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November 15, 2011

Wild Flag Wow at Neumos

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Wild Flag

Wild Flag ::: Photo by Josh Lovseth

It’s a special thing to see anyone fully in their element. To see someone owning a moment in its totality, and in doing so, present the clearest expression of their own aspirations. Though Wild Flag held onto playing a Ramones cover until the encore at Neumos, the frenetic spirit of the seminal punk band was pulsing through the modern foursome’s entire set. Carrie Brownstein’s leering vocals contrasted catchy-as-fuck harmony hooks and guitar parts that vacillated between locked-in theme development and a bit of goofing off. Yeah, it’s just pop music for punks, but it was rare and satisfying sight to see a band of four where each personality stood out and still coalesced in the way Wild Flag in front of a very sold out Neumos on Friday.

If the band’s pedigree weighed on the room, Wild Flag wasn’t wearing that pressure on their shoulders. Brownstein hammed it up and generally brought levity to an otherwise expectant situation. Striking poses and sharing amused smiles with fellow guitarist and lead vocalist Mary Timony, that levity extended to the rest of the band. Janet Weiss reminds of what a true rock drummer brings to the table, a steady strength that everyone else can rely on always. So when you’ve mastered your instrument and vocal parts as these four have over the past year, what’s left but have fun with it? Comfortable as they were, the stage might as well have been their own practice space.

In openers Drew Grow and the Pastors’ Wives, Wild Flag might have found the only other four-part harmony I can think of where each member consistently represents their own distinct personality and still comes together as something more than the expected sum of their parts. Multi-instrumentalist and vocalist Seth Schaper often steals the spotlight with his wildman guitar work or vocal solos, and bassist/vocalist Kris Doty can tingle a spine or two herself with her vocal accompaniment. As Grow attempts to distinguish himself from any easy definition, he is in constant motion, both on stage and as a songwriter. Not someone to be predictable or easily pinned down, one never quite knows what to expect from a night out with Grow and Co., but Friday represented one of the most accessible presentations I’ve seen from the group.

Drew loves to throw the word “Gospel” out there, and though it’s certainly a part of his roots, he’s steadily sought to blaze a new trail for the Pastors’ Wives so as to upend any expectations. Three weeks of tour had shed much of the band’s extraneous flare and experimentation and they were instead letting the sinewy innards of songs work together and the guts transcend a simple melody or chord structure. This is rock and roll to be sure, but with something deeper motivating it than simple entertainment. This notion was brought home when midset for his only words from stage he acknowledged a new song called “Groundwire” was inspired in part by Seattle’s unexpectedly supportive response to an auto-accident that happened deep in last winter’s snow. Following the accident it wasn’t certain how Grow would recover. We asked ourselves how would an artist with not only personal creative momentum but building career momentum sustain such a show stopping injury? Would 2011 be a lost year for Grow? Friday showed none of our fears were warranted. Though the van crash resulted in an abrupt and temporary stop to Grow’s physical movement, it did nothing to stop his personal momentum.


Drew Grow and the Pastors Wives ::: Photo by Josh Lovseth

Wild Flag

Wild Flag’s Mary Timony ::: Photo by Josh Lovseth

Wild Flag

Wild Flag’s Carrie Brownstein ::: Photo by Josh Lovseth

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 12, 2011

Josh’s Favorite Records of 2010

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Pickwick
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Since I’m later than everyone else and am expounding (and have expounded) elsewhere plenty on 2010 I’ll keep this one short. The following is a list of the most compelling records I heard in 2010. Not coincidentally these really were the records I actually listened to most. To my mind, every one of my choices exists as a whole record, and not just a collection of individual singles, so, in my humble opinion, every single record on this list is worthy of taking the time to listen all the way through to be absorbed fully.

Since I only did twenty songs for 2010, I also limited myself to an unordered list of twenty records (plus a few stellar EP’s). Click the link on a band name to see what we’ve wrote about them in 2010.

(more…)

December 31, 2010

2011 is Full of Potential

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Beat Connection Campfire OK Dan Mangan Drew Grow & The Pastor’s Wives Land of Pines Lemolo Macklemore Macklemore & Ryan Lewis My Goodness Shabazz Palaces The Head and the Heart The Lonely Forest Zoe Muth
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Lemolo at Conor Byrne ::: Photo Josh Lovseth

In nearly every conversation I’ve been having lately, there’s been a reoccurring theme: that something is happening in the Seattle scene, across genres, and that a certain energy exists right now locally in a way not seen for years if not decades. This energy seems to have gathered independently in nearly all of the successful sub-genres in Seattle, but also across and within the larger community that supports the Seattle music scene.

For those outside of Seattle, thanks to the likes of Shabazz Palaces, THEESatisfaction and Macklemore, 206 hip hop has been getting national recognition in 2010, and we expect it will continue to do so in 2011 in part thanks to this marked diversity. The Lonely Forest, with the help of Chris Walla turned in a stellar EP that begs the question, if those were all album b-sides, how good is that full length in March going to sound? The band with the most people talking in Seattle in 2010 was (no surprise) the Head and the Heart, and we’ve no reason to believe that electricity isn’t going to translate on a national and international level in 2011.

From a local perspective, the energy on display also emanates from the more general creative musical M.O. that Seattle’s been fostering. While Seattle may be known across the world for Cobain and Vedder, the current batch of musicians aren’t cognizant of any expectation toward filling their shoes, and instead seem to relish building something as unique as possible for themselves. And aside from a creative standpoint, the young guns in town are building new self-supporting scenes of their own that will endure beyond the interest of the latest single. Truckasaurus and Head Like a Kite have welcomed all kinds of collaboration this year, and on both counts local hip hop rose to the challenge. The Campfire OK, Artists Home and Bombs over Bellevue families are all actively feeding back within their own groups and producing their own narrative of what will be the next thing. A walk down to Conor Byrne open Mic on Sunday night will reveal the scene in live action motion before your eyes, some of our area’s best songwriters out on the sidewalk nervously practicing and performing songs they’ve just written yesterday.

Though the likes of My Goodness, Hobosexual, and Unnatural Helpers can still give Seattle the claim of being the hotbed of rock n’ roll that it longs to retain, nowadays Seattle could just as easily brand itself a town of folk, modern rock, hip hop and or Americana. Outsider rock gained momentum here because that kind of unbridled creativity and feedback had the freedom to happen and thrive here, and now we’re seeing those values manifest on a larger scale two decades later. Above any reputation begotten of a vaunted time, that feedback is what makes the larger Seattle scene special.

Below you’ll find a list of the local bands who we think will be making the biggest impact on a local and/or national level in 2011, in no particular order. Ten come out of Seattle, in addition to one from each of the larger metropolis’ to the north and south.

 

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July 2, 2010

The Rebirth of the Columbia City Theater

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Drew Grow ::: Photo by Josh Lovseth

What do you get when you stick some of the Northwest’s most compelling bands into one of Seattle’s most historic theaters with the area’s most legendary sound-man manning the knobs? Magic.

As grand (re)opening’s go, the Columbia City Theater’s first weekend back in the limelight went off without a hitch, with two nights of curious crowds assembling between it’s bare brick walls. I say curious because for the recent past, this theater/studio has remained an under the radar gem.

Though at one point a young Jimi Hendrix graced its stage and Sonic Youth its studio, recent years found the theater plagued by mismanagement and deteriorating under poor up-keep. The new management and ownership is adamant that it be returned to the grandeur its storied history demands, not only in the minds of the fans, but in the bands who would play and record there, and the community at large. By investing in a complete overhaul of the vintage recording equipment, snagging local sound hero Jim Anderson, making the theater fire sprinkler compliant, and being sure the space is as touring band friendly as possible, they’re strongly signaling their intention to be not just another venue.

Night One: Mash Hall, Cloud Nice and DJ Suspence

Mash Hall ::: Photo by Tyler Kalberg

The first sounds that played from the new Columbia City Theater speakers came courtesy of DJ Suspence, who in a nod to the theater’s storied history, weaved Duke Ellington and Ella Fitzgerald between more booty-shaking beats. Details like these were especially appreciated by those with an ear for the neighborhood’s past, of whom there were many roaming the halls. Part of what was so thrilling about Columbia City’s first night was the diversity of the crowd: curious neighbors and business owners were wide-eyed alongside local hip hop fans. People in business casual, traditional African dress and skinny jeans stood shoulder-to-shoulder with each other and they were all nodding their head to Suspence’s beats by the time Cloud Nice took the stage shortly after 10pm.

Cloud Nice, which is more a collective of artists than a crew, kept the audience’s attention with a rotating cast of characters and styles. Their set played with smooth r&b harmonies, rapid fire raps, catchy hooks and a clever ever-present sense of humor. If you can get me dancing and laughing in the span of a song, you’ve earned my affection … and with lines like “he gets more head than Vlad the Impaler,” Cloud Nice earned a new fan.

Mash Hall headlined the night and proved again why every local party should have a Mash Hall soundtrack. This band is about pure unadulterated fun, from their laugh a minute rhymes to their boundless energy as performers … there wasn’t an inch of Columbia City’s considerable stage that weren’t covered by El Mizell, Bruce Illest and their guest popper and locker of the night. But there was an extra bounce in both Mizell and Illest’s step that night, this wasn’t just a party for partying’s sake, this was a celebration of a place and project near to their hearts. Shortly after the two emerged dramatically from behind the shadows and red velvet curtains of the stage, Mizell remarked with earnest excitement about playing such a beautiful stage in South Seattle. Looking around a capacity theater, packed full of smiling faces, bobbing heads and all kinds of moves I would never have guessed Seattle had, Mizell’s excitement was clearly shared.

Night Two: Grand Hallway, Drew Grow and the Pators’ Wives and Kelli Schaefer

Kelli Schaefer ::: Photo by Josh Lovseth

Saturday’s bill seconded as a sound system confidence test, and one that passed with flying colors, with orchestral headliner Grand Hallway being the about the largest challenge Seattle might offer. Taking turns at the resident grand piano that was center stage, the band traded smiles of satisfaction and pleasure, resting assured that each level was in it’s place, and no doubt amused at the novelty of playing a stage with curtains. Kelli Schaefer no doubt made the impact she was hoping to make with the benefit of Anderson’s skill, his shaped reverb took her already impressive sound to another level.

True to form, Drew Grow and the Pastor’s Wives produced their own moment of magic. (If anyone at the show who finds themselves in the situation of a spontaneous pregnancy in thirty days please let me know.) Grow, grinning wide between songs remarked, “I feel like this might be the best night ever. I told this to Grand Hallway backstage and they asked whether it was the best show ever, or only up to this point? I’m optimistic. So I’d have to say the best show up to this point.” Still, that’s saying something. After two strong showings, I’m not just optimistic that many more “best show’s” will take place at CCT in the near future, I’m sure of it.

The Columbia City Theater Grand Opening extravaganza continues this weekend with two more free shows. Tonight we bring Ballard to Columbia City when Sound on the Sound Presents The Maldives and Zoe Muth & the Lost High Rollers. Saturday serves a heaping helping of local hard rock featuring the Whore Moans in their final show as The Whore Moans (to be thereafter known as Hounds of the Wild Hunt), alongside Lesbian and Chinese.

See more photos from both nights, after the jump. (more…)

April 30, 2010

Ravenna Woods and Drew Grow played the Tractor Tavern

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Drew Grow & The Pastor’s Wives ::: Photo by Josh Lovseth

Wednesday night at the Tractor Tavern was the second Wednesday in a row of a sweet local bills filling up a room. Now that is what I’m talkin’ about!

Drew Grow is the TRUTH. He was as revelatory as expected. Maybe more so. Had I had a womb, I’m fairly certain he would’ve spontaneously impregnated me. It was that good. I was afraid I might have been exaggerating earlier, but I really wasn’t.

Ravenna Woods took us till midnight, and with some steady attention by KEXP lately they’ve been gaining fans left and right. Two well attended sets in Ballard in a month’s time is pretty stellar to my mind. On top of that, if the crowd had it their way, Ravenna Woods would’ve played till sunrise. A fervent audience to compliment a fervent band then.

Both Drew Grow & the Pastor’s Wives and Ravenna Woods will be at Doe Bay Fest 2010 happening August 13th and 14th on Orcas Island at the Doe Bay Resort. Tickets go on sale sooner than you think, so stay tuned.

Drew Grow & The Pastor’s Wives ::: Photo by Josh Lovseth

Drew Grow & The Pastor’s Wives ::: Photo by Josh Lovseth

Ravenna Woods ::: Photo by Josh Lovseth

Flickr: Ravenna Woods, Drew Grow & The Pastor’s Wives at the Tractor Tavern

March 19, 2010

Drew Grow & The Pastors’ Wives: “Do You Feel It”

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Drew Grow & The Pastors’ Wives ::: photo by Abbey Simmons

Earlier this week, I testified to the spine-tingling spirituals of Drew Grow & the Pastors’ Wives calling them my favorite live discovery of 2010. The impetus of my confession were two brand new songs from the band, and I’m so pleased I get to share one of those new tunes with you today, “Do You Feel It.”

“Do You Feel It” by Drew Grow & The Pastors’ Wives (courtesy of Amigo/Amiga)

If you like what you hear and you live in Portland (or you can make the drive down), Drew Grow & the Pastors’ Wives will be celebrating the release of “Do You Feel It” tonight at The Woods. Opening for them will be Seattle’s own Friday Mile. Do me proud Portland, and don’t miss this.

February 1, 2010

An Invitation to Abbey’s January 2010 Listening

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Tags
Drew Grow & The Pastor’s Wives Fences Kelli Schaefer Goldfinch Ravenna Woods Sallie Ford and the Sound Outside The Ironclads The Maldives Zoe Muth Whalebones The Moondoggies

Dave Bazan performs “Bad Diary Days” – 1/08/10 in a Seattle Living Room

These are the songs, bands, and sounds that I’ve started off my 2010 with. Lots of new bands I’d never listened to before 2010, many who I think we’ll be sharing much of the year with. Take a listen and maybe, just maybe, you’ll  find your first favorite new band, album or song of the new year! Thanks for starting 2010 with Sound on the Sound, we’re looking forward to sharing another great year of local music with you.

Sharon Van Etten - Because I Was In Love and “Love More“ Drew Grow & the Pastors’ Wives – “Colder by the Minute” and “Friendly Fires” Kelli Schaefer – “Gone In Love” The Ironclads – “Emily” (download here) Zoe Muth and the Lost High Rollers – s/t debut Sallie Ford & The Sound Outside - Myspace Demos and any YouTube I can find Moon Duo – “Stumbling 22nd St.” (from Noah’s Daily Choice) Whalebones – every new song on myspace and their Morning Man EP from 2007 Vic Chesnutt – “I Flirted With You All My Life” Ravenna Woods – Demons and Lakes Salmon Thrasher – Myspace Demos Emperor X – The Blythe Archives Pedro The Lion – “Bad Diary Days” (see a Sound on the Sound video above from 1/08/10) Goldfinch – s/t Phantogram – Eyelid Movies (out on Barsuk February 9th) Fences – “Sadie-” from GIVE Seattle The Moondoggies – “Side of the Road” from GIVE Seattle Beach House - Teen Dream The Maldives – “Go Back to Virginia” (new Maldives tune)