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December 6, 2010

Best of Guest List: Kyle Johnson’s Favorite Albums of 2010

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Perfume Genius ::: photo by Kyle Johnson

For the past few years we’ve been lucky enough to have one of the most talented up-and-coming photographers in America contribute his thoughts on the best of the year sonically and on film. And for the past three years we’ve sang Kyle Johnson’s praises (seriously, he’s brilliant) and every year we discover an album we love from Kyle’s border-less choices. (This year, we’re thanking him for Warpaint.)

Kyle has just started sharing the fruits of his latest project: “Portraits of Seattle” featuring intimate looks at the faces and people of Seattle who inspire him. Check out the first portraits of artist Jessie Edwards on Kyle’s blog and then check back regularly to see who else he’s captured.

We’ll be sharing Kyle’s favorite photos (from other photographers) soon, but here are his favorite albums of 2010. This list is not enumerated, but it is loved.

Perfume Genius – Learning Das Racist – Sit Down Man Warpaint – The Fool Damien Jurado – Saint Bartlett Flying Lotus – COSMOGRAMMA Truckasaurus – Quarters No Age – Everything in Between Past Lives – Tapestry of Webs Fences – Self Titled Shabazz Palaces – Self Titled

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Das Racist ::: photo by Kyle Johnson

October 29, 2010

Your Halloween Weekend as a One-Sided Conversation

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So much to do this weekend and you only have 72 hours to do it. Why is partying so stressful!?! Ugh. The things we put ourselves through as social mammals. It’s exhausting. What’s your costume? Where are you going to be? Who are you going to be with? How are you going to get there? You don’t have any money. You don’t have any good ideas. Luckily for you, Sound of the Sound is wearing a cape, a mask and svelte tights with a sock in the crotch. Nice bulge? We know. Here’s a preview of your weekend in the form of someone eavesdropping on a scenester having a cell phone conversation with an unknown entity. We’ll call this fictional character Iggy Crane because I’m afraid I’ll get sued if I use the first name Ichabod. Food stamps can’t pay for lawyers. Don’t Enjoy.

[Scene: Iggy Crane is a very slight individual with a heroin users build. He's about 6 ft tall, maybe 85 pounds after a huge brunch. His complexion is translucent. It's bleach. One might mistake him for an individual that takes spelunking to a whole another level if it weren't for his body paint jeans and over-sized high tops. Crane wears a five o' clock shadow on his face. He's got Grey hair, dyed of course. It makes him appear to be a man of refinement. A blue hoodie underneath a black leather jacket. Don't ask why. He knows what's up. He's hanging out at Cafe Zoka in the U-District.]

[Iggy Crane dialing one of his uber cool buddies. One of his uber cool buddies answers the phone -- on the last ring of course.]

Iggy: Yeah man. What’s going on? What’s going on this weekend? Got any plans?

[....]

Iggy: Well on Friday night I can’t decide what I want to do. As of right now I feel like raging but I’m not sure where. There’s so many shows this weekend. I wish I were Michael Keaton in Multiplicity, only with better results obviously. There’s going to be shenanigans taking place at the Funhouse. How fitting right? Hounds of the Wild Hunt are going to be opening up the gates of Hell for the greatest Misfits cover band of all-time, Glenn or Glenda?

[Iggy pauses to take a sip of coffee and look at who is walking on the Burke-Gilman. Nobody that is traversing its path holds his gaze. He thus turns his attention back to his cellular device.]

Iggy: That’s not a question idiot. That’s the band, Glenn or Glenda? They named the band that because there is a female performer who plays the role of Glenn Danzig while her better half portrays Glennda Danzig. “Glennda is the repressed feminine aspect of Glenn Danzig brought to life, rescuing him from his own machismo through glamour and hilarity.” I swear I did not get that from a press release. In other words, Glenn or Glennda are absolutely ingenious. I’m surprised Glenn or Glenda is not the biggest celebration on Halloween every year. It’s the only day of the year they perform and it’s amazing every single time.

[....]

Iggy: What? You’re thinking about going to that Lesbian CD release show at the Comet with Brothers of the Sonic Cloth and Diminished Men? Argh. Moments like this make me wish all the venues were built on top of one another like some kind of skyscraper of debauchery. Have you heard that new Lesbian record? It slays, literally. I heard three people died on the night of its release due to rocking too hard! Where’s Tipper Gore when you need her!?! Let’s prosecute records to the fullest extent of the law.

[....]

Iggy: Shut-up. You do not want to have sex with Tipper Gore. Why would you do that? Gross. I hear Mrs. Gore is a huge fan of Throne of Bone and Owen Hart. Maybe you’ll see her at the Block Lodge later? It’s a tough call between that, the Comet and the Funhouse. I didn’t even mention that You.May.Die.In.The.Desert. is rocking Healthy Times Fun Club as well. I wish Halloween was tonight, that way I could go all out and put myself in a coma until Monday morning.

[...]

Read the rest of Iggy’s one-sided conversation after the jump … (more…)

July 24, 2010

Choose Your Own Adventure: Capitol Hill Block Party Day 2

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Blood Red Dancers ::: photo by Abbey Simmons

“We’ve come a long way together…through the hard times and the good…”

You begin your day with three other people sardined into your twin-size bed and a Fatboy Slim song blasting on your alarm clock radio. Who knew the Fruit Bats would be Seattle’s best aphrodisiac? I’m not saying anything happened with you and the other actors from last night’s dramatic play, but I’m not saying nothing happened either.  Someone from a small mid-western town might call you “godless” and that’s fine. Let them think what they want to think. Do you want to know what I call you? The first person on my Evite list…

You throw on your 3rd favorite pair of jeans and get ready for Day 2 of Block Party. It starts earlier than yesterday so you’re going to have to pace yourself. You grab a sharpie and scrawl “pace yourself” into the palm of your hand, forgetting that you’ll probably wash your hands about 90 times over the course of the day. This is not a good omen as far as your liver and kidneys are concerned.  That’s ok, vital organs take a backseat to Block Party, that’s a given. You make your way to Block Party…

What isn’t a given is how you’ll begin Block Party.  Do you want to dance with the Redwood Plan at the Main Stage? Or do your eyes and ears want to feast on Seattle’s latest darlings, the Head and the Heart, at the Vera Stage? Booty shaking, sweaty rhythmic fun or you hugging yourself and tapping your foot for 40 minutes? Tough decision on a Saturday afternoon. You spend a couple minutes frozen in place and unable to decide. Just then you come up with the unique tiebreaker of “Which group might have less annoying fans enjoying their performance?”

You find yourself enjoying the Head and the Heart for the first time. This isn’t the ideal setting for a band like the Head and the Heart to make their first impression but they are blowing you away nonetheless. The Vera Stage has been quite kind to you thus far during the festival. You smile the entire duration of the Head and the Heart’s set while the sun kisses your skin. Is this heaven or is this Iowa? You see no signs of Moonlight Graham or “Shoeless” Joe Jackson; you conclude that you are in heaven…at least for the time being.

The Head and the Heart end their set and you’re left with yet another decision to make. Do you want to stick around the Vera Stage and see the energetic rock n’ roll of Cold Lake? You’ve seen them before at the Black Lodge and they were an entertaining bunch. You could continue on your mellow journey and voyage to Neumo’s to see Beach Fossils.  You’re unsure whether or not to make a commitment to Beach Fossils because they are from Brooklyn. You’re currently boycotting all musical acts from that part of the universe. Your grandfather has also never forgiven Brooklyn for letting the Dodgers leave in 1958. He’s convinced that if the Dodgers never left for Los Angeles, people who currently live in L.A. wouldn’t be so annoying. You beg to differ but sometimes the grudges of your father’s father are too hard to overcome…

Even though you hate the Main Stage audience with absolute passion, you decide to go see Obits instead of Cold Lake and Beach Fossils. Upon your arrival you realize that you broke your boycott of Brooklyn but you make excuses for your hypocrisy. Rick Froberg was in Drive Like Jehu, which is not just one of the best bands to ever come out of San Diego; they were one of the best bands ever. There you go, your loophole is now big enough for an elephant to fit through. The only bad thing about rocking out to Obits at the Main Stage is that you’re missing out on My Goodness at Cha Cha. My Goodness churns out sweaty blues in a big way and would be perfect to see at Cha Cha. However, they gig in Seattle more often than Obits, you’ll just have to suffer through this blown opportunity. You vow to see My Goodness in a few weeks at Chop Suey.

Obits was enjoyable but in order to avoid the point when the Main Stage audience turns into a herd of cattle, you leave Obits when they are about to play their last song. You make your way to Neumo’s to try to catch the last few songs of the Drowning Men…

You arrive in Neumo’s utterly flabbergasted and disappointed. It’s not that the Drowning Men are bad; it’s just that you confused their moniker with legendary Burlington, Vermont hardcore band, Drowningman. You were hoping to lose face to “Condoning the Use of Inhalants” and “When People Become Numbers” but instead you got digestible indie rock. You conclude there’s enough indie rock on this earth that is easy on the ears and you don’t want anymore. You leave Neumo’s and watch scores of people enjoy the Drowning Men as you exit…

Still bitter from your indie rock let down, you decide to go to the Cha Cha to try and catch a few songs of the Blood Red Dancers. On your way over you buy a hip-hop CD from some stranger at a negotiable price. You don’t ever plan on listening to the CD but you feel good knowing that you’ve supported local music…

The Blood Red Dancers are good and seem to thrive in the close quarters of the Cha Cha.  This band reminds of you of the bands Firewater and Morphine even though they sound don’t sound like either. Blood Red Dancers play the song “Sweetie’s Getting Robbed” and you think to yourself what an awesome tramp stamp that would make for that one girl at work that you don’t like. The Blood Red Dancers have turned the Cha Cha into afternoon sweat-fest. You get tired of the gym locker room vibe and decide to leave Block Party for a short period of time…

As you make your way to Cal Anderson Park you run into some old friends walking towards the entrance of Block Party. You convince them that it would be a good idea to go to Molly Moon’s for some ice cream. You crack a smile as you are reminded of that special moment in Fugazi’s “Instrument” when Ian Mackeye chastises an audience member for getting too rowdy. “Ice cream eating motherfucker…” You think of it as being one of the greatest moments in western civilization. The gods in the sky just think of it as foreshadowing…

After waiting in line for “a goddamn long time” (direct quote from one of your friends), you purchase some Maple Walnut in a cone and lick away. Delicious. Everything is right in the world. You’re with friends on a pristine summer day in the Pacific Northwest, enjoying music and being hedonistic. You would like to capture this moment in a time capsule and open it up some time in the distant future. Licking your ice cream, walking on the sidewalk, enjoying conversation, minding your business…

Fight breaks out and you’re caught in the middle. Just like that awful U2 song, you’re stuck in a moment and can’t get out of it. Strangers unexpectedly decide to come to blows. Your ice cream ends up all over your clothes as you seek shelter from the melee. The fight doesn’t last that long because cops are stationed right around the corner. You make your way to the entrance of Block Party as the police officers arrest the two men. You’re pissed about your ice cream. You keep in mind not to punch anyone in the face while inside; if you do you’ll soon share the fate of those two men…

The only thing you want to hear right now is Black Breath at the Vera Stage. They bring the kind of heavy aggression that will make one forget that they have ice cream all over them. As you make your way to the Vera Stage you keep your fingers crossed and hope they play “I Am Beyond” or “Unholy Virgin.” Without question this will be the most crushing set of the entire weekend…maybe even the entire summer. Throughout the set you make sure to give the “devil horns” sign as a tribute to Ronnie James Dio who just passed recently.

After your dessert catharsis courtesy of Black Breath, you take a look at your Block Party schedule and are unsure of what to do next. You think about giving Neumo’s another shot but you’re not even sure who is playing there. As your eyes make their way across the schedule, you notice !!! just got started not too long ago on the Main Stage. They’ve been a band a long time, you’re kind of surprised that they are still around and wouldn’t mind going to see them. Suddenly you remember what a pain in the ass it is to Google their name and decide against it.  This is the age we live in, where we hand down judgments based on search engine results. Besides you haven’t gotten your fix of hip-hop today (remember those bumper stickers from Day One?).  You decide to stick around for the Hip-Hop showcase at the Vera Stage featuring Grynch, Spaceman and State of the Artist…

After the Hip-Hop Showcase at the Vera Stage is over with, you decide that hip-hop can’t fail in a festival setting. You’ve never seen Grynch perform live before but he killed it as expected. You were completely unfamiliar with State of the Artist before this night but you’ll keeping an eye out for their future dates as well…

Now you’re faced with a great problem, a blessing of sonic proportions. There’s potentially four or five acts you want to catch by the end of the night and if you are fleet of foot, you’ll be able to see every last one of them…

You leave the Vera Stage and make your way to Neumo’s to see Past Lives. They play the kind of weird shit that you are in to. Plus they have this really cool t-shirt that you’ve been thinking about buying. While Past Lives are between songs you peek your head out of the side door of Neumo’s to catch a glimpse of Blonde Redhead on the Main Stage.  Every time you peer out, you think to yourself “Is that really Blonde Redhead playing the Main Stage at Capitol Hill Block Party?” Believe it mammal, it most certainly is. What other stage would they play? Exactly…

Before Past Lives can finish their set at Neumo’s, you make your way back to the Vera Stage to see Seattle’s favorite pocket sized orchestra, Grand Hallway. The last time you saw them was at Neumo’s with the Moondoggies and you thought they were amazing. The Vera Stage will prove to be kind to both Grand Hallway and all its spectators…

After Grand Hallway plays four songs (no more, no less) you will decide that this beautiful music is causing you to be too introspective. You conclude that your life is like an airplane stuck on the runway filled with a bunch of bitchy passengers. It’s not a good feeling. You need a different distraction.  You head to Cha Cha to see Feral Children…

The sounds coming from downstairs at Bimbo’s make the descent down the stairwell to Cha Cha feel like House of Leaves. It’s not the sound of the music; you’ve had too much to drink and not enough to eat. You reach the bottom of the stairs just as Feral Children begin to play “Kid Origami.” This means a lot to you because that song has been stuck in your head for the last six months. Now that you’ve witnessed the song once again in person, you can sleep without the night terrors that have haunted you for so long. A good pop song can do that to you…

Feeling free of your night terrors, you leave Cha Cha and head back to the Main Stage to catch Atmosphere, a true veteran of the indie rap game. At one point in your life God Loves Ugly was a favorite album of yours. Considering your love of that album, your surprised you never saw Atmosphere before or since it came out…

September 10, 2009

Bumbershooting: Day One

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Matt & Kim ::: Photo by Marcella Volpintesta for Sound on the Sound

[ Editors Note: Bumbershoot 2009 marks the first time a new photog has been on assignment for Sound on the Sound (since Josh was taking pictures for Stereogum), and Marcella Volpintesta was gladly recruited as our second photog for the task. We couldn't be happier with what she came up with! ]

The weather situation leading up Bumbershoot 2009 was ominous. The entire weekend had a forecast of on-and-off precipitation and even a thunderstorm thrown in for good measure. Saturday morning’s dark skies blanketed Seattle in an unusually intense downpour that seemed to almost miraculously stop as noon rolled around.

For us the early part of the day centered a number of younger local groups who’ve been making waves lately. A Hey Marseilles set in the KEXP Music Lounge, Sound Off! Winner Dyno Jamz! and then Past Lives at the EMP, and the Perez Hilton-endorsed Natalie Portman’s Shaved Head at the progressively muddy Broad Street stage. For only 2.30 in the afternoon, NPSH appeared to have attracted every teenager present on the Seattle Center grounds, skillfully whipping them into giddy, bouncing dervishes.

Despite the damp circumstances, roaming around on cement paths and many opportunities to retreat inside (or just under one of the many covered walkways) made for a not uncomfortable experience at all. After taking a break inside ourselves for Telekinesis’ KEXP Lounge set (another young local band worth noticing), we caught in full Mayer Hawthorne and the County’s tour opening set, where he confirmed the promise of his debut album A Strange Arrangement. Given the opportunity to catch Elvis Perkins in a more intimate setting than he was scheduled for later in the day, we wound our way to the day’s final KEXP Lounge Session where Elvis Perkins in Dearland played their entire new Slow Doomsday EP for a packed audience.

Local hard-rockers The Whore Moans were intent on bringing something special to this year’s Bumbershoot, souping up their act as a kind of soul-influenced revue with more players involved and new songs composed. Calling it The Whore Moans Present: The Black Atom! it was complete with backup singers borrowed from the Cute Lepers and Mike and Jordan from the Hands guesting on sax and keys respectively. Guitarist Nikki shined in gold sport jacket while the Whore Moans held nothing back in their retro adventure.

As the light waned at the Northwest Court stage, Elvis Perkins in Dearland played their official set to a respectfully silent crowd (in-between hearty round’s of applause of course). Cold War Kids guitarist Johnny came on stage to help out on a couple of songs, among them one of my new favorites, the jangle-blues jam of “Stop, Drop, Rock, and Roll.” Perkins dedicated the dirgey “Chains, Chains, Chains” to the maker of the animated video for the song, Sean Pecknold, who was appreciatively taking in the show off to the side. The mournful songs from Ash Wednesday were nary in sight until a final song to usher us home, “While You Were Sleeping.”

Wrapping up our evening at the Broad street Stage we were interested to see if JRod had managed to pump out any more new Long Winters songs in the weeks since we’ve last heard from him. The band was playing it’s last set with drummer Nabil Ayers who’s moved on to other more business-like endeavors in New York, and as was expected of the occasion the band was goofy and loose. A few new ones did make it into the mix, but nothing really seemed quite firm yet about them, with one song even necessitating stopping midway through for a situation re-evaluation.

Once day one was finally finished, amazingly I wasn’t muddy, cold or disgruntled. While threat of imposing weather had apparently kept many people at home, those who did make it out experienced a rather mild day with minimal sprinkles and even a few hours sun. In addition to enjoying a healthy amount of elbow room so one never felt to crowded, food and ATM lines were relatively short (but not the comedy lines) and there was always a spot to plop down on the grass if you wanted to. On Saturday we reaped all the benefits of a depressed turnout.

Everest ::: Photo by Abbey Simmons

Hey Marseilles in the KEXP Music Lounge ::: Photo by Abbey Simmons

Bumbershoot 2009 ::: Photo by Marcella Volpintesta

(more…)

February 12, 2009

Selling My Soul at the Showbox

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Murder City Devils ::: Photos by Josh

From the opening notes of “Dancin’ Shoes,” the second song into the Murder City Devils set last night, I sincerly feared for the safety of the viaduct, when for four straight minutes the ground shook and shifted with the jumping of restless crowd. That the assembled masses had been eagerly awaiting this moment was beyond obvious: this was the night to wear your black and skull gear unabashedly. In the minutes leading up to 11, showtime, the jockeying for position had begun in earnest, if only to be in front of the expected melee in the center of the room.

Having never seen Murder City Devils live before, but being a fan of the records, it’s fair to say I was hella impressed. Spencer Moody basically screamed his head off for an hour straight; everyone around me knew all the words too. Derek Fudesco, now of the Cave Singers, laid down some of the best basslines I’ve heard, and the rest of the band seemed to be having fun, only just barely showing it. The signature spooky organ really did bring everything together.

The Showbox security was remarkably restrained with the all-ages crowd, allowing an active pit to get pretty rowdy without having to regulate to hard. At least, nobody seemed to be getting hurt. For a couple of songs near the end the pit seemed to increase in size, enveloping more than half of the main floor. I saw a buttoned up gay couple seriously consider a crowd-surfing venture, one motioning with hands locked and ready to launch the other into the air while I tried to stay upright at the edge of the tornado. Such was the euphoric feeling in the room that night, everyone seemed just a bit off their rocker.

When bandying about words like “legendary” and “epic” (as I am guilty of) expectations can be nigh-impossible to live up to, but I’d say last night the band did just that, sounding as good as I could have ever expected. Far from sounding out-dated or out-of-fashion, the Murder City Devils still retain an edge and toughness to their live show that most bands can only hope achieve. And oh yeah, the opening band, Past Lives? They were pretty good too.

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Flickr: Murder City Devils, Past Lives and Cap Lori at the Showbox February 11, 2009

January 9, 2009

The Daily Choice: The Weekend Edition 1/9 – 1/11

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Oh golly good goodness, it’s the friggin’ weekend again and this little writer couldn’t be happier.  Why? – you may ask.  No particular reason.  This music loving son-of-a-bitch is just excited for a weekend of booze, bands, and uh, beer … or something.

Seriously, are you really not excited for the weekend?  What did you’re great aunt die and you have to go to her funeral?  Oh, she did?  Ah jeez, sorry about that, really, uh, not very pleasant of me to be pouring salt in that wound.

On to the music!

Grass Widow in a murky basement makes me tingly.

Friday, January 9th

John Spalding Benefit feat. Minus The Bear, Rocky Votolato, The Cave Singers, Past Lives, Triumph of Lethargy Skinned Alive To Death @ The Showbox

Lets be honest, even if this wasn’t a benefit show for one of Seattle’s kindest and most revered musical identities, this would still be a kick-ass show.  Due to the late John Spalding’s absolute kindness, I was actually able to catch acoustic sets by almost all of these bands earlier this year.  Now it’s your turn, get out to The Showbox and not only can you give back to a musician who gave so much, so can also see a hot list of some of the best acts in Seattle today.

The Cave Singers – Dancing On Our Graves

The Cave Singers’ Myspace Page

SATURDAY, JANUARY 10th

Grass Widow @ Monstersori Observatory

I’m all about San Francisco right now, and this three lady psych-punk ball of grungy distortion and pounding drums has me smiling from bizarro ear to bizarro ear.  Not only that, but they’re playing at Monstersori a venue I’ve never been to nor ever heard of.  That said, a shitty basement in Beacon Hill just might be the perfect place to see this show.  I’ll be there, eyes all a goggle.

SUNDAY, JANUARY 11th

Well hell, they’re isn’t a single show I want to recommend.  Stay at home, tend to your lady/man, and start working your liver out  for the Sound on the Sound birthday week.