festival 2011

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Do you remember that scene in Death to Smoochy when Edward Norton is dressed up as the purple rhinoceros known as “Smoochy” and he is playing campfire songs to a group of children? During this scene, along with many other scenes in the movie, Norton is riding on a teeter totter that is dangerously close to the brink of insanity. He tells the kids in order to release their feelings they must howl at the moon. The children are not as clairvoyant as you would think, not a single one tells Mr. Norton that they are shooting on a sound-stage. What happens next is the most riveting, primal experience in the history of American film. This is the scene that inspired what is now known as Yellingham Festival.

I’m kidding but I wish I wasn’t. Yellingham Festival is a musical event that takes place in Bellingham, Wa. of all places. Strange, I thought they pulled that name out of a hat. There are 40 bands, split into a 11 different shows over the span of 72-hours. You have your riot-starters of the pacific northwest rock scene (Helm’s Alee, Grenades) alongside your “What do you call rock and roll that has a violin?” (Baltic Cousins, The Solvents) Paired with your “What do you call that, punk?” bands (What What Now, Monogamy Party). There are also other familiar acts like Shelby Earl and Karl Blau, if name recognition is something that you get off on. I think there are two really cool things about this festival:

1) There are a ton of bands that I’ve heard about but never actually seen. Surely, I’m not the only person in Western Washington that feels this way.  Cat From Hue, Mountainss, Footwork and Wildildlife are just a few names that I’ve seen on posters or heard on the lips of strangers but have never witnessed for myself. Maybe you’ve seen those bands but haven’t seen one of the other three dozen bands that are rocking this weekend. Now is the best time to do so. Is there anything better than a good house show? The correct answer is no.

2) Yes, this entire festival takes place in houses all over the Bellingham area. I implore you to use your manners at all times. Don’t be a dick. Don’t trash someone’s house because you are caught in a moment of rock and roll passion. I don’t speak for those who are opening their houses for this event, but if someone fucked up my house after I was kind enough to let them in…guess who is grabbing a large kitchen knife and giving you a child-like three count to get-the-fuck-out? That would be me, your generous now incensed host. The hosts of this event are not making any money so don’t pretend to use that as a motivator to act unruly. The suggested donation is $5 per show. No booze. No drugs (smoke pot in your own damn car, hippie). All-ages.  Shows will be taking place on April 15th, 16th and 17th.

March 7, 2011

My Most Played: February 2011

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Charles Bradley – No Time For Dreaming The Band – Music From Big Pink Reilly Partridge – “White Knuckle” Youth Rescue Mission – s/t Baltic Cousins – For The Hell Of Us Figurines – When The Deer Wore Blue Kelli Schaefer – Ghost of the Beast Bryan John Appleby – “Honey Jars” and “Noah’s Nameless Wife” Macklemore – “My Oh My” Tony Kevin Jr. – “Poverty” The History of Northwest Rock Vol II (1979) AgesandAges – Alright You Restless Shelby Earl – Burn The Boats Elliott Smith – “Twilight” Smokey Brights – Demos

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The Cover of The History of Northwest Rock Volume II

March 1, 2011

Win Tickets To See Sound on the Sound Presents: Drew Grow & The Pastors’ Wives, AgesandAges & Baltic Cousins

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We have been eagerly anticipating this show since we began booking it late last year. Because, as we’ve been saying over and over again: Drew Grow and the Pastors’ Wives put on an unparalleled live performance and every time we see them take the stage we walk away with a new appreciation for the passion they put into their performances. Their last two sold out shows at Columbia City Theater were some of our favorite shows of 2010 and we have no reason to believe their performance this Friday will be any less monumental. Or any less sold out.

Leave a comment on this post, hopefully with your full name and an email we can reach you at, and you’ll be entered to win a pair of tickets to this Friday’s Sound on the Sound Presents showcase. We’ll pick two lucky winners Thursday at noon, so you have a little time to make plans for Friday night.

But Friday’s not just about the headliners, we predict both opening bands are going to impress and are names you’ll be hearing lots more in 2011. Starting the night will be Bellingham’s Baltic Cousins who’ve been leaving every band they’ve played with and every DIY venue in their impressive wake and were just listed in City Arts Magazine as a band to watch in 2011. Baltic Cousins has not only a brand new album of material to debut, but also an expanded roster Friday night. Considering their sound as a three piece was rib-shakingly robust, we can only imagine the kind of sonic damage they’ll impart on the audience Friday night.

While being sandwiched between Baltic Cousins and Drew Grow and the Pastors’ Wives is no enviable task, I’m not at all concerned about Portland’s AgesandAges ability to command a crowd. The seven piece, who’ll be celebrating the release of their debut full-length Alright You Restless, recalls a more-grounded-than-dreamy version of The Shins quirky catchy pop, mixed with the theatricality of Campfire OK and the Pacific Northwest’s ever-present multi-part harmonies. Alright You Restless is one of the most confidently adventurous albums I’ve heard recently and I think it’s going to pay off for AgesandAges. I suspect their communal chorus and clap-along’s are going to make them one of Portland’s most buzzed about bands in 2011.

You can check out videos from all three of the bands playing below (more…)

February 16, 2011

New Local Listens on Bandcamp: Baltic Cousins & Kay Kay and His Weathered Underground

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It used to be that you had to wait until Tuesday’s for new records to drop at your local record store, but with the advent of Bandcamp, SoundCloud and of course the prevalence of pre-release date leaks, that’s no longer the case. With that in mind and with no promises of this being a weekly feature, I bring you “New Local Listens on Bandcamp,” where we share a new local release or two available for your streaming and (often) purchasing pleasure. This is your chance to hear music you might not hear otherwise and to form your own opinion, full record reviews on the albums featured will be forthcoming. The goal for this column is all about access and exposure.

Up first, is the debut full-length from Bellingham’s Baltic Cousins. This “angry Americana” band combines a punk aesthetic and penchant for loudness with dark dirges and screamed shanties of hard-working, hard-drinking small-town living and their full length is a worthy follow-up to their debut EP, which we featured in our Top 25 Northwest Releases of 2010. You can see Baltic Cousins in all their grimy glory March 4th at Columbia City Theater for a Sound on the Sound Presents showcase with Drew Grow and the Pastors’ Wives and AgesandAges.

On the completely opposite musical spectrum of things comes the follow-up full-length from psychedelic orchestral misfits Kay Kay and His Weathered Underground. The bigger than ever band, now with 12 members featured on its delightfully retro album cover, is still exploring the theatrical side of the ’60s, like Lawrence Welk on peyote. Its cheeky, experimental and daring; and even if its not your cup of (mushroom) tea the musicality and creativity on display on Introducing Kay Kay and His Weathered Underground is laudable. You can hear Kay Kay this weekend on KEXP’s Audioasis, Saturday at 6pm, we imagine they won’t be playing “You Motherfuckers” unfortunately.

February 2, 2011

New Baltic Cousins – “You Are Bound”

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Baltic Cousins ::: photo by Josh Lovseth

Their self-titled EP was one of our favorites of 2010 and if “You Are Bound” is any indication of what’s to come from Baltic Cousins in 2011, we’re pretty sure you’ll see them again on this year’s best of lists. Beginning with the laconic tempo of their self-titled EP, “You Are Bound” explodes into a more fully developed brooding sound with a funeral ode on the trumpet, furious drums and guitar shredding which highlights Brad Lockhart’s hardcore past. “You Are Bound” wails and teeters like a leering drunk about the captivity and uncomfortable closeness of small town life and relationships.

Listen for yourself:

January 31, 2011

Sound on the Sound’s Top 25 Northwest Albums of 2010

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Damien Jurado Dan Mangan Drew Grow & The Pastor’s Wives Fences Pearly Gate Music Ravenna Woods The Head and the Heart The Lonely Forest The Moondoggies Wild Orchid Children Sound on the Sound Presents
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We’ll be the first to admit this list is arriving, oh, at least a month late. On the other hand, 2010 was an expansive year for Northwest music in many regards and worthy of chronicling one last time with thoughtful and focused intention. So we hope you will see that the extra time we’ve given this piece has led to more in-depth reviews of each release in a way that a December 31st publish date didn’t allow. Hopefully you’ll read one of them and discover a great local record that you missed in 2010 proper.

Unlike some other lists who will cite being on a Northwest label as being a candidate for a “Best of the Northwest” list, ours only includes bands from and making music in the Northwest right now. We’ve expanded to include Vancouver to the north, south to Cottage Grove, west to Forks and east to (at least) Billings, however there’s no denying, our list is heavily Puget Sound area-centered, and mostly Seattle at that. We didn’t pay as close attention to Portland and Vancouver as we should have in 2010, something we plan on remedying in 2011.

With that please enjoy our take on the 25 most significant records we heard from the Pacific Northwest in 2010.

 

 

 

25. Fences – s/t

“Clocking in just over 30 minutes, the long-awaited debut establishes it was worth the wait with the first strums of “Girls With Accents,” whose chorus of “I’m fucking up, I’m fucking up everything” is destined to become a teenage anthem. But this album isn’t just for moody teenagers. Fences sings sad songs filled with snide sweetness, self-deprecation and a confessional honesty that hits home to anyone whose been brave enough to admit they fucked up and flawed enough to do the same thing all over again.” [abbey]

 

24. Wild Orchid Children – Are Alexander Supertramp

Were you ever young? Nod your head “yes.” What did you do when you were young? I’m not talking elementary school age, that’s real kids stuff. Let’s focus on the beast that is adolescence. What did you do when you were young? Did you do what your parents told you? If so, you probably listen to (insert conventional musician using complex social analysis matrix here). Were you a bookworm or liked to secretly play with action figures even though you were probably too old for it? If so, you probably listened to Hum. (editor’s note: Hum totally rules…I swear I left the GI Joe’s alone.) Did you get inebriated in the woods behind a strangers house on the beer you kept buried in the ground, then had Roman Candle fights in a neighboring cul-da-sac? Did you go skating at night and drink beer out of your own Vans sneaker? Did you do acid and see thousands of David the Gnomes come parading out of your bathroom as you tried to sleep? If so, you probably listen to Wild Orchid Children.

That’s exactly what this album is like. It’s like lighting your friends’ parents roof on fire by accident then instead of calling 9-1-1, you decide to make Smores on the ashes. The insurance company has its eyebrows raised. Are you an arsonist? You tell them to fuck off go kick rocks. You are Alexander Supertramp. [Phil]

 

 

23. Lesbian – Stratospheria Cubensis

Lesbian enjoys buttering up the listener with unassuming riffs at the beginning of their songs. Take the beginning Raging Arcania or Black Stygian for instance. The former being otherwordly while the latter is an obtuse delight. Eventually Lesbian decides your peace of mind is a bad joke and they’re not laughing. Insert weird metal breakdown here. Lesbian does something a lot of metal bands don’t but should. The band will throw in thrashy parts out of nowhere, creating quite the tempo shift. During these “brutal” fits, you would expect conventional usage of blast beats but Lesbian will not cave in to the needs of mundane metalheads across the globe. They stay true to their original outlandish form. After a few minutes of putting your mind in a blender, Lesbian decides that your pain bores them. The magical mushrooms that the band ingested before they decided to fuck-with-you-for-the-fun-of-it have worn off. They decide against taking you to Harborview because you don’t have insurance. They suture your skull back together with rusty, mostly heavier gauged guitar strings. That’s exactly what listening to this band is like. A prime example of this occasionally interrupted mayhem is the album’s title track. [Phil]

 

22. Language Arts & Def Dee – Gravity

Though it was a tough choice (a really tough choice) between the two full length albums LA put out this year (the other being Roll With The Winners with producer Blu-Ray), it may have been the warm feeling of nostalgia that surfaced while listening to Gravity that kept it on repeat for such a large part of the year. LA is arguably the most lyrically sound MC in the area code, from street-side cyphers to formidable entries on wax, and Def Dee’s classic east coast style, lowest-fi production, the sixteen tracks feel timeless. [Todd]

 

 

21. Baltic Cousins – s/t EP

“I’m the same as I was that day…” – Break Bread

It’s like they were there, but they weren’t.

All of us can reach back into our past and select a day. Depending on which day we take hold, the meaning and the outcome of those moments would be different. Close your eyes and think for a second. What day did you choose and would you change anything about it? Did you say the right things? Did you make the right decision? Has anything about you changed from the brief moment you selected? Is regret a shadow that follows you constantly even though we never see the sun around here?

The self-titled demo released by Baltic Cousins resonates heavily with those who hear it. There is not much to their bare approach to songwriting. No bass. No keys. No additional percussionist. This Bellingham supergroup doesn’t need the bells and whistles of the current dog and pony show that is indie rock. What Baltic Cousins lacks in number of members or presentation they make up for with remarkable honesty that is manifested in both lyrical and musical form. [Phil]

 

20. Frog Eyes – Paul’s Tomb: A Triumph

My husband suggested the following review for this album: “Weird, but worth it.”

Paul’s Tomb: A Triumph is an intricate concerto of noise, Bach for the rock and roll era. Seemingly influenced by everything from Dinosaur Jr. to Baptist preaching, this record is a master class in bringing together a slew of disparate influences into a harmonious – if not particularly melodic – whole. Sometimes delicate, sometimes rushing and rattling like a runaway train, Paul’s Tomb is a howling journey through frontman Carey Mercer’s brain. [Brittney]

 

Read the rest of our Top 25 Northwest Albums of 2010 after the jump (more…)

January 16, 2011

Abbey’s 20 Favorite Local Records of 2010

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Damien Jurado ::: photo by Abbey Simmons

Our big, written properly, not just a list of The Top 25 Northwest Albums of 2010 is coming soon, really, WE PROMISE. But today I wanted to share my personal favorites of 2010. Also, my number one most listened to local album of 2010 was basically a “Best Of” compilation, so I decided not to include it. If I had though, Carissa’s Wierd’s They’ll Only Miss You When You Leave would be perched near the very top.

1. Damien Jurado – Saint Bartlett 2. The Moondoggies – Tidelands and You’ll Find No Answers Here 3. The Head and The Heart – s/t 4. S – I’m Not As Good At It As You 5. Dan Mangan – Nice Nice Very Nice 6. Avians Alight – s/t 7. Drew Grow and the Pastors’ Wives – s/t 8. Hoquiam – s/t 9. Mt. St. Helen’s Vietnam Band – Where the Messengers Meet 10. Ravenna Woods – Demons and Lakes

Ravenna Woods ::: photo by Abbey Simmons

11. Lemolo – Singles EP 12. The Lonely Forest – s/t EP 13. The Lights – Failed Graves 14. What What Now – Fingers and Toes 15. Baltic Cousins – s/t EP 16. Joseph Giant – s/t 17. Salmon Thrasher – What Gives and Thrashin’ USA 18. Macklemore and Ryan Lewis – The Vs. Remixes 19. Hobosexual – s/t 20. Shannon Stephens – s/t

Four albums I love that I haven’t had enough time with to make a judgment … my best guess though? Had they come out earlier in the year, they’d be in that Top 20:

The Solvents – Forgive Yr. Blood Drew Grow – The Comfort Feel EP Le Sang Song – s/t Cobirds Unite – s/t